26 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a star out of Jacob, All praise honour and glory to Jesus, allow your faith to fail, almighty god, awesome truth, Balaam, Bruh David, clouds of life, conquest of Christ, contemplation, Controller, Creator of the universe, dark and evil world, dominion, don't despair, don't ever despair of god's presence in your life, don't ever doubt, earthly walk of faith, Edom, encouragement, eternally grateful to Jesus, forgiving, gentle reminder, glorify your father in heaven, glory, God is right beside us, God shall tread down our enemies, God's omnipotence, God's promised never to leave nor forsake us, gospel truth, guiding, guidng light, hallmark of a true believer, happiness of Israel, helping, in the darkest hours, indisputable truth, Israel, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, judgement, justice, Let your light so shine before men, light is stronger than darkness, light of the world, living a godly and righteous life, LOVE, mea culpa, merciful, Moab, never let a cloudy day ruin your sunshine, omnipotent god, our Lord and Saviour, Psalm 60, reconciled to the Father, salt of the earth, Samuel, scepter shall rise out of Israel, selflessly sacrificed, showing our true colours through examples, surrender, that may see your good works, the light of the Sun and of the Son, the Lord preserved David, the power of the Holy spirit, through God we shall do valiantly, triumphant Tuesday, trust, tumult, wisdom, wisdom from the mouths of babes
Psalm 60:12. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
Oh Friends, it’s triumphant Tuesday! Meaning we have triumphed over Monday, and are setting out to do the same to Tuesday under the ever-watchful and mighty presence of our omnipotent and LOVING Deity, Jehovah God!
And all God’s children declared a loud and joyful shout: ‘All praise and glory be to Almighty God for bringing us safely through another dark night into the bright and scintillating light of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Everlasting thanks to the One who selflessly sacrificed His sinless life so that we could be reconciled to the Father!’
Yes my fellow believers, we shall be eternally grateful to Jesus for that! So on this triumphant Tuesday in the last week of August 2014, where it’s somewhat cloudy in my area, let’s go out and show our appreciation by living a godly and righteous life nuh, showing our true colours through examples, not merely words. A life that will bring glory to our merciful and forgiving God.
Let’s do as Jesus desires; be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. As He humbly requested: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)
Yes my people, we can do no better than that, in this dark and evil world. Now here’s a gentle reminder and appropriate encouragement for a cloudy day like today. I’ve shared it before, but it’s always helpful to bear it in mind.
‘So never let a cloudy day ruin your sunshine, for even if you can’t see it, the sunshine is still there, inside of you, ready to shine when you will let it.’
What an awesome truth my brethren! Those are words from a poem of Amy Michelle Pitzele, written when she was nine years old. Wisdom indeed from the mouths of babes!
So just remember that even if there is some darkness or cloudiness in our personal lives today, and we can’t see any light, please don’t despair, because the light of both the Sun and the Son are ALWAYS with us, though the clouds of life might hide them for a brief moment.
We have to learn to see the light through the eyes of faith. And our Bit today, taken from Psalm 60, a contemplation of Bruh David when he was embattled, surrounded by foes on all sides, also reminds us of the omnipotence of our most wonderful God.
Bruh David was absolutely sure of these words when he wrote them. ‘Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.’
That’s indisputable, gospel truth my believing brethren! A truth that we should keep ALWAYS before us, as a guiding light to our earthly walk of faith and LOVE!
And in the words of the false, or wishy-washy prophet Balaam, foretelling the happiness of Israel, which he saw in a God-induced trance, though with open eyes: ‘I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners (shatter the forehead) of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth (sons of tumult).
And Edom shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly (mightily). Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion (shall rule), and shall destroy him that remaineth in the city.’ (Num.24:17-19)
And the scholars tell us: ‘Primarily these oracles (of Balaam) refer to the royal triumphs in the period of the early monarchy, but these victories prefigure the greater conquest of Christ at His first and second advents (comings).
A Star: this can be used metaphorically for a king (Rev.22:16). That a king is meant is confirmed by a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, a scepter being part of the royal insignia (Gen.49:10; Ps.45:6; Amos 1:5,8).
Shall smite the corners of Moab: The word ‘corners’ is best understood as “the head” or “skull” (Jer.48:45 and Samaritan Pentateuch). The king of Israel would conquer the neighbouring countries, Moab, Sheth (most likely Shut), Edom, Seir, Amalek, and the Kenites (vv.20-21).’
Likewise, the prophet Samuel saw it fulfilled when he wrote: ‘And David gat him (made himself) a name when he returned from smiting of (killing) the Syrians (Edomites) in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men. And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David’s servants.
And the Lord preserved David withersoever he went. And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgement and justice unto all his people.’ (2 Sam.8:13-15)
And the scholars give us an interesting note here. ‘8:13. Because in Hebrew the ‘d’ (dalet) and the ‘r’ (resh) looked very much alike, they were often mistaken for one another. Probably Edomites rather than Syrians (i.e. Edom rather than Aram) should be read here, as in 1 Chronicles 18:12 and the title of Psalm 60.’
That does seem to make sense, since in the verses following, it’s Edom and Edomites that Samuel refers to. Anyway my people, please note and deeply believe that we serve a just, upright and faithful God, in whom we can place ALL our trust, and surrender ourselves completely to Him, because He IS the Creator and Controller of the universe.
Please don’t ever doubt it and thus allow your faith to fail you, for even in the darkest hours, He is ALWAYS right beside us… even better, dwelling inside of us, guiding and helping us through the power of His Holy Spirit.
So child of God, DON’T EVER despair of God’s presence in your life, for He has promised NEVER to leave or forsake you, and He who has promised is indeed FAITHFULL!
So please walk bold and strong in the awesome power of His LOVING-kindness this fateful Tuesday morning. That’s the hallmark of a true and faithful believer! Much LOVE!
…darkness foolishly tries to overpower light…but if it ever does…it’s only for a fleeting moment…because light is stronger than darkness…and will always overpower it eventually…
P.S. Ah Friends, it was just one of those late nights that turned into a late morning. (smile) Please accept my many mea culpas. Much LOVE!
