18 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, christianity, Christians, commandments, confidence, conquerors, Cousin Sol, covenant, crapaud smoke we pipe, depravity, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, economic situation, enthusiasm, evil, evil deeds, evil powers, forgive thier sin, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, glory, godly day, heal their land, hear from heaven, hope, humble servants, humble themselves, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, my ears attentive, my eyes shall be open, O Lord God Almighty, people which are called by my name, plentiful in goods, power, pray, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, repentance, repentant people, seek my face, serve a useful purpose, sin, sinfulness, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, Thank God is Monday., the ball is in our court, the blessings of obedience, the breath of life, the fruit of our loins, the fruit of thy body, Top o' the morn, turn from their wicked ways, ungodly world, walk in God's ways, wicked aspirations, 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.
Top o’ this Monday morn to you my brethren! And I hear the negative comments from some, but also cries of glee: ‘Thank God is Monday, Victoria Monday holiday yes, and we don’t have to go out and labour today. Thank God for the holiday!’
Yes Friends, some of us are lucky to be off this lovely spring morning, so let’s be truly thankful for it, because many of our fellow workers are not so fortunate. They have to go out and labour regardless, so please let our prayers go with them, prayers that they will have a safe, productive and godly day. Now let’s reinforce that by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with them.
As one choir in Christ 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 that wasn’t bad at all mih people, but I strongly suspect that the loudest voices were those who did not have to go to work. They could afford to be exuberant because they know that a whole day of partying and/ or simply lazing around is in the offing. But as usual friends, in these times of celebration, please remember Granny’s admonition: “Sonny boy, don’t forget, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’
Now Friends, that piece of advice is of the utmost priority in this evil and ungodly world that we’re currently living in. But unfortunately, as a body of people, as a society, we have already allowed the negative and wicked aspirations to gain control of the power and glory that lie within it.
However my people, there is still hope for us, as there always is, once we’re filled with the breath of life. And our Bit tells us exactly how we can turn this travesty around. Hear the words of our God in the covenant He made with Cousin Sol, after the temple was built.
‘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.’
And the scholars explain: ‘7:14-15. While this promise was originally given to Solomon regarding the people of Israel, it is certainly applicable to all who will call on the Lord in repentance and faith. These verses stand as a high expression of God’s LOVING readiness to hear the prayers of a repentant people (cf. 6:37-39; James 4-8-10)’
And the Lord continues after our Bit: ‘Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent (attentive) unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified (set apart) this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes (my attention) and mine heart (my concern) shall be there perpetually.’ (2 Chr.7:15-16)
Yuh see Friends, how our good and wonderful God has made provision for us even in our times of depravity and sinfulness! He knew what a frail and feeble creation we were, and would no doubt stray from His fold, so He made provision, right from the beginning, for us to return. What a magnificent and magnanimous Deity He is!
So yuh know what? We have no excuses for not getting back into His favour. But to do that my brethren, as our Bit says, there are four things we need to put into serious action. We need to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn away from our wicked ways. Yes Friends, those four requirements are absolutely necessary for us to get back into God’s good graces, first as individuals, then as a society, as a people.
But unfortunately we are not seeing that reaction as strongly as we need to. It seems that as some individuals turn to God, a fairly similar amount turn away from Him, and since the evil powers rule the land, we’re definitely not seeing the repentance and other requirements being implemented as a society. In fact we’re losing more of the God- based institutions and rights every day.
So Friends, we have no one to blame but ourselves for the disastrous and ridiculous state of our current society. The ball is now in our court, for the Lord has already done his part by making provision for us to come back to Him – if we so desire. I don’t think we have much choice though my people, because we are called by the Lord’s name; Christians. That means we have to repent and turn back to Him, otherwise, in all seriousness, crapaud smoke we pipe!
Let’s remember the words of Moses, re the blessings of obedience. ‘The Lord shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. And all the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods (grant you plenty of goods), in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware (promised) unto thy fathers to give thee.’ (Deut.28:9-11)
Look around my people; nobody’s afraid of us, our economic situation is worsening every day, the fruit of our loins has diminished, and whatever we have has turned to evil deeds not God, so what does that say to us eh? It’s time to turn back Friends, time to repent, and like the prodigal son, return to the safety and prosperity of our Father’s house. That is the wisdom of all wisdom! Much LOVE!
…when things aren’t going right…the wise will figure out why…and make the necessary changes…
29 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2015, a sense of peace, aura of love, blessings, Bruh Paul, burdens, Christmas. New Year's resolution, confidence, easy yoke, enthusiasm, eternal life, faith, friends, glorious kingdom, grab the world by the tail, hath appeared to all men, holy spirit, humble servants, iniquity, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the answer, jobs, joy, light burden, LOVE, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, problems, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, the Christian life, the grace of God, the great invitation, Titus, ungodly world, wisdom, zealous of good works
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
Well Friends, the party is over for this week! It’s Monday, so labouring is here again. And I hear the loud groans and complaints as that reality sinks in. (smile) But please don’t worry and don’t lose the Christmas spirit, for the season’s still on, and in another three days, we’ll have the big celebration of New Year’s Eve!
