27 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man's ways please the Lord, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a strength of restraint, an abomination to the Lord, appreciate the sanctity of work, atonement, be wise, Bible, blessed is the man that heareth me, by me kings reign, christianity, complain, entitled to live the good life, faith, five-day work week, god, hand in hand, hand join hand, hear instruction, humble servants, I lead in the way of righteousness, I love them that love me, I wisdom dwell with prudence, inhumanity, iniquity is purged, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joblessness, jump for joy, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, not taking unnecessary risks, proud in heart, Proverbs, refuse it not, reverential awe, shall not be unpunished, sing a different song, sinned and disobeyed your Word, the God who heals, they that hate me love death, thinking before acting, those that seek me early will find me, truth, watching daily at my gates, whine, whoso findeth me findeth life, wisdom, wisdom begins and ends with God, without lifting a finger, wrath
Proverbs 8:33. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not (do not disdain it).
Well, it’s Monday, and we’re back to our regular five-day work week! Glory Be! No, I’m not crazy. I just want us to appreciate how good we really have it in this part of the world. In other impoverished areas of our world, the people there would jump for joy if they could even get a couple days of regular work each week. Meanwhile, we complain and whine about having to go to work and all the other sacrifices that consequently derive from it, somehow or other figuring that we are entitled to live the good life without lifting a finger.
Sometimes I wish that some of us who whine and complain the most would experience the inhumanity of joblessness and therefore lack of food, shelter and clothing, especially in places where there is no help from the government, like we have here. I’m sure we’d all wake up quickly and sing an entirely different song. As they say, you don’t appreciate the sun unless you are rained out; neither do you appreciate the sanctity of work until you can’t get any.
And having said all of that, I believe these words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs are rather appropriate for today. Obviously, it talks about wisdom. He writes: ‘I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions (discretion).’ (Prov. 8:12) And some of us might wondering exactly what is prudence? Well this commentary gives us an excellent definition. ‘Prudence means being careful about your choices, stopping and thinking before acting. It is a strength of restraint. When you are prudent, you are not taking unnecessary risks, and not saying or doing things that you might later regret.’
Yes friends, wisdom and prudence go together hand in hand, you can’t have one without the other. Unfortunately though, so many of us in this supposed modern day and age, where anything goes, are sadly lacking in wisdom and prudence, otherwise we would not be making the large number of woeful decisions we make everyday, in all walks of life. And why is that eh? I think it’s because we lack the basic fear of the Lord, both in reverential awe and the great possibility of experiencing His considerable wrath.
Cousin Sol puts it thus: ‘The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and froward (perverse) mouth, do I hate.’ (Prov. 8:13) But those are the exact things that are in ascendancy in our world right now. So what else can we expect but evil, and all the other negative attributes of Satan. And Cousin Sol later on reinforces those words with these. ‘Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join hand, he shall not be unpunished. By mercy and truth iniquity is purged (atonement is provided for iniquity). When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.’ (Prov. 16:5-7)
And all of that is the indisputable truth my people. That’s why I believe that we should pay close attention to the following verses on the powerful and wide-ranging attributes of wisdom. ‘Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes’ rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable (enduring) riches and righteousness.
My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead (walk) in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgement (justice): That I may cause those that LOVE me to inherit substance (wealth); and I will fill their treasures. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.’ (Prov. 8:14-23)
Ah friends, yuh see the many benefits of true wisdom, which begins with the reverential awe of our great God. And the Lord possessed wisdom before He created anything. In fact He used wisdom to create the universe. So if wisdom is so important that the Lord can adopt it, why can’t we lesser mortals eh? That’s a question I can’t answer. But I can share this warning from Cousin Sol.
‘Now therefore hearken unto (listen to) me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not (do not disdain it). Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me LOVE death.’ (Prov. 8:32-36)
Now that’s certainly an interesting conclusion. And hopefully we will all learn from it and LOVE wisdom and seek it diligently. Now to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, in humble confidence, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And let’s not forget that divine aid only comes when there is humbling of self, prayer and sincerely seeking the Lord. Much LOVE!