23 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a thorn in the flesh, Achilles heel, alignment with God's Word, blow your own horn, boasting, Bruh Paul, commendation, compare ourselves with ourselves, Corinthians, exalted, expert, for men to seek their own glory is not glory, glorifies God, glory in my infirmities, glory in the Lord, gospel truth, hard experience, innate ability, it is well with my soul, it's not good to eat much honey, jehovah god, keep on keeping on, let another man praise thee, majesty, measuring ourselves by others, messenger of Satan, my glory will I not give to another, my grace is sufficent for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, neither my praise to graven images, pedestal, persevere, Proverbs, rough times, self-promotion, stand strong, suffering, superstar, Sydney Smith, take life with a grain of salt, trials and tribualtions, when I am weak then I am strong, wisdom, workings of almighty God
Proverbs 25:27. It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search (seek) their own glory is not glory.
Oh Friends, life’s definitely interesting and amusing yes! And sometimes we need to laugh at it and also take it with a grain of salt. What sparked my enthusiasm today was a quote from one of my daily devotionals. This quote is attributed to one Sydney Smith, but when I tried to find out about him, I discovered that there were several people by that name, including a couple of women.
Anyway, I believe they are referring to an English clergyman, wit and writer who lived between 1771 and 1845. The quote states: ‘I have gout, asthma and seven other maladies, but am otherwise well.’
That had me laughing because it reminded me of myself. I have numerous maladies myself, but other than that, I’m very well. Hn, hn! It’s like sometimes when I’m asked, ‘How are you?’ I reply, ‘My body’s a mess, but my soul’s in beautiful shape!’ And that’s often the truth.
At those times I’m reminded of the old hymn: ‘When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.’
Yes my people, that’s how we need to be, regardless of the trials and tribulations we’re going through. No, it’s not always easy, but as true believers in Jesus, we are required to stand strong and persevere.
That reminds me of Bruh Paul’s situation. ‘And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet (beat) me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought (pleaded with) the Lord thrice (three times), that it might depart from me.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses) that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, than am I strong.’ (2 Cor.12:7-10)
Yes my brethren, in our weakness, God’s strength and majesty are magnified! So much so, that nowadays when some malady, old or new bothers me, I ask the Lord to help me with them, but I don’t keep harping on it, because I’ve learned from hard experience that some things you just need to go through, and in His own time, He will solve the problem(s) one way or another.
Now I merely ask Him for the strength to keep on keeping on, while I’m undergoing whatever ailment is then affecting me. It glorifies God when we continue doing what we ought, while undergoing suffering and rough times.
That brings us to our Bit, which is tied up to a certain extent with what we’ve already been talking about. ‘It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search (seek) their own glory is not glory.’
Rather true and wise words from Cousin Sol! Too much honey, or today we’d say sugar, is definitely not good for us, neither is too much boasting or self-promotion. As the old people would say; we’re not supposed to blow our own horn.
And as Bruh Paul wrote to the Corinthians, re his spiritual authority: ‘For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.’ (2 Cor. 10:12)
Yeh Friends, we’re not supposed to measure and compare ourselves to and by others, for that will only get us in serious trouble. In fact we should not boast of our accomplishments at all!
Listen to Cousin Sol as he opens Proverbs 27 by staunchly declaring: ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.’ (Prov.27:1-2)
Unfortunately though my fellow believers, our current world is one that glorifies boasting. And the sad fact is that our standards are set so low now, that any run of the mill, mediocre accomplishment a few decades ago, are now seen as great stuff. Everybody is an expert, a superstar, or some high flying personality… that is until their Achilles heel is exposed, and they are unseemingly toppled from their haughty pedestal.
Oh my brethren, we all do some things fairly well, but we also do other things poorly. So there’s no need to boast about our doings, especially when whatever we excel at is basically through the workings of Almighty God, through the skills with which He’s endowed and blessed us with.
That’s why Bruh Paul said to the Corinthians: ‘But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.’ (2 Cor.10:17-18) And that’s the gospel truth my people!
And we’ll end with some important info from the scholars on the subject. ’10:17-18. Lest the Corinthians interpret what Paul has to say as an expression of conceit, Paul shows that, in the final analysis, his commendation comes from Christ. Paul was always careful to show that any success he enjoyed in the ministry was not due to his own innate ability, but to Christ working in him.’ (cf. Rom. 15:17-18).’
That’s more gospel truth Friends! So please, in all our doings, let’s not try to take the praise and glory that truly belongs God, for remember these specific words out of the mouth of His servant 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)
That says it all my fellow believers! So let’s ponder our own glorying today, and if necessary bring it into alignment with God’s Word, through His help obviously. That’s wisdom of the wisest kind! (smile) Much LOVE!
…to boast, to boast, and yet to boast…not of myself or of my doings…but of the majesty and glory of Jehovah God…
22 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a double-minded man is unstable, a world of opportunity, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, almighty god, an ornament of grace, an untenable position, another week of work, ask in faith, ask of God, awe inspiring knowledge, Beelzebub, being tossed to and fro, blessings, cast into the lake of fire, Cousin Sol, crapaud smoke we pipe, double minded, doubting, eat drink and be merry, eternal separation from God, faith, fellowship, for all eternity, freedom, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, gospel truth, grace, guided by our Lord and Saviour, heavenly wisdom, honour, idol worship, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, jesus name, Jesus' parable, joy, knowing God, knowledge of God, living God, LOVE, make excuses, one true God, peace, personal relationship with Almighty God, praise and thanks, Praise the Lord, Proverbs, pursuit of lust, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, reverential awe, ride out the storm, right perspective, single minded, strength, sunlight of Jesus Christ, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the human spirit, the knowledge of god, the principal thing, the rich fool, the right track, things of the world, trials, troubled world, understand the fear of God, understanding, unison and harmony, upcoming weekend, vacillate, wavering, wisdom, wishy-washy
Proverbs 2:5. Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
Well hello there you beautiful people, it’s Friday, our favourite day!
And all hard working people joyfully declared: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes! Don’t know if I could have handled another day nuh. Praise the Lord! Thank Him ever so much that it’s Friday!’
Yes Friends, we have to be ever so thankful to our wonderful God for bringing us through another dark night into the glorious sunlight of His Son Jesus Christ and showering us with the many blessings He has planned for us today.
And while we’re in the praise and thanks mood, (smile) let’s chant our Friday Chant to give us a right perspective for the upcoming weekend. As one now, in unison and harmony. ‘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.’
And yuh know what Friends? Once we get on the right track, then a whole new world opens up to us. A world of opportunity, of peace, LOVE, joy, grace, strength and faith like we’ve never imagined! That’s what knowing God does for the human spirit.
Like our Bit so wisely says: ‘Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.’
And in today’s crazy, evil, ungodly, troubled world, do we ever need to hold Almighty God in reverential awe, and embrace His freedom releasing knowledge! For without that awe inspiring knowledge, we’d be just like a small boat being tossed to and fro on a big, stormy sea, that will eventually disintegrate and sink when we can no longer take the constant jamming and battering.