Wow! As though anything changes from Wednesday to Thursday, just because we deem it to be a new year. Bah humbug! (smile)
Oh my people, circumstances might not change from one day to the next, but our attitudes and mindsets can change for the better. And that’s best accomplished by bringing Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour into a higher priority position in our lives, by developing a stronger relationship with Him, which is what we aspired to do in our last New Year’s resolution, and will again commit to doing in 2015.
Remember He is the One who sacrificed His sinless life so that we could once again have communion with our heavenly Father. And Jesus is also the One who extends that great invitation to come to Him, lay our heavy burdens on His strong shoulders, and in return, accept His light burden and easy yoke, a wonderful situation evoking a welcome sense of peace, joy, rest and unconditional LOVE! (Matt.11:28-30)
So in these waning days of 2014, let’s not forget that Jesus is the answer to our EVERY problem!
And having said that, this Monday morning after a hectic Christmas celebration, when we have to go back out to work, and we’re not really enthused about it, let’s turn to our wonderful problem solver to give us the energy and wherewithal to go out and grab the world by the tail. (smile) Let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with all we have. We ought to still have some left in the tank despite all the recent celebrations.
So as one great voice: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh Friends, that wasn’t bad at all, but I know that come Wednesday night, you’ll be all singing a louder and more enthusiastic Old Lang Syne and Happy New Year! (smile)
Anyway, it’s time to turn to our Bit; Bruh Paul’s advice on the Christian Life to Titus, one of his young protégés. ‘For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (age).
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us all from iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar (his own special) people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.’ (Titus 2:11-15)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, that is all indisputable truth! For it certainly is through God’s amazing and generous grace that we can even have hope of better days to come! Without that plethora of grace, goodwill and LOVING-kindness, we’d all be headed for death and eternal damnation!
Now here are some explanations from the scholars on those verses. ‘2:11-15. The salvation that appeared to all men is based on God’s grace that has provided salvation universally for all mankind through the unlimited atonement of Christ. That blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ refers to His second coming.
The use of the definite article “the” with the first noun “God” and the connecting “and” indicates that the first and second “Saviour” (nouns) are one and the same person. Our “great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” is thus one and the same person, clearly proving the deity of Christ.’
Oh Friends, as I keep saying, it’s truly mind boggling to consider the wonderful God we serve and worship! He’s so awesome that we can’t help but stand in wonder and reverence at Him. So let’s go out today and do what He desires of us nuh, for if we are truly His followers, then we need to do what He desires of us. Keep the faith! Much LOVE!
…ye are my friends…if ye do whatsoever I command… (John 15:14)
15 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, behold the days come, christianity, Creator of the universe, dig deep down., encourage, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, glorious kingdom, holy spirit, house of Judah, humble servants, I will be their God, I will make a new covenant with Israel, invincible, Israel, Jesus Christ, jobs, long commutes, lord god almighty, LOVE, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, New Covenant, Oh Lord God Almighty, presence of god, promises, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, saith the Lord, seed of Abraham, steadfast faith, the House of Judah, the second coming of Christ, the sun follows the moon, those who don't work don't eat, traffic jams, trust, truth, ungodly world, uplift, wisdom, work from home
Jeremiah 31:31. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.
Oh Friends, just as the sun follows the moon from one day to the next, and the seasons each other, so is Sunday followed by Monday, just as the Lord the Creator of the universe planned it. However, it is mankind who planned that most of us would work five days a week in this Western Society, starting on Monday.
But yuh know what? The Lord also admonishes us to obey those in authority over us, (Heb.13:17) and Bruh Paul advocates that those who don’t work should not eat. (2 Thess.3:10) So, as true believers, we have no choice but to get up and go out and labour, putting up with long commutes and endless traffic jams, envying those lucky few who can work from home.
And yes, it’s often difficult to get both the body and spirit up for work, but that’s why we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; to encourage and uplift us. So let’s sing it with much gusto and verve. Dig deep down in your souls this morning and find them. (smile)
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh mih people, that was only a so so version, but hopefully it will lift our spirits enough for us to get up and get a move on. And today is the last day in the series of messages on this life-changing Bit of immense promise. ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.’
Now let’s continue with the scholars explanations that we began yesterday. Some of you might think that all this is not necessary, but if you truly want to grow and mature in the Word, to understand it properly, then you have to take all this stuff into consideration. ‘As a document of prophetic promise, like the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants, the new covenant is unconditional.
In form, it corresponds to the Royal Grant Treaties of the ancient Near East. As to subject matter, by comparing Jeremiah 31:31-34 with the other formulations of the new covenant (e.g. 32:37-44; 33:14-26; Is.55:1-3; 61:1-11; Ezek. 34:22-31; 36:22-38; 37:21,28) it may be seen that the new covenant assimilates the elements of the promises made to Abraham and channelled with progressive light through David, and brings them to full realization.