…true wisdom begins and ends with the Lord…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abolished death, and yet I am not alone, bring backsliders back to your fold, brought life and immortality to life, but be of good cheer, driving home intoxicated, eradicate their sense of tiredness, faithful believers, Friday chant, Happy Hours, huge cost in family and social life, i have overcome the world, impaired drivers, in the world ye shall have tribulation, introduce a whole new flock, It's up to us to fill it with joy and meaning, Jesus broke the bondage of sin, joy doesn't just fall into our laps, jump for joy, life just gives us time and space, No one is guaranteed happiness, omnipotent help, PS. I LOVE YOU Poster, serious and unexpected storm, sin shall not have dominion over you, sinful world, stand strong and steadfast, that in me ye might have peace, the Father is with me, wake up and smell the coffee
John 16:32c. and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
And finally it’s Friday! I wonder if there’ll be Happy Hours, or Happy Fridays in the bars and restaurants after work today, now that we’ve gone into stage three of the pandemic opening? That’s an interesting question. Remember how, on a Friday evening, before the pandemic lockdown, the watering holes would be filled with workers trying to eradicate their sense of tiredness and lethargy now that the workweek was over. Are we going to revert to that type of senseless behaviour? I certainly hope not.
Let’s pray that the pandemic has shaken us up enough to realize what is, and what is not truly important. And filling the bars on a Friday evening after work, then driving home intoxicated and depressed is not one of the sensible, important options. The bar owners might like it, because it brings in money, but think of the other side of the coin, where we’ve been having so many accidents on the roads because of impaired drivers and the huge cost in family and social life it causes.
That recalls an interesting quote I recently saw on my ‘PS. I LOVE YOU’ Poster, that one of my daughters gave me a long time ago. And I’m chuckling here, because it sits right by my side, a little to my back, and like so many other things on my office walls and elsewhere, I pass it daily without even noticing it. Does that happen to anyone else but me? All around my office is encouraging and reassuring stuff that I set up so that I can see them when I pass by, but invariably, I don’t. Looking around at them now, I realize that it’s been years since I last looked at some of them, although they are in plain sight.
But enough of me and my blurred vision (smile). The quote I mentioned earlier on says: ‘No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’ And that’s true to a great extent. We don’t just wake up and find happiness overflowing on our doorsteps. We have to consciously seek out happiness, fill up our lives with joy and meaning. It’s a conscious decision we all need to make if our lives are going to be worthwhile. And the best way, I know to do that is by finding Jesus, surrendering our lives to Him, allowing Him to become our Lord and Saviour.
And even then, total joy and happiness are not guaranteed without some effort on our part. When we come to Jesus, joy doesn’t just fall into our laps, we still must seek it out. The major difference is that with Jesus, we can find joy and meaning even in times of calamity and untold disappointment. Even though times are rough Jesus is always with us. Like He told the disciples shortly before His crucifixion. ‘Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own (place), and leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.’ (John 16:32)
Oh my faithful brethren isn’t that wonderful? It certainly is! For just like Jesus had the Father with Him in His time of ‘sufferation’, so do we have Jesus, His Holy Spirit with us when we are going through our trials. And as He continued to the disciples: ‘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 awesome truth friends! Jesus overcame the world and all its evil when He died, was buried, then magnificently rose from the dead on the third day like he had promised!
Wow! He broke the bondage of sin, the crucial hold that sin held over us prior to His paying our sin death in full, so that we could have everlasting life. The scriptures tell us in the words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.’ (Rom. 6:14).
And in his words to Timothy, talking about Jesus’ death. ‘Who hath saved us, and called us to a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.’ (2 Tim. 1:9-10)
That’s the thing about Jesus; He keeps ALL His promises. Neither does He make empty, trivial promises. And He can afford to make any kind of promise, because, being the Son of God, He has the awesome power to back them up! That’s why He is such a wonderful Being to surrender our lives, our troubles, our fears, difficulties and problems to. And in truth, the only other option available to us is Satan and the evils of this world. And for many of us that’s not even an option, because in the end it will mean death and damnation, eternal separation from God.
And who really wants that eh? That’s why Jesus is the only wise and sensible choice for us. So, as He desires, let’s take our problems to Him right now nuh, through our Friday Chant. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
But just remember friends, before we jump for joy, we also have to keep our promises, that means being the faithful believers we just talked about, otherwise our prayers will not be answered. Much LOVE!