But my brethren, with the wisdom and knowledge of God circulating within us, we’ll instead stand steadfast and strong, like a big ship on those same stormy seas and successfully ride out the storm, ably guided by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Yes Friends, as Cousin Sol so eloquently says in Proverbs 4: ‘Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline (turn away) from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: LOVE her, and she shall keep thee.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov.4:4-9)
And isn’t that the gospel truth? It surely is!
And furthermore, re the subject of wisdom, James cautions us: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting).
For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
And the scholars have an interesting take on verse 5: ‘1:5. This verse is not a blanket promise of wisdom for any situation. In the context of life’s trials, it probably speaks of the believer being granted (1) wisdom as to the reason for his trials and (2) wisdom to endure them.’
But sadly my people, the truth is that nowadays too many of us are either double minded, wishy washy in our attitude towards God, and thus unstable. Or if not, then we’re single minded in the foolish pursuit of the lust and idol worship of the things of the world, and have little or no regard whatsoever for Jehovah God.
That my Friends is an untenable position, for eventually you will pay a whopping price for your gross disobedience and lack of reverence to your Creator, even to the point of facing eternal separation from Him…and that’s for all eternity. And believe me, that is the worst thing that can ever happen to a soul, since that means being eventually cast into the lake of fire with Beelzebub and all his other evil and foolish minions. (Rev.20:10)
Now I’m sure none of us wants that to happen to us or to anyone close to us. But the only way to avoid that judgement is by sincerely embracing the ONE TRUE and LIVING GOD; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as soon as possible, preferably RIGHT NOW, for none of us knows when we will be called to the other side.
And if we continue to put it off, to vacillate and make excuses, we could end up being like the rich fool in Jesus’ parable. ‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:19-21)
Therefore my brethren, on this crucial Friday morning in August 2014, I implore us to take a serious look at our personal relationship with Almighty God, and make sure that we are properly aligned in His court, otherwise crapaud smoke we pipe, we’ll end up eternally separated for Him.
And that’s definitely not heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to have ears…and not listen to what God says…is the wisdom of a fool…
21 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a prayer for solutions, action, apply thine heart to understanding, commandments, commitment, communing with God, commute, confident in god, Cousin Sol, cry after knowledge, cut costs, destiny, devious ways, discerment, discretion, do our part, don't ever give up, downsizing, dr robert h schuller, emotionally, equitable pay, equity, eternal life, exercise the faith, expectation of bosses, faith, fear of the Lord, fearful for jobs, forgiveness, god is good fair and just, God's never-ending faithfulness, God-given plans, grace, have a blessed day, incline thine ear unto wisdom, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, joy, judgements, knowledge, knowledge is plesant unto thy soul, knowledge of God, leadership of my life, life isn't easy, lift up thy voice for understanding, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, make right decisions, meeting of the minds, mentally, mercy, parent's instructions, paths of justice, paths of uprightness, persevere right to the end, perverse things, perversity, physically, poor economic situation, preserves the way of saints, prospector, raise profit margins, refreshing, rejoice to do evil, rejuvenating, reverential awe, right conduct, righteous, righteousness., salvation, shield, silver, solve the problems, stand strong, stress, stressors, summer, take command over my destiny, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the way of the evil man, Thursday, tired Thursday, traffic jams, treasures, understanding, unforgiving world, ungodly world, walk uprightly, ways of darkness, weary, wisdom
Proverbs 2:5. Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
And then it was Thursday – tired Thursday – and a misty one in my area this morning. In fact it’s been misty since I was sitting out on my front porch around 1 a.m. this morning, enjoying the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, communing quietly with my Maker.
And I can’t begin to tell you my people, how nice and refreshing and rejuvenating that is. Consequently, I don’t get to my bed very early these days, and thus can’t get up very early either. (smile)
Please don’t begrudge the ole fella that particular joy; because it will soon be over, as the summer floats away and the cold days become the norm. (smile)
However, getting back to the tired Thursday theme. I call it that because by the fourth day of the workweek we’re all weary, physically, emotionally and mentally, from the many stressors of modern workday life. Stressors like getting up early to get the children ready for day care and/or school, when that begins in the next couple of weeks.
Then get ourselves off to work, which necessitates a long, arduous commute for so many, standing idly by in huge traffic jams, morning and evening, and finally having arrived at work tired, needing to put up with the high expectation of bosses, of much work for not always equitable pay.
And then with the strain of the poor economic situation, many of us are fearful of losing our jobs, in a time when everybody’s downsizing, ostensibly to cut costs, but more than likely to raise their profit margin.
Anyway my fellow believers, in spite of all the stress and strain to which we’re currently exposed, followers of Jesus are expected to persevere right to the end; to pursue their God-given plans without fail, for our wonderful God has promised to bring us safely through all that comes against us, though we will also have to do our part and stand strong.
And if there’s one thing we’re ever so confident in our great God for, is His never-ending faithfulness! Whatever he promises, He fulfills. So please hang in there, for life wasn’t meant to be easy, but our God is good and fair and just, and in His own time, He will bring us to a successful meeting of the minds with Him. (smile)
Above all, DON’T EVER GIVE UP! For giving up is not numbered amongst the things believers do. Now here’s an appropriate prayer from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H Schuller), from his Hour of Power daily devotional, which is appropriately titled; ‘A Prayer for Solutions.’
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, thanks for assuring me that you’ll solve the problems if I’ll exercise the faith and make the right decisions! Forgive me for waiting for all difficulties, real or fanciful, to be resolved before deciding to make my commitment.
I confess I have too often allowed problems instead of possibilities to take over the leadership of my life – to make my decisions – and take command over my destiny. I know, now, what faith is, Lord! It’s making the right decisions before I see solutions to all the problems! Increase my faith! Amen.’
And now that we’ve prayed those faith raising and releasing words, my brethren let’s go out and faithfully put them into action nuh, for words without action are generally worthless.
And as the passage before our Bit, in the wise words of Cousin Sol tells us, re the reward of heeding wisdom: ‘My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide (treasure) my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge (discernment), and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.’ (Prov.2:1-5)
Yes Friends, in these very crucial and critical times, wisdom and understanding are a MUST, if we’re to navigate this evil, ungodly world successfully. And true wisdom and understanding comes ONLY from Jehovah God my people!
As Cousin Sol continues: ‘For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up (stores up) sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler (shield) to them that walk uprightly.