Thus the final blessing of Abraham’s seed will find fruition in Israel’s possession of the Promised Land in perpetuity under the rulership of Christ, the Greater Son of David, the Seed par excellence (cf. 33:26; Ezek. 37:25-27; Mic.7:19-20 with Luke 1:68-78; Acts 3:25-26; Rev.11:15). Further, by faith in Christ, Gentile believers also become the spiritual seed of Abraham and members of the family of God (cf. Is.45:22-25; rom.4:18-25; Gal.3:26-29; Eph.2:1-3,6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Pet.2:9-10).
Although the new covenant is now operative (Matt.26:27-28; 2 Cor.3:6; Heb.8:6-13) and is attended by the ministry of the Holy Spirit who is resident in believers’ lives (Acts 2:14-37; Rom.8:23; 2 Cor.1:20-22; 5:1-5; Eph.1:13-14; 1 Thess.5:19), the full realization of the new covenant, as the capstone of all the covenants, awaits the second coming of Christ.
He will give to Israel the promises distinctive to that nation, and will rule over the earth in an unprecedented period of universal peace (Is.2:4; Ezek.34:25; 37:26), prosperity (Is.61:7-8; Ezek.34:26-27), and the full knowledge (v.34) of the abiding presence of God. (Ezek.48:35; Joel 3:21).’
Ah Friends, it might all sound long and involved, but if you take your time and read it and check out some of the references, I’m sure you’ll come to a much better understanding of the scriptures. And as a supposed teacher and student too, I’ll be amiss if I didn’t give you all the information at my disposal.
And now let’s close with one of those prophetic references from Ezekiel. ‘Moreover I will make (cut) a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place (establish) them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. My tabernacle (dwelling place) also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.’ (Ezek.37:26-28)
Oh Friends, after reading the same basic promise from all those prophets, and then having Jesus come and begin the implementation, how could I not believe eh? But each one of us has to come to our own conclusion. Let’s hope that we all come to the right one. Much LOVE!
…whoever is smart enough to come to Jesus…will never be disappointed…for they will find help and succour for their every need…in every circumstance…
08 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abuse the weekend, adoration, Amen, Antioch, Apostle to the Gentiles, at the mercy of the enemy, aura of love, Barnabas, blaspheming, Bruh Paul, cast not your pearls before swine, confidence, enjoy life, enthusiasm, free time, friends, Gentiles, give not that which is holy to dogs, glory hallelujah, gratitude, grumbling, harms himself, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus' gospel, Jews, jobs, joy, lies, LOVE, meet the enemy in battle, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, pearls before swine, Praise the Lord, rebuke a wise man, rebuketh a wicked man, reject the message of truth, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, reprove a scorner, resentment, respect, reverance, Sabbath Day, shame, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Word of god, trample them under their feet, turn and tear you, unworthy of everlasting life, wisdom
Matthew 7:6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend (tear) you.
Glory Hallelujah! It is Monday once again! A glorious day with innumerable possibilities! And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’ (smile)
Oh Friends, I wish it was that easy or simple for most of us. But the truth is that we still find Mondays somewhat stifling and hard to come up over. But it’s something we desperately need to do, if we’re going to enjoy life the way that God intends us to.
As the poem from my birthday card that we talked about yesterday told us, each day is a gift from God, and we have to embrace them with gratitude and joy, not resentment and grumbling.
Look here, we know that we have to get up and go to work every Monday morning, so why is it continually so hard for us to do? Because we abuse the two days off over the weekend and don’t prepare properly for Monday.
Why aren’t any of the other working days as difficult to get up for eh? I guess it’s because we don’t have enough free time between them, so we can’t get involved in any unnecessary activities.
So until we make preparing for Monday a special activity on Sunday, we’ll be forever at the mercy of the enemy, grumbling and complaining come Monday morning. Anyway, enough of my speechifying, (smile) let’s sing out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to give us the kick start that most of us seem to need.
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!’
Now that wasn’t too bad Friends, but not as good as it could or should be, heaven didn’t rejoice with us. However, our motors are now purring smoothly, so we can get on with our daily business. In this case, turning to our Bit.
‘Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend (tear) you.’
Remember yesterday, we saw in the scholars’ explanation that dogs and swine referred to people who deliberately reject the message of truth, and were so termed because those two classes of animals were very repulsive to the Jews.
Listen to how Cousin Sol put’s it in Proverbs 9 – Wisdom’s Invitation. ‘He that reproveth a scorner (scoffer) getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot (only harms himself). Reprove not a scorner (scoffer), lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will LOVE thee.’ (Prov.9:7-8)
Yes Friends, those are the responses to wisdom’s invitation by the scoffer, the mocker and the wise man. Hopefully the people we rebuke today will all be wise men and women. (smile)
And here’s a living example of what we’re talking about. Back in the days of the early church, while Bruh Paul was on his missionary journeys, he and Barnabas rolled into the city of Antioch and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, where Bruh Paul preached a magnificent sermon and several people believed. (Acts 13:14-43)
Obviously that brought opposition from some of the Jewish residents of the city. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against (opposed) those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed (grew) bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should have first been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you (reject it), and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.’ (Acts 13:44-46)
Ah mih people, how foolish can we get sometimes eh? The Jewish response was definitely that of the scoffer and mocker, not the wise man.