..true joy comes…only when you sincerely embrace Jesus as Lord and Saviour…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
07 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spoilsport, abide with me, and was dead, courage, curdle our victory, death, death is swallowed up in victory, diabolical enemy, earth's joys grow dim, escapes from death, fast falls the eventide, fellowship with other believers, foil the tempter's power, get down to brass tacks, gives us the victory, going away present, Hades, have the keys of hell and death, hear his holy word, help of the helpless, Henry Francis Lyte, His holy name, I am alive for evermore, I am he that liveth, I fear no foe, I need thy presence, I triump still, journey to his sanctuary, jump for joy, keep it alive, leave to posterity, loads us with benefits, Praise the Lord, praising and exalting, rebuke, repel the evil enemy, rest from our labour, Satan, sin, steadfast, Thanks be to God, the darkness deepens, the God of our salvation, the Lord's Day, the Sabbath, the sting of death, through our Lord Jesus christ, thy grace, unmovable, victory, where is thy sting, with Jesus in our corner, your labour is not in vain
Revelation 1:18. I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell (Hades) and of death.
Now just in case you did not realize it, I’m here to inform you that the weekly cycle of life has come full circle again! (smile) This is the Lord’s Day, the Sabbath, the day on which He rested after spending the entire week creating the universe and all therein. It’s also the day that we ought to rest from our labour and journey to His sanctuary to fellowship with other believers, praising and exalting His Holy Name, giving Him exceeding thanks for all that He’s done for us.
And last, but definitely not least, to hear His Holy Word, so that our spiritual selves can be refreshed and renewed, to enable us to rebuke and repel the evil enemy as we venture back into the ungodly working world tomorrow. And all of God’s children said a loud, proud and sincere: ‘Praise the Lord! Magnify His Holy Name!’
So let’s get right into the praise section by singing this old but much LOVED ‘Christian hymn, ‘Abide with Me,’ written by Scottish Anglican Henry Francis Lyte. He wrote it in 1847 while he lay dying from tuberculosis; he survived only a further three weeks after its completion.’ And was it ever a fitting going away present to leave to posterity, as he indeed wrote a telling, thoughtful and true hymn! So, in one accord, let’s sing it like we really mean it nuh.
‘Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away; change and decay in all around I see; O thou who changest not, abide with me. I need thy presence every passing hour. What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me. I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight, and tears not bitterness. Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if thou abide with me. Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes; shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.’
Oh friends, those are such powerful, moving and gospel true words! Nobody else can help us in this life like Jesus can! And I like the descriptions: ‘Help of the helpless.’ That’s exactly what Jesus came to do! ‘O thou who changest not…’ More glorious truth! ‘I need thy presence every passing hour…’ And do we ever my believing brethren! Without it, we’d quickly be toast against the enemy. ‘What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?’ Exactly what we were just saying: only with Jesus in our lives can we ever hope to overcome the evil and diabolical enemy called Satan!
Consequently, ‘I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless.’ Oh my people, living with and for Christ, certainly raises our level of courage to great heights, because we know that with Him in our corner we can conquer any and every foe! And when he asks? ‘Where is death’s sting? Where, grave thy victory?’ The thrilling, victorious answer comes: ‘I triumph still, if thou abide with me.’
And that’s for certain sure friends, because Christ defeated hell, death and the grave by His sacrificial death and His awesome resurrection! Note His words to John in the vision on the isle of Patmos: ‘I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell (Hades) and of death.’
Oh friends and fellow believers, the victory is indeed ours through Christ Jesus! Never forget that! Isaiah prophesied it: ‘He will swallow up death in victory (forever); and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. ‘ (Is.25:8) And we all know that our great and faithful God doesn’t make idle promises, His word doesn’t return to Him void, but accomplishes all its purposes.
And Jesus certainly made mincemeat of Satan! That’s why Bruh Paul could be so exuberant and cocksure when he wrote to the Corinthians: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave (Hades), where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (2 Cor. 15:54a-57) Oh mih people, shout and jump for joy, for victory is ours! Sing ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Praise the wonderful name of the Lord for He has indeed done marvellous things on our behalf!