He keepeth the paths of judgement (guards the paths of justice), and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgement (justice), and equity; yea, every good path.’ (Prov.2:6-9)
Yes my people, without true wisdom and understanding which emanate from our magnificent God, we’d be entirely lost in this unforgiving world of ours.
Now hear some comments from the scholars. 2:1-22. The conditions for obtaining wisdom are given first: one must earnestly seek it, as a prospector would search for gold (vv.1-4). It is not an undirected search, however, since the parent’s instruction is the basis. The consequences of obtaining wisdom are then listed (vv.5-22): knowledge of God (vv.5-8) and right conduct (vv.9-22).’
And we’ll end with a few of those verses on right conduct. ‘When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul: Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward (perverse) things;
Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness: Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness (perversity) of the wicked; Whose ways are crooked, and they froward (are devious) in their paths.’ (Prov.2: 10-15)
There we have it Friends, some benefits of seeking after wisdom and understanding through the ONLY avenue through which they are really obtained and granted; i.e. through the Most High God Jehovah!
Now let’s have a blessed day as we walk in lockstep with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in wisdom and understanding! Much LOVE!
…oh, our world would be such a much better place…if the inhabitants would only turn to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…for wisdom and understanding…which would bring them oodles of peace, LOVE, joy, mercy, grace, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life…oh what blessings…
16 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a loss for words, Aloha Friends and neighbours, anguish, ask for the old paths, darkness, death, deliverance, disaster, divine revelation, evil, false prophets, familiar spirits, find rest for your souls, for signs and wonders, glorify your father in heaven, good works, hidden under a bushel, history repeats itself, holy spirit, house of Jacob, hungry, Israel, jehovah god, Jeremiah, Judah's destruction, let your light so shine, life, light of the world, lord of hosts, LOVE, Lucifer, male soothsayers, mediums, priest, profane, profane the name of God, prophet Habakkuk, punishment, righteousness., run rampant, salt has lost its flavour, salt of the earth, secrets of darkness, seek God, slippery ways, speechless, spiritism, stand in the ways and see, stubborn refusal, though it tarry, traditional ways, troubled times, truth of the matter, ungodly world, wait for it, wait upon the Lord, way of the ungodly, where is the good way, wickedness, witches, wizards, Zion
Jeremiah 6:16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we shall not walk therein.
Aloha Friends and Neighbours! The ole fella is at a loss for words this Saturday morning. Can you believe that? Chuh!
Well it happens to best of us at times, but I’m sure it won’t be for long, once the Holy Spirit jumps into the breach and shows me what our great God wants to talk to us about today.
Yeh, the anointing is taking a little while to come, (smile) but come it will. As the prophet Habakkuk says, ‘though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Hab. 2:3b)
Yes Friends, the Lord will not leave me speechless for long… then look out! You might end up wishing that He had left me speechless. (smile)
Anyway my brethren, let’s get to our Bit, so hopefully I can finish it up today. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein.’
And before we go any further, listen to these comments from the scholars. ‘6:16. The people’s stubborn refusal to walk in the traditional ways of true righteousness is often mentioned by Jeremiah (12:16; 18:15; 23:12; 31:21).
Moving in their own paths and following their own way could lead only to Judah’s destruction (cf. Prov. 14:12) The contrast of the way of righteousness and life with the way of the ungodly and death is often made in the Scriptures (e.g. Ps.1; Matt.7:13-14).’
Oh Friends, I shared Jer.18:15 with you yesterday, now listen to this other scripture from Jerry that the scholars identify, which deals with the fate that awaits the false prophets.
‘For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness saith the Lord. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil (disaster) upon them, even the year of their visitation (punishment), saith the Lord.’ (Jer.23:11-12)
Oh my people, how does history ever repeat itself eh? For in these troubled times there are also many false prophets and priests who exhibit wickedness rather than righteousness and profane the Lord’s Word. Don’t worry though, eventually they will pay the price, just as the Lord promised.
But listen to this passage from Isaiah, re deliverance foreshadowed: ‘And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits (are mediums), and unto wizards that peep (whisper), and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead (hard pressed) and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves (be enraged), and curse (by) their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness (gloom) of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.’ (Is.8:17-22)
Now hear how the scholars characterize that scripture: ‘8:19-22. Familiar spirits refers to witches, and wizards refers to male soothsayers. Peep and…mutter is better rendered “chirp and whisper.” In times of distress people often turn to witchcraft instead of God.
The prophet warns them not to seek these mediums for the living to the dead, that is “Do not consult the dead on behalf of the living.” This warning speaks against spiritism and calls the reader back to the law and… the testimony as the only basis for interpreting a claim to divine revelation.’
But unfortunately my brethren, in these sad, troubled and fearful times, those who trade in the secrets of darkness are seeing a renaissance of their evil work, because more and more frightened people are going to these quacks than are turning to Jehovah God, as they should. How sad, my people.
But that’s where we believers come in. As Jesus said, we are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world; therefore it’s our job to bring true flavour and light to those who are still shrouded in darkness. (Matt.5:13-14) But are we doing as He commanded?
I daresay, not to the extent that is needed. We are falling down on the job my fellow believers, that’s why Lucifer and his evil cohorts are having such a field-day in the current world.
Jesus declared to His disciples, and therefore to us: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)
Oh Friends, today I want us to sit down and seriously and truly ponder whether we are being bright lights in a dark world, as Jesus desires. It’s imperative that we fulfill that role, otherwise Beelzebub and his evil buddies will continue to run rampant and roughshod over the earth. And that we definitely can’t allow!
So let us each consider if we’re making a serious and sincere difference in this ungodly world nuh. And if we’re not doing as well as we ought to, then let’s petition the Lord for His help in doing so. You know He will be only too glad to grant our requests in that direction.
But seriously my brethren, we definitely have to do better, if we want to win the world for Jesus. There are no ifs, ands, and buts on that score my fellow believers, that’s just the way it is; simply the truth of the matter. Much LOVE!