Now hear the scholars’ explanation. ’13:46. Paul’s missionary principle was always to go to his own people, the Jews, first (Rom.1:16), but he always went to the Gentiles too, and indeed was known as the Apostle to the Gentiles (Gal.2:7-8; Eph.3:6-8).’
Oh Friends, let’s thank God that the wonderful news of Jesus’ gospel has been sown in our Gentile hearts, and that we neither scoff nor mock at it, but like the wise people that we are, we hold it dearly, treating it with much reverence, adoration and LOVE, for that is the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…if you don’t respect and revere God’s Word…then you can’t respect and revere Him…
01 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cesspool of negativity, adulteress., almighty god, anxious, aura of love, Black Friday, complaining, Cyber Monday, despise the other, drown ourselves, enmity with God, enthusiasm, eternal life, faith, fears and tears, fellowship, friend of the world, friends, frustrated, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, grumbling, he will hate the one, holy spirit, humble servants, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, LOVE, love the other, lover of god, lover of the world, loyal to one, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, no man can serve two masters, Oh Lord God Almighty, oh what a joy, pleasure in material things, positive mindset, pride of life, proactive, put a positive spin, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rocking and a rolling, scriptures, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, temptations, unfaithful bride of christ, weakness, wisdom, you cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches).
And once again we’ve come full circle to that blessed day called Monday! Oh what a joy!
No Friends, I’m not crazy. We might as well put a positive spin on things, especially since we can’t control nor change them, otherwise we’ll just drown ourselves in a cesspool of negativity. Being positive and proactive will at least allow us to get through the ordeal that Monday is for some of us, without too many fears and tears.
We have to get up and go out and labour, so we might as well do ourselves a favour by doing it with a positive mindset. The grumbling and complaining won’t help it anyway, just get us more anxious and frustrated.
So let’s get to our anthem right away nuh, let’s blast out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn on this cold, clear Monday, now known as Cyber Monday, targeting on-line sales. And I won’t even touch that one this morning, (smile) I’ve heard enough about Black Friday. As far as I’m concerned, Cyber Monday can go where it belongs, straight down to Hades, taking Black Friday with it! The consumerism is just getting to be a bit much.
So let’s come out with guns blazing as we burst into song. All together as one harmonious voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Wonderful Friends, that was wonderful! Both heaven and earth were singing along with us. That ought to get us rocking and a rolling now, so that we can handle anything that comes against us.
And life is so full of surprises and miracles, what do you think I saw as soon as I turned on my computer? Hn, hn! A big sign advertising Cyber Monday! Ah Lord eh! I just had to laugh. What else could I do?
Enough of that though, let’s get to our Bit, which addresses that conundrum of consumerism versus Almighty God. ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches).
And have you noticed Friends, that this Bit came up just in time for all the sales and bargains nonsense? I guess the Lord was trying to tell us something; you can’t take such pleasure in material things and worship me at the same time.
And James addresses that question, quite simply and straightforwardly: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world, is the enemy (makes himself the enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4)
And the scholars explain that quite succinctly. ‘4:4. As Israel was a spiritual adulteress, unfaithful to God, so the church is a spiritual adulteress when she is the unfaithful bride of Christ (cf. Hos.2:5, 19-20, Matt.12:39). One cannot be both a LOVER of God and a LOVER of the world.’
And that’s exactly what we’ve been trying to say all along my brethren!
And we’ll end with these oh so important words of John on the subject, that of First LOVE. ‘I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.’ (1 John 2:14-17) That’s all gospel truth my people!
Now hear some explanations from the scholars. ‘2:12-14. John addresses different groups and assures them of their steadfastness in the true faith, contrary to many of those with whom this letter must deal. Little children, fathers, young men, and so on, may refer to actual age groups. Or it may have reference to spiritual maturity or level of responsibility in the fellowship, for example, to new Christians being ‘children.’
‘2:15. LOVE not the world is a command implying that action now in progress must cease: “Stop LOVING the world!” There is, of course, one sense in which Christians should LOVE the world, since God Himself did and does (John 3:16). But in the sense of pledging personal loyalty and devotion of one’s whole being and means, Christians are to “LOVE” God first and foremost (Deut. 6:5; Mark 12:30.’
‘2:16. World for John signifies the evil desire and sin so much a part of human existence. Temptation: Though all people are tempted differently according to their individual weaknesses, temptations follow patterns. They appeal to three fundamental areas of life: (1) the lust of the flesh (physical desires). (2) The lust of the eyes (personal desires); and (3) the pride of life (self interests).
Illustration: When Satan caused the fall of the race, he appealed to each of those areas of weakness Gen.3:6). He also appealed to them when he tempted Christ (Matt.4:1-11), who defied Satan’s temptations by relying on the authority of the Scriptures.
Application: The Christian today should also depend on the Scriptures to defeat temptation. (First Reference, Gen.3:1-6; Primary Reference, 1 John 2:15-17; cf. Rom.5:12.)
Oh Friends, for our own sakes, please lets take all of that stuff seriously nuh, else we’ll just get caught up in the pollution and ungodliness of the world, which will eventually cause us much heartache and pain. Much LOVE!
…the world should not be our idol…Jehovah God should reign first and foremost in our hearts…
P.S. It’s somewhat long (smile) but very instructional and applicable to our lifestyles today. Much LOVE!