And Bruh David said it too in Psalm 68 – God has gone before his people. ‘Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. He that is our God is the God of salvation: and unto God the Lord belong the issues (escapes) from death.’ (Ps.68:19-20) But my people, all that good and wonderful news of victory through Christ, doesn’t mean we can just sit on our laurels and don’t do anything to help our cause.
That’s why Bruh Paul at the end of his victory speech, warned the Corinthians: ‘Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (2 Cor.15:58) And it most definitely is not, for all good work will eventually be rewarded in God’s time.
Friends, I sincerely recommend then, that we all take that warning to heart and get down to brass tacks right now, standing steadfast in Christ, rebuking and repelling the enemy who is trying to be a spoilsport and curdle our victory! Please don’t let him! Much LOVE!
…Christ won the victory…but we have to keep it alive…
26 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a necessary condition, anger inflames talk, be swift to hear, blasphemy, bond, Christ is all, circumcision, click my heels, filthiness, filthy communication, free, glad to be alive, Greek, grin and bear it, harsh repercussions, hearing of the word, Jesus Christ, Jew, jump for joy, listening to God, looking ahead, malice, mature, meekness, my beloved brethren, my hands are on the plough, not turning back, old fogies, our existence, pain medication, parable of the seed, patience, pleasures, put off the old man, put on the new man, renewed in knowledge, rewards of heaven, save your souls, Sholem Asch, shout Glory Hallelujah!, silence., slave, sleep inducing properties, slow to speak, slow to wrath, talk inflames anger, the breath of life, the Christian's life, the implanted word, the power to forget, the power to remember, the righteousness of God, the wrath of man, them's the breaks, trials, uncircumcision, ungodly decisions, Wednesday Wail, wickedness
James 1:19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Oh friends, I’m so glad to be alive, especially on such a wonderful summer’s morn that I just wanted to jump for joy, click my heels, and shout ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
But fortunately, the wise One that dwells within me immediately cautioned that the first two actions would be somewhat foolhardy, given my precarious physical state. So I simply shouted ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ (smile)
What a bam bam it is when your body can’t keep up with your mind eh? But them’s the breaks! It’s what happens when you’ve lived a long and productive life and have finally reached the winter years. So we just have to grin and bear it.
And with Jesus Christ in our lives, there are so many other pleasures for us to enjoy than just the physical ones, that we really lack for nothing. All glory to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
And let me apologize now for the lateness of the Bit. It seems that the pain medication I took before going to bed this morning also has some sleep inducing properties, which made it difficult to get up at an earlier hour.
Now here is a li’l something, which I shared way back when, but is still very useful in these trying times. It’s from Sholem Asch (1880-1957), a London born dramatist and writer of Polish-Jewish background, who later settled in the U.S.
He tells us that: ‘Not the power to remember, but the power to forget is a necessary condition for our existence.’
And that’s quite true mih breddren, otherwise our minds would be so riddled with memories, and mostly the bad ones too, that our lives would be even more confused that they already are.
But thankfully many of us old fogies don’t have to worry about that condition of life, because in our advanced stage we automatically forget most things anyway. (smile)
And though it’s convenient to forget, we have to remember to follow the critical command and warning of our Bit, even in old age. ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.’
And why is that you ask? Listen to James’ explanation that follows. ‘For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:20) Yeh friends, uncontrolled anger and speaking have no place in the Christian’s life, because they lead us to ungodly decisions and consequently harsh repercussions.
Hear the scholars take on those verses. ‘1:19. This is a key verse because it expresses three topics that James develops later: hearing, verses 19-27; speaking, 3:1-12; and wrath, 4:1-12.’
‘1:20. Trials require silence and patience because talk inflames anger, and anger inflames talk. Anger also distracts from listening to God.’
There you have it friends, several good reasons for controlling talk and anger! And I guess it’s only right for us to continue listening to James on the subject of hearing.
‘Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity (abundance) of naughtiness (wickedness), and receive with meekness the engrafted (implanted) word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)
And the scholars offer an interesting explanation to that verse. ‘1:21. Engrafted word might better be translated “implanted word” and may reflect Christ’s parable of the seed planted in the four different soils (Matt. 13:3-9). Both Christ and James focus on the proper hearing of God’s Word (Matt.13:13, 19-20, 22-23).