… Jesus asked us to be salt and light to a darkened world…but it seems our salt has lost its flavour…and our light is being hidden under a bushel…thus the empowerment of darkness in the world today…
15 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, almighty god, ancient paths, another week of work, bounden duty, burned incense to vanity, calamity, death, destruction, disobedience, earthly pleasures, Elijah, evil, faith conquers fear, fellowship, find rest for your souls, focus on Almighty God, Friday chant, fun, further God's glorious kingdom, generous help, God's warnings, God-centred, godly focus, godly wisdom, Horeb, Israel, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jesus Love Revolution, judgements, Law of Moses, less wise, lethargy, lightens stress, lighter in the head, LOVE, love conquers hate, LOVE Revolution, Malachi, man-made attitudes, old paths, playing with fire, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, relaxed atmosphere, rest, smite us with a curse, stand in the ways and see, statutes, tensions, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the day of the Lord, the good way, the Great tribulation, the Lord never changes, the ways and paths of God, the Word of god, theatre of strife, turn our hearts back to God, turning away from God, ungodly path, weekend, wisdom, worldly lust, worthless idols
Jeremiah 6:16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
And this time the joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ hit the roofs of numerous workplaces. You can literally feel the tensions ease as workers turn their minds to the weekend, away from whatever work that might then be frustrating them.
It’s always interesting and amusing to see the relaxed atmosphere in the work place on a Friday. I guess that’s a natural human reaction, looking forward to a day of no work and all the other strenuous activities it brings, lightens the stress.
Anyway, regardless of the reason or reasons for our lighter Friday attitude, let’s chant our Friday Chant so that we don’t gravitate to the other extreme and spend the weekend in total lethargy on the couch, in front of the tube, or unlimited earthly pleasures that distract our focus from Almighty God. (smile)
As one body in Christ, let’s chant. ‘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 mih people, we need to take a more God-centred than worldly lust attitude towards the weekend, because it’s not there simply for pleasure but even more importantly for the rejuvenation of our spirits.
And on turning to our Bit, we see that godly focus being reiterated and strengthened. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein.’
Yes Friends, the paths and ways that our great and wonderful God has laid down for us from the very beginning of time are the ones we ought to follow, not the man-made ones that are steadily leading us down an evil and ungodly path to death and destruction!
Humans these days seem to be getting lighter and lighter in the head, becoming sillier and less wise every day. We insist on trying man-made attitudes and ways that obviously don’t work, given the terrible mess our world is currently in.
But do you think, in light of that, we’ll even consider going back to the ways and paths of God which worked for our forefathers? Hn! Not on yuh life! Instead we foolishly continue to plod further along the unproductive, ungodly man-made paths that will eventually lead to death and total destruction.
Oh Friends, when are going to wake up and see the serious error of our ways eh? Everyday a new theatre of strife seems to open up in our already seriously troubled world, unfortunately without the ending of any of the previous ones, which we conveniently forget, as our focus is trained on the new ones.
Ah mih breddren, there are so many scriptures that warn about turning away from God, let’s look at a couple. The prophet Malachi in talking about the coming day of the Lord (the Great Tribulation), wisely warns us: ‘Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgements.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.’ (Mal.4:4-6)
Oh my people, what are we waiting for to turn our hearts back to God eh, for Him to come and smite us with a curse? Now that isn’t too bright is it?
And hear the Lord again, this time through Jeremiah: ‘Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity (worthless idols), and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up (and not on a highway);
To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and wag (shake) his head. I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the (my) back, and not the (my) face, in the day of their calamity.’ (Jer.18:15-17)
Oh my fellow believers, why do we insist on treating God’s warnings as jokes eh, when we’ve seen them come to pass all throughout history? Why do we think we’re different eh?
Remember the Lord NEVER CHANGES; He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. So whatever He said yesterday still stands as gospel truth today! And if he says He’ll destroy nations for disobedience, then in His own time and manner, He will certainly do it.
My Friends, we’re playing with serious fire here, by so blatantly disobeying the Word of God, even to the point of mocking Him, and trying to remove Him from our society that was founded on His sacred Word. It’s a fool’s wisdom my people!
But sadly, we believers are the ones entrusted with the unenviable and mighty task of turning this foolish, selfish, greedy and evil world back to the paths and ways of Jehovah God. The heathen and the ungodly won’t do it because they are foolishly enthralled with the works and idols of man.
So for our children’s sake, and the sake of all our descendants, I’m pleading with us to get serious about our bounden duty, and start working diligently on Jesus’ LOVE Revolution, which is the only thing that will save our world from total destruction, either through our own self-inflicted efforts, or those of Almighty God.
Please let godly wisdom prevail. Much LOVE!
…only LOVE can conquer hate…only faith can conquer fear…only true believers can turn our evil world around…
03 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian's cloak, a new song, allegations, almighty god, Amen, an even place, another day, bless the Lord, browbeat, Bruh David, BruhDavid, call upon the Lord, debts, discontent, enemy, evil felons, evil tentacles, Examine me, faithful, family, family gatherings, fear, fellowship, forgiveness, fractured by work, give thanks, glorify God's holy name, go to church, grace, grievances, guilt, heaven, I shall not slip, I waited patiently for the lord, information, injustice, innocent, innocent cry, integrity, intimidated, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jesus is mine, judge, keeps us away from God, labour, lies, life or death, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, magnify, malice, merciful, mercy, minions, nature of the beast, one day of rest, Our Father, pit, power, praise, privileges, proud, push back, railroad, revered, sing, So let it be, special day, stand strong, stand strong and steadfast, steps, Sunday, take it to the limit, the Lord's Day, toil, true, true believers, trust, truth, unforgiving, upon a rock, vengeance, vindicate, worship
Psalm 26:12. My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord.
Oh Friends, it’s Sunday – the Lord’s Day! That means it’s time for all true believers to gather in His sanctuary and fellowship; sing, praise, worship, give thanks, magnify and glorify God’s Holy Name!
And all God’s people said a loud, grateful and sincere. ‘Praise the Lord! Let His light so shine before us that we may walk worthy of Him! Amen.’
Ah mih people, Sunday used to be such a blessed day; a day for family and worship, but as in so many other areas of life, the world has stretched its evil tentacles into Sunday too. Now the family and worship have been seriously fractured by work.
So many more places of business are now open on Sundays, it makes it difficult for many of us to have time for family gatherings, or time to go to church. And the sad part is that it’s getting worse!
Sunday is no longer a revered or special day. It’s now become just another ordinary day, another day for doing business. Steups!
Ah Lord eh! My people, we have to stand strong and push back some. The Lord said there should be at least one day of rest from toil and labour every week, but if we don’t look sharp, we won’t even have the little we now have. Lucifer and his evil felons are just trying to draw us away from Jehovah God in any which way they can.
They don’t care what it is, it could be life or death, once it separates or keeps us away from God, they’re happy. We can’t allow that to happen my brethren.
So please, let’s get up and go out and worship Almighty God in droves, let’s take it to the limit, and let the evil one and his foolish minions know that we will not be intimidated, we will not be railroaded into giving up our Sunday privileges, or stop worshipping our most wonderful God on His special day!