–
24 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light shining in the window, a tree of life, adults, Aloha, Amen, babes, blessings, confidence, Creator of the universe, drinking milk, eating solid food, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fall t the ground, fellow believers, fleshly concerns, friends, full of surprises, glorify God, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, grace, growing in the word of God, hearts and minds, holy spirit, hope, hope thou in God, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, Lamentations, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, maturing, mercy, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Monday Morning, my flesh dwells securely in hope, my glory rejoices, my heart is glad, peace, Praise the Lord, reconciled to the Father, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rock heaven and earth, sacrifice, salvation, shock, sinless life, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, trust, ungodly world, victory, vim and vigour, Why art thou cast down o my soul, wisdom
Psalm 16:9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope.
Aloha Friends! I give you that wonderful first day of the week, Monday!
And all God’s people say a loud and heartfelt ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
And I almost fall to the ground in shock!
Wow mih people, you all sure are full of surprises. One day I tell you it’s Monday, and you abuse me. Then the next time I tell you that, you glorify God.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am very thrilled to hear you all are accepting Monday so easily and joyfully, for that’s how it ought to be. It shows that we are maturing, growing in the Word of God, no longer babes drinking milk, but adults starting to eat solid food.
Thus we are preparing ourselves better, so that when Monday rolls around, we are well prepared and well able to meet it on our godly terms, rather than its worldly terms. And to celebrate that magnificent victory over our fleshly concerns, that wonderful coming of age, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with extra vim and vigour.
Come on now Friends, let’s rock both heaven and earth. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh yeah mih people, that was marvellous! So marvellous that it had all of heaven clapping and singing along – even the Father Himself! (smile)
Now with all that adrenalin flowing, and our motors revving with great expectations, let’s go out into the disaster prone world we live in and tell others about Jesus Christ; about the joy, hope, and faith we have in Him, who sacrificed His sinless life so that we might be reconciled to the Father, whose mercy and grace gives us salvation and eternal life!
Let’s tell them about Jesus and the work the Holy Spirit has wrought in us, so much so that we can now claim the Bit as our own declaration. ‘Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope.’
Yes my fellow believers, our hearts and minds ought to be filled with awesome hope and faith this Monday morning. And today we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that deal with hope.
Oh by the way, let me apologize for a typo I made yesterday. Don’t know how many of you noticed it, but at the end of the verse from Psalm 39 – ‘And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee.’- I put it as (Ps.31:7, rather than 39:7) Please forgive the ole fella, for he is merely human. (smile)
And since we’re talking about Psalms, we might as well continue with them, seeing that they possibly have more hope in God declared in them than any other scriptures.
Listen to these powerful words from Psalm 42 –An intense longing for God – a contemplation of the sons of Korah. ‘Why art thou cast down (bowed down), O my soul? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence)’ (Ps. 42:5)
And that’s how we ought to be my people! Whenever our spirits are down, for whatever reason(s), the best way to fire them back up is by hoping in God, seeking and praising Him.
Now hear these wise words of Cousin Sol: ‘Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.’ (Prov.13:12)
And the scholars explain it thus: ‘13:12. Hope deferred depresses, but its fulfillment revitalizes.’
And the Preacher tells us that: ‘For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they anymore a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.’ (Eccl.9:4-5)
That’s why we say that while there’s life, there’s always hope, for when you’re dead, any chance of hope dies with you.
And we’ll close with these beautiful and wise sentiments of Jeremiah in his Lamentations. ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:25-26)
Therefore my people, please stand strong in Jesus Christ! Let’s not give up that hope which has brought us so far along. Our great and wonderful God has promised to look after us, and we know that he is faithful to keep His promises.
So let’s go out today brimming over with peace, LOVE, hope, joy and faith, for that’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…hope means…that there’s always a guiding and welcoming light shining in the window…regardless of the hour…
17 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abusive language, all is not lost, aura of love, bad habit, begin the workweek on the wrong foot, behind the eight ball, blessings, charity begins at home, confidence, Creator of the universe, discipline, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil world, free gifts, fundamentals of life, generation, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, guidance, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, instruction, invincible, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, jobs, let the heathen know about Jesus, lies, LOVE, mercy, miffed, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, on the cross at Calvary, one generation shall praise thy works to another, provoke rebellion, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, sacrificial and substituionary death, salvation, social media, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, time is of the essence, train up a child, truth, ungodly world, when he is old he will not depart from it, wisdom, work for Jesus
Psalm 145:4. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
‘Monday, Monday! Oh how I LOVE you! Can’t wait for you to come around, so that I can get back into the wicked world and work for Jesus!’ And suddenly there erupts a barrage of inflammatory and abusive language. (smile)
Okay, okay. So I am laying it on a bit thick. But Friends, technically speaking, that’s how we ought to be; anxious to get out into the evil world and let the heathen know about Jesus and His awesome free gifts of salvation and eternal life, through His sacrificial and substitutionary death on the cross at Calvary.
But I guess most of us are miffed at having to get up and go out and earn a living, especially in the cold, snowy weather that’s currently permeating my area. But them’s the breaks yes Friends!