One needs to hear that Word, for it is able to save your souls. Though the phrase accurately describes the Word’s work of producing initial salvation, it is better in this context to understand it as the Word’s ability to preserve and mature the Christian’s life through trials.’
So anyway we cut it people, God’s Word is of the utmost importance in a believer’s life; both for producing our initial salvation and then keeping us on that straight and narrow path which allows us to grow in faith and trust in our wonderful Creator. Praise the Lord for His wonderful Word that leads and guides us safely on our earthly pilgrimage!
And it isn’t coincidence that Bruh Paul wrote some of those same things to the Colossians. ‘But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond (slave) nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.’ (Col.3:8-11)
Yeh friends, the believer is called to a much higher standard of living than the great unwashed. (smile) And hear Bruh Paul again agreeing with James on the power and benefits of the Word.
This while preaching at Antioch. ‘Men and brethren, children (sons) of the stock (family) of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.’ (Acts.13:26)
My people, I implore us, to never forget that! Consequently, we can go home now truthfully and sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday!
Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back.
I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Let’s do it for Jesus nuh mih people! Much LOVE!
…a Christian’s earthly life contains difficulties…but the rewards of heaven…especially Jesus’ eternal company… totally compensate for them…
24 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a righteous man, a unique sensation, Anselm, availeth much, barren, Blessed be the Lord God, bonding, celebrate, christmas day, christmas eve, circumcision, come a calling, comfort them, Confess your faults, dayspring, dramatist, dumb, Elisabeth, forerunner, friends, generosity, Glory to god in the highest, go before the face of the Lord, goodness is abour character, harbinger, his name is John, holy prophets, honesty, hope for the best, horn of salvation, how we treat others, in his mother's womb, integrity, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, jump for joy, kindness, knowledge of salvation, laid them up in their hearts, LOVE, Mary, mercy, Messiah, Mighty Deliverer, moral courage, mortality, mourning, noised abroad, one to another, praised God, pray, pray for one another, redeemed his people, safe and sound, salvation, Scrip-Bit family member, selflessly blessing us, shadow of death, the birth of our Lord and Saviour, the effectual fervent prayer, the face of the Lord, the greatest power on earth, the grim reaper, the Holy Ghost, the Lord God of Israel, the prophet of the Highest, thou child, time of grief, to prepare his ways, U.W.I, what the Lord has called you to do, Zechariah
Luke 1:76. And thou child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.
Oh friends, it’s Christmas Eve, the day before the big one – Christmas Day, when we joyfully celebrate the birth of our most wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Glory to God in the highest for selflessly blessing us with Jesus Christ!
But yuh know what, is not everybody that celebrating this Christmas time nuh. I heard today that another of my U.W.I (University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica) classmates, Dwight Venner died yesterday. Ah Lord eh! He is at least the sixth one that I know about, who has died this year. Steups!
And all of them were around my age yes. That certainly brings your own mortality to mind. But you can’t do anything about it nuh, just keep on doing what the Lord has called you to do and hope for the best. The only thing we’re really sure of in this life is that someday the Grim Reaper will come a calling and we’ll go whether we want to or not.
So I’m asking us on this Christmas Eve day to pray for the Venner family in their time of grief. I believe he was from St. Lucia, and just ask the Lord to comfort them in their mourning when they should be celebrating the birth of Christ. It’s not easy to lose anybody at all, much less at a time like this.
Let’s also remember to pray for Keith, our Scrip-Bit family member, who is slowly recovering from his stroke, and comfort him too while he mourns the loss of his departed brother.
Remember, as James says: ‘Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’(James 5:16) Yeh friends, prayer is the greatest power we have down here on God’s great earth, so please let’s use it often and wisely nuh.
Now I have so much scripture to share that I only have space for one of our friend Anselm’s quotes today. And I had a hard time choosing one, because they were all interesting, they all can inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this is the one that finally won out: ‘Goodness is about character – integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.’
And that’s no lie my brethren, all those qualities are very important parts and qualities of our Christian life! Now since John the Baptist was Christ’s cousin as well as His forerunner and harbinger, I thought this Christmas Eve would be a good time to check out John’s early story, as we will do tomorrow for Christ.
This brings us to our Bit: ‘And thou child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.’ Those were the prophetic words of John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, at his circumcision. Now our God is such a dramatist that sometimes I have to shake my head in wonder at His doings.