And all the children of God gave a mighty shout of ‘Amen! So let it be!’
Oh my fellow believers, we need to call upon the Lord as Bruh David did in our Bit, when he was falsely accused. ‘But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me. My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord.’ (Ps.26:11-12)
Yes my Friends, a Christian’s cloak is his integrity, and we ought not to fear acknowledging and publicly blessing and praising the Lord for His goodness to us. And I know these days it’s easier than ever to be wrongly accused, with the great amount of false information that’s swirling around in our information age.
And the sad part is that once the allegations are made, they stick in people’s minds, even though we may be eventually found to be innocent of them. Unfortunately, that is just the nature of the beast, of the unforgiving society in which we currently live.
But Friends, regardless of what comes against us, we always need to stand strong and steadfast with the Lord, especially when we are falsely accused. Don’t allow the enemy to browbeat us into wrongly admitting guilt.
Hear how Bruh David opens Psalm 26, from which out Bit is taken. ‘Judge (vindicate) me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide (slip).
Examine me, O Lord, and prove (try) me; try my reins (test my mind) and my heart. For thy LOVING-kindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.’ (Ps.26:1-3)
Oh my people, if we can truthfully say those words, then there’s no need to worry. Our gracious God will certainly hear our innocent cry and justify us before men.
Listen again to Bruh David as he offers praise for answered prayer in Psalm 40. ‘I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (steps).
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’ (Ps.40:1-4)
Oh my fellow believers, truer words were never spoken! If we make the Lord our faithful strong tower, and walk in integrity according to His dictates, we have nothing to fear. The Lord will address our needs and our grievances in His own time; we just need to wait patiently on Him.
Now that’s not always such an easy thing to do, especially when the waters of discontent, injustice and/or malice are swirling madly around us. But it’s what we need to do as true believers, for remember that the Lord has designated vengeance and justice as His domain. Ours is not to reason why, just to trust in Him; His tender mercy, grace and forgiveness, that He administers with unconditional LOVE.
Oh Friends, our heavenly Father is the most powerful force in the universe! No other being can thwart His pronouncements unless He allows it. So please let us stand strong, faithful and true in our belief in Him.
And this Sunday morning, I believe it’s ever so appropriate that we end with the memorable words that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ taught us.
Please pray with me: ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt.6:9-13)
That says it all my brethren! Please have a blessed day as you walk sincerely with our Father in heaven. Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…for ALL the time…Jesus is mine…
16 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a divine necessity, a positive idea in the mind of a believer, abundant life, Adam and Eve, all things are possible, Amen, be not afraid only believe, belief, Botanical Gardens, clutches of sin, confession, decry, demon spirit, disparage, dr robert h schuller, earthly things, Eureka moment, faith, faltering faith, fear not, forbidden fruit, Garden of Eden, glorious deliverer, glory, glory hallelujah, god-given idea, heavenly things, help my unbelief, honesty, Hour of Power Devotional, if you can believe, impossible to fool God, inner turmoil, insincerity, Jairus, jehovah god, Jesus, Jesus' desires, Jesus' glory, Jesus' resurrection, Julie, julie mango, life is too short not to enjoy it, Lordship, LOVE, Lucifer, majesty, memorable words of Jesus, Messiah, Moses, most powerful force, mouth watering flesh, My walk, Nicodemus, Old Testament, only believe, peril of understanding, repentance, road to Emmaus, salvation, significance of Jesus, slow of heart to believe, stupidity, suffering, testify, tittilate the senses, Tobago, true and faithful believer, trust, truthful words of Jesus, understanding, walk of faith, walking in God's will, witness, words of jesus
Mark 5:36b. Be not afraid, only believe.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella experienced a Eureka moment yesterday afternoon! Glory Hallelujah! I don’t know if I’ve ever shared this info before, but in the last little while I’ve developed this theory, and yesterday afternoon, while out on my deck eating a Julie (July) mango, the last few threads fell into place.
And the conclusion my people – wait for the drum rolls braising brass and clanging symbols – is that the nonsense about Eve giving Adam an apple to eat in the garden of Eden, that made mankind fall into the dire clutches of sin is just that –nonsense! The forbidden fruit that they disobediently ate was a Julie mango!
Oh mih breddren, the Julie I ate yesterday was pretty nice; so nice that when I was finished you could only see the white of the seed. Now that’s how a Julie should have you going; right down to the seed!
It just puts me in mind of those wonderful Julies we use to steal, or rather get unofficially (smile) from the Botanical Gardens back in Tobago when I was growing up. And this one, though nice, was no match for those. So you can imagine what the ones in the Garden of Eden were like. Mama Mia!
So from now on Friends, when you hear about the forbidden fruit in Paradise, just remember that it was a sweet, succulent, golden yellow Julie mango, with a beautiful aroma wafting from it that just titillated all the senses – sight, smell, touch and taste – and sound too, as you bite into the juicy, mouth watering flesh!
And all God’s people said a loud and joyful ‘Amen!’
Oh Friends, life is too short not to enjoy it. Remember that Jesus said He came that we might have abundant life. And in any case, who is there that has overwhelming facts to prove my theory wrong eh? Nobody!
And though Lucifer might not be too bright in trying to overthrow Almighty God, he was smart enough not to try and entice Eve with a simple apple, when there was that exotic Julie mango available; looking so good, and smelling so nice.
So now that we’ve had our daily fun, let’s turn to our walk of faith with Jehovah God. And today I want to share this inspiring poem from Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. It’s simply titled, ‘My Walk.’
‘O God, I’m inspired. For you have just impressed this truth into my mind: The most powerful force in the world is a positive idea in the mind of a believer who is walking in your will! I now reach forth my life and say, “God, put my life into the centre of your will.” Amen.’
Yes my people, there’s nothing more powerful than a God-given idea in the mind of a true and faithful believer! That’s why we have to look to God for direction in our lives, and why Jesus encouraged Jairus, the synagogue leader, and consequently us in our Bit: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
Yes my brethren, it all begins with belief, strong belief, aka faith! And today we’ll look at some other passages of scripture where Jesus enjoined the people of His day, and now of our day, to believe, to have faith.
Let’s start with the demon spirit in the child that the disciples could not drive out. What did Jesus say to the father who came seeking His compassion and His help? ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’ (Mark 9:23) Strong, but very truthful words, my people!