So we had better get accustomed to it, otherwise we’re only going to stress out ourselves more than is necessary, and always begin the workweek on the wrong foot, behind the eight ball. Ah Lord eh! When are going to get out of this bad habit? (smile)
Anyway, to help the situation, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, in full, sweet, heavenly tones. As one great voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein!
We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? At least it energized us and lifted our spirits so that we can lose our miserable, pitiful attitude and can get on victoriously with life, as we ought to. That means turning to our Bit. ‘One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
And as we saw yesterday through Moses’ command, (Deut. 6:6-9) teaching our children about Almighty God and all the great and wonderful things He has done down through the ages is essential, absolutely necessary, if we want to propagate Him and His Word to future generations.
How do you think it got to us eh, so many thousands of years later? Because one generation told the other. But we, in our proud, high-minded and busy world, considered it not important enough to spend the time teaching it to our children. And that’s one of the main reasons why we now have such disobedient, uncouth, ungrateful, ignorant children in this ungodly society!
Remember Cousin Sol’s wise words though my people. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov.22:6) And that’s indisputable, undeniable, gospel truth my brethren!
But I think we need to check out the scholars’ explanation here, so that we get it right. ’22:6. Train up a child refers to the total process of molding a child’s life. The word ‘train’ (chanak) comes from the root word meaning to “put into the mouth” and implies the idea of conditioning the palate.
Thus parental training should help children develop a taste for the things of God. The biblical pattern of effective parental training emphasizes a balance of instruction and discipline (cf. Eph.6:1-4). The ideal parent is to be neither overly authoritarian nor overly permissive. Rather, he must balance LOVE and discipline so as not to “provoke” his child to rebellion.
When he is old means simply, “when he is grown up,” or a mature adult. It does not refer to his elderly years. The verse stresses the simple principle that education in the home forms the man throughout his lifetime.’
More gospel truth my brethren! As the old people so rightfully said; charity, or LOVE begins at home! Home is where the basic fundamentals of life, including God, and decent living ought to be taught!
Sadly though, that no longer seems to be the way. The world, through radio, television and the ever invasive and pervasive social media are now our children’s teachers. So what else can we expect eh, but unruly, ungodly, worldly children… and eventually adults.
But as I said yesterday Friends, all is not lost, we still have some time to teach them about Jehovah God and His mighty and wonderful acts – don’t know how much though. So please, let’s get on with it nuh. Ask the Lord to show you how to address the matter at this late stage, and He will surely give you the necessary guidance.
We certainly don’t want to be known as the generation that allowed God to go under, do we? Absolutely not! Then let’s get a move on, for time is of the essence. Much LOVE!
…Jesus is depending on each generation to keep His name and Word alive…by passing it on to the next one…
10 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fair day's labour, a fair day's wage, aura of love, busybodies, challenges, Christian soldiers, complaining, confidence, Creator of the universe, deceit, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, excuses, feeling our oats, fraud, glorious kingdom, God's help, gospel truth, groaning, hard work never kill anybody yet, harmony, holy spirit, I shall be slain in the streets, idle hands are the Devil's workshop, if you don't work then you shouldn't eat, Jesus Christ, jobs, labour, labour honestly, languishing, laziness, lazy, leisure, live high on the hog, LOVE, low ebb, meddlsome ways, moaning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, overwork, partying, pleasure driven society, posititve spin, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, righteousness., sage advice, Scrip-Bit people, sense of purpose, serve a useful purpose, sloth, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strong voice, the gospel of God, the lusts of the flesh, the slothful man, theft, there is a lion without, toil, true believers, truth, ungodly world, will, wisdom, work ethic, working with his hands
Proverbs 22:13. The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
Aye my beautiful Scrip-Bit people, our nemesis Monday is here! And the ‘steupsing’ and the ‘chuhing’ along with the moaning, groaning and complaining begin. (smile)
Yeh mih breddren, I know it’s hard to get up and get going this Monday morning after either a lazy and languishing or too busy partying weekend. But do it we must. And the bigger the positive spin we put on those dreaded circumstances, the easier we’ll be able to handle them.
And the best positive spin to put on ANYTHING is prayer! Consequently, let’s get the day going by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a true sense of purpose. Let’s reach deep down into our very souls and raise up the dormant enthusiasm and will that’s buried there.
Altogether now, in strong voice and beautiful harmony. ‘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 that was good Friends, very good! So good that it evoked a rousing cheer from the hosts of heaven, including Jesus. Yuh see what we can do when we put our minds to it! And if we can dredge up such strength and power when we’re at low ebb, just imagine the challenges we can meet and conquer, with God’s help obviously, when we are truly feeling our oats! (smile)
That’s why, to be true believers, we need to be the exact opposite of today’s Bit. ‘The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.’
That’s utter nonsense my people! But it just goes to show how low we can sink to get out of work. As the scholars say: ’22:13. The slothful man uses preposterous excuses to avoid work.’
And that’s no lie! Far too many of us in today’s leisure and pleasure driven society, have a serious apathy towards work, and will do whatever is necessary to avoid or get out of it. But we still desire to live high on the hog though. But let’s remember some of Bruh Paul’s fateful and very relevant words on the subject.