Remember how he made Zechariah dumb because he didn’t believe that his barren wife Elisabeth would eventually bear him a child. (Luke 1:5-25) And also how He brought Mary and Elisabeth together and caused John to jump for joy in his mother’s womb when he heard Mary’s voice, and the three months the women spent bonding together.
Let the Good Book tell us the story: ‘Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins (relatives) heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her, and they rejoiced with her. (Her barrenness was no longer a cause for reproach).
And it came to pass, that on the eight day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zechariah, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John.
And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and he spake, and praised God. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings (things) were noised abroad (discussed) throughout all the hill country of Judea. And all they that heard them laid (kept) them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.’ (Luke 1:57-66)
Oh my people, there’s no better dramatist than our God! And to add to that drama, the scholars tell us: ‘1:65. Fear came: The working of God produced a unique sensation among a people where not even a prophet had spoken for centuries.’
And after that, Zechariah just went mad prophesying, making up for all those months that he’d been dumb. Filled with the Holy Ghost, he prophetically declared. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation (A Mighty Deliverer) for us in the house of his servant David. As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all them that hate us;’ (Luke 1:68-71)
I have to leave out four verses here because of lack of space. But then Zechariah continued with our Bit. ‘And thou child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways. To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (dawn, Messiah) from on high hath visited us.
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed (became) strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing (manifestation) unto Israel.’ (Luke 1:76-80)
Ah friends, yuh see the amazing power and dramatic expertise of our wonderful God! And that was child’s play to how He brought Jesus on the scene. (smile) We’ll talk about that tomorrow, the Lord willing. Till then, may he bless and keep us all safe and sound and cause us to enjoy the celebrations of the birth of His only Son, Jesus! Much LOVE!
…who is greater than our God eh…NOBODY…!
06 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2016, a negative outlook, a positive attitude, abundant life, blessed, blessedness, by their fruits you shall know them, come together in Christ, come up over our problems, confession, deceit, drought of summer, effects of unconfessed sin, faith without works, forgiven, forgiveness, God is good, godly, good graces of God, gospel truth, guile, I acknowledge my sin, I am halfway home, I will confess my transgressions, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, jump for joy, life is not fair, LOVE, mine iniquity have I not hid, moan and groan, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, personal witness, platitudes, ponder our sins, pray, repentance, Scrip-Bit family, Selah, separate the sheep from the goats, step up to the plate, take them to god in prayer, the breath of life, the happiness of the forgiven man, thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, thou mayest be found, to a glorious future with Jesus, transgression, troubles, true believers, unconfessed sin, unhappy lives, vitality, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, works
Psalm 32:5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
And then it was Wednesday! How yuh going mih Scrip-Bit family? Hope the new year is progressing smoothly and that you are managing everything nicely through the good graces of our wonderful God.
It’s going to be an awesome year, this 2016! So with that in mind, let’s all perk up and seriously come together in Christ and do His works nuh, works that are necessary to show ourselves as true believers.
Remember Jesus said, by their fruit ye shall know them, (Matt.7:20) and the past few days we’ve been reading James, who declares that faith without good works is meaningless. That means we have got to come up over our problems and inject more of our faith into the things we do and say.
And we can begin today by declaring our Wednesday Wail. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah Friends, doesn’t that just lift your spirits? It surely does mine! I am glad to be alive, and looking forward, not backward….and oh…the promise of that glorious future with Jesus just makes me want to jump for joy and shout His wonderful name! (smile)
Oh my people, we all know that life is not fair or easy, but God is good, and our attitude towards life is what separates the goats from the sheep. Some of us bring a positive attitude to it and therefore have more enjoyment, despite the many problems we all face.
Meanwhile, others portray a negative outlook, and thus live shallow, meaningless, miserable and unhappy lives. That is not the kind of life Jesus died for us to have. He sacrificed His holy and sinless life so that we could have life and even have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
The problem though is that we have to step up to the plate with good attitudes to embrace that abundant life. It doesn’t just come up on its own. And good attitudes don’t just spring up on their own either. We need to come to God for help in achieving them.
That brings us to our Bit, taken from Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness. ‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.’