‘And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.’ (Mark 9:24)
And the scholars have an interesting footnote to that last verse. ‘9:24. He had a certain faith; but it was confession of his undeniable inner turmoil and doubt that marked his faltering faith as truly authentic, if imperfect, trust. Before God honesty is a wise course.’
And isn’t that the obvious truth! Yet so many of us go to God with a less than honest approach. He sees all, and knows all, so why try to fool Him eh, when it’s simply IMPOSSIBLE to do that? It just shows up our stupidity, insincerity and lack of true faith and understanding.
Now in Luke’s gospel, re the instance of our Bit, where the people of Jairus’ household came and told him that his daughter was dead and so to stop bothering Jesus, it’s told like this. ‘But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.’ (Luke 8:50)
And then we come to the passage of scripture, where shortly after Jesus’ resurrection, He’s walking along the road to Emmaus with two believers who obviously don’t recognize Him, and they are recounting the confusion and disbelief back in the disciples camp in Jerusalem, as to whether Jesus was really risen or not.
‘Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.’ (Luke 24:25-27)
Now here is what the scholars have to say about those verses. ’24:26. Ought (Gr. dei) bespeaks a divine necessity; what the prophets had foretold (see Is:53, Ps.16; 22) must and did come to pass. The disciples had been ready to see in Jesus a glorious deliverer, but Jesus’ rebuke (vs.25) relates to their unwillingness to take seriously the many Old Testament texts that speak not only of the Messiah’s glory, but also of His suffering.’
’24:7. The entire Old Testament is indispensable for a grounded grasp of the identity and significance of Jesus.’
And right there Friends, is where a whole lot of believers fall down; wrongly thinking that the Old Testament is just that; old and out of date! But without understanding the Old Testament, we can NEVER fully understand the New, because they are both so closely intertwined.
The New is basically the Old brought to life, to fulfillment through Jesus. It’s like the saying; you can’t know where you’re going, if you don’t know where you came from. So Friends, please don’t decry, don’t disparage and cry down the Old Testament, because you do so at your own peril of understanding.
And we’ll close with these memorable words of Jesus to Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler who came by night to Jesus, looking for answers. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that (what) we do know, and testify that (what) we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?’ (John 3:11-12)
And unfortunately Friends, even to this day, we refuse to believe the truthful words of Jesus! How sad my people.
But fortunately, a few of us do believe, and that few will soldier on in faith, until we bring all the earth to repentance and salvation, as Jesus desires; to the recognition of His glory and majesty and Lordship! That’s our sincere belief and wish for all believers today! Much LOVE!
…fear not…only believe…only believe…only believe…
04 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 4th of July, a purpose and a place, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, abundance, acts of devotion to almighty God, America, as America goes so does everyone else, Beauty for Ashes, blessed, bring america back to God, Bruh Paul, day of deliverance, depravity, destruction, different colours, disobedience, don't fool yuh fat, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, evil hands of beelzebub, faithful, fellowship, forgiveness, founding fathers, freedom, Friday, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glorified, God's promise, God's will, godless path, godliness, going under, good tidings, Happy 4th of July, history of america, hope, Independence Day, Israel, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, jesus name, John Adams, justice, lack of true love, LOVE, lower standards, Lucifer, memorable epoch, most powerful and wealthy nation, mourning, murky depths of life, obedience, oil of joy, power, principles, relaxation, repentance, reputation, rest, right, salvation, showplace for God's Word, sin, sinful path, solemn, sound mind, spirit of fear, spirit of heaviness, stand together strong, strong, succumbing, the evil one, the garment of praise, the most sinful country in the world, the party humming, the planting of the Lord, to console them that mourn, to grace God's earth, trees of righteousness, true, truth, truthful, U.S Independence, unity of purpose, we can do anything, wealth, wisdom, Word of God
Isaiah 61:3. To appoint unto (console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called tress of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY U.S OF A!
Oh mih people, God’s people, it’s Friday! Thank God for that! But would you believe it’s also Friday the 4th of July in the year of our Lord 2014? Yes Friends, it’s Independence Day in the U.S. of A! She’s 238 years young!
And since it is one of the most celebrated days down there, you know that the party done start long time ago and is humming along quite nicely. And I wish all you folks down south a Happy and Blessed 4th of July Holiday! Enjoy it, because you’ve earned it.
But unfortunately, it seems that you are now swiftly drifting down into the murky depths of life. You have removed Jehovah God so much from your lives, that you’re now very much considered the most sinful country in the world. And that my Friends is not a very nice reputation to have.
Please remember that your great country was founded on the solemn, true and faithful Word of Almighty God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
As John Adams, one of the founding Fathers and later President, was said to have written to his wife Abigail, shortly before the Declaration of Independence in July 1776: ‘The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.
It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.’
Please note my brethren, the advice regarding it as a ‘day of deliverance, with solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.’ And though there is still some of that, it’s no way near enough!
Apparently there’s some confusion as to when the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed, the 2nd or the 4th, but it’s always been celebrated on the 4th.
Remember too, that all your wealth and great abundance came from Jehovah God, the most august God of your fathers. It is He who caused you all to beget so much wealth that you can also possess the sobriquet as being the most powerful and wealthy nation so far to grace God’s earth.
Why do you think America has been so blessed eh? Because the Lord had a purpose and a place for it; that it should be used as a show place for His Word in Modern Times, as Israel was in the Days of Old.
And hopefully, you’llnotice that as America moves further and further away from God, the lower and lower it sinks into sin, into depravity, lower standards and a lack of true LOVE for anything and anybody.
Oh Friends, America needs to be strong again, for sadly, but truthfully, as America goes, so does the rest of the world. She’s still that powerful.
Therefore my people, if we want to make the world right, truthful and strong, then we need to bring America back to God; back into His obedient fold, for if she succumbs to Lucifer’s evil power, then we’re all in danger of succumbing and going under.
So my brethren, that is the task that lies before us this Independence Day of 2014… to bring America back to the God of its Fathers! Hn! And don’t fool yuh fat nuh, it is indeed going to be a mighty task, so far has she fallen into the evil hands of Beelzebub and his wicked cohorts.
But as we well know, if we stand together strong, in unity of purpose with each other, and with Jesus Christ, then we can do anything; anything at all that needs doing! And believe me people, this needs doing very badly. America is heading for certain destruction if she keeps going down the godless path.
I beg of you, implore you, not to sully the names of your forefathers who founded this great nation on the principles of truth, freedom, justice…and above ALL…GOD!
And we can restore its godliness if we simply put our hearts, minds, souls and bodies to it. As Bruh Paul so wisely told Timothy: ‘For God hath not give us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7)
That means my brethren, that we already have all the parts to do God’s Will!