Listen to this rather sage advice in his second letter to them. ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.’ (2 Thess.3:10-12)
And the scholars tell us: ‘3:10-12. Paul expounds his simple and straightforward work ethic; if a person will not work, he should not eat. The Thessalonians’ diversion encouraged their meddlesome ways, demonstrating that “idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.”
Gospel truth that, my Friends!
And in Bruh Paul’s first missive to the Thessalonians he reminds them: ‘For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail (toil): for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable (a burden) unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.’ (1 Thess.2:9)
Yes Friends, he tried to practice what he preached, actively working wherever he went, so he wouldn’t be a burden on his hosts.
And I like this bit of advice to the Ephesians. ‘Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.’ (Eph.4:28)
Ah mih people, unfortunately, the exact opposite seems to be the norm these days, for theft, fraud and other deceitful measures are rampant in blatant form, instead of being on the wane. However, as good Christian soldiers, we need to labour honestly; put in a fair day’s labor, hopefully for a fair day’s wage.
But sadly, even that is being seriously compromised in these unsavoury, rough economic times, because far too many employees are shirking their lawful duties, and too many employers are trying to get lots on work done for too little pay, thus the very negative and unhealthy atmosphere in the workplace.
And we’ll close with an interesting piece of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘He that laboureth, laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him (his hungry mouth drives him on).’ (Prov.16:26)
Please let’s take that to heart my people, and allow the cravings of our mouth to lead us to work. But please note, we need to do so within reason, not overdoing it, by having the lusts of the flesh drive us, through greed and ‘gravaliciousness’ to overwork, for one extreme is just as bad as the other. Much LOVE!
…as the old people were wont to say…hard work never kill anybody yet…but laziness and sloth has…
27 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day of preparation, a sense of purpose, as the stars of heaven, aura of love, Be not afraid of them, clap your hands, complaining, confidence, depart out of thy mouth, enthusiasm, evil, fake it till you make it, fall on deaf ears, fatherless, fight for your brethren, God executes judgement, God is thy praise, God loves the stranger, God shows no partiality, God takes no bribes, gospel truth, groaning, guiding light, hard ears pickney, have good success, hello there mih lovelies, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, its worky worky time, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, lively up ourselves, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving kindness, make thy way prosperous, meditate therein day and night, moaning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Nehemiah, Oh Lord God Almighty, omnipotent god, opposition, overdoing it on the weekends, prosperity, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, remember the Lord, rise and shine, run our race, shining beacon, shout unto God, sincere prayer, slowly killing ourselves, spiritual armour, start from a position of strength, steadfast faith, success, the book of the law, the Lord is a great king over all the earth, the Lord most high is awesome, the Lord your God is God of gods, the voice of triumph, tired and miserable, trust, ungodly world, well intentioned pleas, where there is life there is hope, widow
Psalm 47:1-2. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible (awesome); he is a great King over all the earth.
Well hello there mih LOVELIES… its’ worky, worky time! (smile) I’m trying to tell us nicely that it’s Monday morning and we need to rise and shine and get ourselves ready to go back out to labour for massa’s pittance.
And please remember too that the tone we set for today, the attitude we go out with this morning, will most likely dictate our mental, emotional and physical state for the rest of the work week. For as the days increase, so will our enthusiasm and strength decrease. That’s why it’s always best to start out from a position of strength, rather than from one of weakness.
That’s why I also encourage us to use Sundays, the first day of the week, as a day of preparation for Monday, and thus be able to get back into the work flow as easily as possible.
Hn, hn! But all my well intentioned pleas just seem to fall on deaf ears. (smile) We’re still overdoing it on the weekends, and moaning and groaning and complaining come Monday morning.
Ah Friends, when will we learn eh? Soon, I hope, because we’re slowly killing ourselves when we get out there on Mondays, starting the way we should be ending; tired and miserable.
Anyway, let’s see if we can’t lively up ourselves some by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a strength and sense of purpose we don’t really feel, hoping that as we fake it, it will eventually become real. Or as they say; fake it, till you make it! (smile)
With one accord now, let’s all loudly and lustily declare: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh my people, that rendition wasn’t really so hot nuh; too many hoarse, scratchy and out of tune voices, not enough enthusiasm, etc. etc. It had Jesus shaking His head, sighing and concernedly saying: ‘What’s to become of them eh? They just don’t learn! Is just a setta hard-ears pickney (stubborn, disobedient children)!’ (smile)
But Friends, as we all know, where there is life there certainly is hope, which means we can definitely improve. But until then, we just have to go out and do the work Jesus calls us to do, in whatever state or condition we find ourselves. And though He might not be too thrilled with us, He will surely enable us to do the work if we come to Him in sincere prayer.
That’s just the wonderful kind of Lord and Saviour He is! And that’s why He also deserves many glorious accolades from us, like the one highlighted in our Bit. ‘O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible (awesome); he is a great King over all the earth.’
And again my brethren, we can’t help but acknowledge that as gospel truth! No wonder then, when Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and met fierce opposition from his enemies, he took this unassailable position in his omnipotent God.