Oh my people, the Lord has made America great so that it could glorify Him, but now it’s showing totally different colours, and just like Israel paid dearly for their disobedience, we will too eventually, if we continue down the the disobedient, sinful path we’re now treading.
But my fellow believers there is hope, there is also God’s perennial promise that repentance and obedience will bring forgiveness. He is overjoyed when we repent and come back to Hisfold,and He’s waiting with open arms, waiting with good tidings of salvation:
‘To appoint unto (console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’
And my people, we definitely can’t glorify God, the way things are going now. So let’s get it together and do what we have to do nuh, to save the greatest nation ever, from total destruction for disobedience to God’s Word and Will.
Now let’s go home chanting our Friday Chant: ‘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.’
And remember too Friends, to heed Granny’s wise warning this weekend of much festivity, since the evil one will be out desperately hunting for anyone he can take down. So drunk or sober…please mind yuh business… Those are truly words of everlasting wisdom! Much LOVE!
…don’t forget…that as America goes, so do all of us…so we all need to pitch in and help her…
18 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hefty price, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, apostasy, assurances, authoritarian religious regimes, awesome power of the Holy Spirit, be grateful, be of good cheer, be on our p's and qu's, belief, believe, blessings, Christian, Christian faith, conquered sin, darkness, death, don't give up, don't worry about what you'll say, Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, evil, evil powers, faith, fate, flock to god's house, for my name's sake, free society, freedoms, give thanks, Glory be, goodness, gospel truth, heartfelt prayers, hypocrisy, hypocritical, immovable, injustice, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, joyful fruition, justice, keep pressing on, largesse of faith, let down our guard, light of the world, lodge appeal, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, lurking, Muslim society in sudan, oppression, overcome the world, patience, patient, patriarchal societies, peace, penal code, persecute you, persevering, possess your souls, pray, principles of jesus, promises of God's Son, remain faithful, revenge, sexual relations, South Sudan, spiritual armour, spiritual war, stand strong, steadfast, Sudanese woman, suppression, testimony, the evil one, the grave, the Holy Ghost, tribulation, trust, trust in Jesus Christ, unfair fate, ungodly world, wisdom, worship
Luke 21:19. In your patience possess ye your souls.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, on this Sunday morning in the middle of May, in a season we call spring time, when nature is refreshed and rejuvenated with new life and colour, please, oh please, let’s be eternally grateful and give loads of thanks for the fairly free society in which we live!
Once upon a time it was mostly a community based on the Christian faith, but in recent times it has morphed into one of many different, diverse faiths and cultures. However, we are still free to worship and believe in whom or what we choose. Unfortunately though, this is not the case for millions of our Christian brothers and sisters in many places around the world, who live under heinous authoritarian religious regimes.
Today I want to highlight the unfortunate plight of one such sister. The newspapers recently reported the awful situation of a 26 year old, eighth months pregnant Sudanese woman, who married a Christian man, and for that she was sentenced to death. Steups! And as always, it’s the women and children who suffer the most.
As the hypocritical patriarchal Muslim society in Sudan would have it, it’s okay for a Muslim man to marry outside of his faith, and the children must by law adopt the father’s religion. Chuh! However that largesse of faith does not apply to Muslim women. This unfortunate young woman was convicted of ‘apostasy’ because she refused to renounce her Christian faith. Glory Be!
She is paying though a rather hefty price for that refusal since the Sudanese penal code declares that Muslims converting to any other faith is a crime punishable by death. But it doesn’t seem that the young woman was ever Muslim, for although her father, a Muslim, married and Ethiopian Orthodox Christian and the law states that such children must adopt the father’s faith, her mother raised her as a Christian after the father left them.
Now she languishes in some sordid jail with her 18 month old son and her unborn child, awaiting her unfair fate. To make matters even more ridiculous and hypocritical, it seems that the court also ordered the young woman to receive a hundred (100) lashes. Why? For having what they considered sexual relations with her husband, a Christian from the new country of South Sudan, which is mostly Christian.
Ah Friends, I don’t even want to consider the hypocrisy, because it just makes me so angry that I tend to forget the LOVING-kindness principles of Jesus and desire revenge, or I should say justice (smile) in my heart. Oh I know that we Christians can be very hypocritical too, but hopefully not to that extent.
Let’s hope that an appeal is successfully lodged on the young woman’s behalf in the not too distant future. And to help right that wrongful situation, let’s all offer up some heartfelt prayers for her and the millions of other Christians around the world, who are suffering oppression, suppression and loads of injustice, simply because of their sensible and right thinking belief, faith, and trust in Jesus Christ, and the One and Only True and Living Deity, Jehovah God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
My fellow believers, please believe that there is indeed a very real, a very serious and a very deadly spiritual war that’s currently taking place, and we are at the forefront of it. Thus we need to be on our p’s and q’s; ever-ready to resist and fight back against the evil powers that now control this ungodly world.
What Jesus prophesied so long ago, as we saw in yesterday’s scriptures, is now coming to pass. ‘But before all these (signs), they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. And it shall turn to you (be an occasion) for a testimony.’ (Luke 21:12-13)
Furthermore ‘And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers (authorities), take ye no thought (do not worry about) how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say. For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.’ (Luke 12:11-12)
It’s not going to be easy my people, but if we stand strong, steadfast and immovable on the promises of our wonderful Saviour, then we will eventually be victorious. Listen to this awesome promise of God’s Son. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Jesus has indeed overcome the world. He’s conquered sin, death and the grave with His Easter Resurrection. So let’s take comfort, derive lasting peace from it, and show the world that we are stronger than anything they can throw at us, because we have the awesome power of the Holy Spirit of Jesus working in, for, and through us!
Note though, that despite all our assurances, we can’t afford to let down our guard for even one moment, because the evil one is lurking around, looking for even a toehold in our spiritual armour. But we do need to be patient and persevering as Jesus advises in our Bit. ‘In your patience possess ye your souls.’
Yes Friends, if we remain faithful, don’t give up, and keep pressing on, regardless of our adversity, then we shall indeed see ALL the promises of Jesus come to joyful fruition, and His church will be victorious!
So today, my fellow believers, let’s all flock to God’s house with joyful souls nuh, to pray, worship and give thanks for our many blessings and freedoms. For that is indeed the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…the powers of evil and darkness…are no match whatsoever…for those of LOVE and goodness…found in the brilliant light of the world…our Lord and Saviour…Jesus Christ…
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