‘And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible (awesome), and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.’ (Neh.4:14)
And Friends, they did just that, and rebuilt the wall in record time, something like 52 days! Yes my people, we have to invoke the help of our mighty and magnanimous God in ALL of our problems, if we truly desire to be victorious in them!
And as Moses so eloquently and truthfully exhorted the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness to the Promised Land. ‘Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked (stubborn, rebellious). For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward (the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality, nor takes a bribe).
He doth execute the judgement of the fatherless and widow, and LOVETH the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. LOVE ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave (hold fast), and swear by his name.
He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible (awesome) things, which thine eyes have seen. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.’ (Deut. 10:16-22)
Now Friends, there’s simply no refuting any of that! So I implore us, let’s take it all to heart nuh, and diligently run our race of life with it as a guiding light, a shining beacon in this dark and troubled world. For it is only as we walk and talk sincerely with Almighty God that we will have true success and lasting prosperity! Much LOVE!
…this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth…but thou shalt meditate therein day and night…that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein…for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous…and then thou shalt have good success… (Josh.1:8)
06 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after God's heart, as a man speaks to his friend, aura of love, chutzpah, dignity, enemy's taunts, enthusiasm, face to face, faithfulness, friends, friendship, further God's glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, golden calf, Gordon Lightfoot, gospel truth, greater love hath no man, holy spirit, humble servants, idol of worship, impatience, integrity, invincible, Israelites, Jesus Christ, jobs, Joshua, leave all the consequences to Him, lies, LOVE, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Moses, obey God, omnipotent, passion of Jesus, pillar of cloud, rainy days and Mondays, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, serve a useful purpose, spirit of the living god, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, stubbornness, tabernacle, Ten Commandments, TGIM! Thank God it's Monday!, than to lay down his life for his friends, the Good Book, the Lord spake unto Moses, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, worthwhile inroads
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Oh Friends, like the world renowned Canadian balladeer, Gordon Lightfoot says in his old song: ‘Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.’ And it looks like we’re going to have a rainy day Monday today.
But you know what? We don’t have to let those rainy day Mondays, or any other kind of days, get us down, because we have the omnipotent Spirit of the Living God, and the unbridled passion of Jesus living within us, and they can certainly drive away every fear and care! And that’s the gospel truth my people, as so many of us can testify to!
So when you get up this morning and come face to face with the gloomy, rainy, chilly weather, please don’t get too upset. It’s just one of those days where the sailing might not be as smooth as you like, but remember Jesus is in the boat with you, and if things get really bad, He will rise and calm the storm.
Consequently, on this rainy October morn, let’s all say a loud and cheerful, ‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday, and we’re alive to tell the tale!’ (smile) Now before anybody starts chirping and calling me crazy, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty chutzpah, so that the dark clouds hanging over our spirits will disappear.
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!’
Wow Friends! That was particularly good for such a rainy, miserable Monday! (smile) That means our faith is getting stronger with each passing day. Glory Hallelujah! And now with our motors running smoothly, let’s get out and show the enemy what’s what, in Jesus’ name.
All the while not forgetting those momentous words that Jesus spoke in our Bit: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’
And today we’ll continue looking at Bible verses re friends and friendship, beginning with a couple more Friends of God. Here’s what the Good Book says about Moses, after the Israelites, in their impatience and stubbornness had made the golden calf as an idol of worship, (Ex.32) while Moses was up the mountain getting the Ten Commandments.
The Lord commanded him to move the tabernacle from out of the camp, calling it the Tabernacle of the congregation. ‘And it came to pass, that everyone which sought the Lord went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.
And it came to pass, when Moses went out into the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.
And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.
And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.’ (Ex.33:7-11)
Yes my brethren, the Lord spoke to Moses face to face like a friend, with trust, dignity, faithfulness and integrity! Those are the qualities inherent in true friends. Do we possess those qualities, and do those we consider our friends, possess them? That’s of the utmost importance in these crucial and critical times. Therefore we need to be very careful who we let into our inner sanctuary.
That brings us to another Friend of God, Bruh David. The Lord valued Bruh David so highly that after Saul had done wrong by usurping the priest’s duties and offering burnt offerings, (1 Sam.13:9-10) Samuel told him. ‘But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.’ (1 Sam.13:14)
Bruh David was described as a man after God’s own heart! Wow! Can you imagine that my people? And note, at a very tender age too. As far as I’m concerned, there can be no higher accolade given to a mortal man. That’s better than being called a friend, because friends don’t always agree or see things the same way. But when you have the heart of God, it means you continually see things the way He does.
And what’s important to notice in those relationships my fellow believers, is that neither man was an angel; Moses was considered a murderer and Bruh David an adulterer, but they still found favour in God’s eyes, that means there’s hope for all of us yet. (smile)
And we’ll stop there for today… don’t want to disrupt your busy, short attention spans and schedules. (smile) So till we meet again tomorrow, the Lord willing, let’s just go out and sincerely and diligently do our best nuh, because that’s all the Lord asks of us. Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) says…the best way to live life… is to simply obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…and that’s indisputable truth…
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