This is Bruh David at his best. As the scholars declare: ‘Psalm 32. The psalm describes the blessedness of forgiveness as no other does. This is the theme of especially the first five verses, which include the happiness of the forgiven man (vv.1-2), the physical and psychological effects of unconfessed sin (vv.3-4), and the simple remedy of confession to obtain God’s forgiveness (v.5).
On this basis David can experience prayer (vv.6-7), divine instruction (vv.8-9), and personal witness (vv.10-11).’
Now that’s all true my people, but I want to point out one thing here, though the remedy of confession might be simple, it certainly needs to be sincere, if we expect our sins to be forgiven. We just can’t go to God and ask for forgiveness, if we don’t feel it in our hearts, because that’s the first place He’s going to look, not just listen to the platitudes that we mouth.
Anyway, let’s get into the Psalm. ‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not (does not charge his account with) iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile (deceit).
When I kept silence, my bones waxed (grew) old through my roaring (groaning) all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture (my vitality) is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.’ (Ps.32:1-4)
Yeh friends, yuh see what happens to us when we live with unconfessed sin? We moan and groan all day long, the Lord’s hand is heavy upon us, and our vitality is sapped like the summer’s drought. So living with unconfessed sin is not a very wise thing to do.
And today would be a very good day for those of us who feel old and dried up and miserable and can’t get ourselves together, to consider what sin(s) we might be withholding and go to God and confess them.
Oh my brethren, I can tell you from personal experience that when you get any sin at all off your chest, you feel like a million dollars compared to how you felt before. Bruh David learned that the hard way, as no doubt some of us are doing.
But there’s absolute truth in our Bit my people, so much so that it’s worth repeating again.‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.’
And there’s no better time than right now, the start of this pivotal year, for us to go to God and spill out our hearts to Him in all sincerity and truth. Friends, our Creator and Provider is waiting for us to come to Him in sincere repentance.
As Bruh David says after our Bit. ‘For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. (Ps.32:6)
Gospel truth that, my brethren! So please, today, let’s take a few minutes to ponder our sins, our troubles, whatever is wrong in our lives and then sincerely take them to God in prayer nuh. For that is wisdom at its absolute best. Much LOVE!
…a life filled with unconfessed sin…is no life at all…
26 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable sins, be destroyed, blessings, blind, buy of me gold tried in the fire, chasten, denominations, divisions, ecstatic, examples speak more forcibly than words, eyesalve, faithfulness, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, give thanks, God's grace, he that hath an ear let him hear, heavenly Father, heavenly things, hypocrites, I am rich, I know thy works, I will spew thee out of my mouth, indifferent, Jesus, Jesus' demise, Jesus' resurrection, joy, joyful, jump for joy, lack of genuine faith, Laodicea, live a lie, LOVE, lukewarm, material things, materialistic church, mercies, miserable, mock, naked, nausea, our Creator, passion, passionate about faith, petty differences, playing both ends against the middle, poor, praise, promises, rebuke, repent, righteousness., rot, scorn, seek thou first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, sincerity, sing, sitting on the fence, spiritual things, spiritual understanding, spiritual value, Sunday, the church has lost its way, the heathen, the joy of the Lord is our strength, the shame of thy nakedness, the unbeliever, things of God, things of the world, thou art neither cold not hot, Togetherness, truth, ungodly world, unity, virtue, vision, wealthy, what the Spirit says to the churches, white raiment, worship, worthless, wretched
Revelation 3:15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold or hot: I would (wish) that thou wert (were) cold or hot.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s Sunday once again! Time to gather in fellowship; to sing, praise, worship and give thanks to our magnificent Creator and heavenly Father. Wow! Isn’t that amazing? It surely is!
Oh I know some of you might think what’s all the fuss about? But if you have the blessings and the promises and faithfulness and all the other good stuff that stems from Jesus’ demise and then His ultimate resurrection, how can you not be joyful, ecstatic and passionate about your faith eh?
Unfortunately we supposed believers are not a very passionate lot. We treat our faith as though it wasn’t that important. But wait until we get a new car, a new house, or some such worldly stuff that will eventually rot and be destroyed, we jump for joy and carry on. But for the mercies, forgiveness of our abominable sins and the blessings that the Lord pours down on us every day, we are lukewarm and indifferent.
However my people, those are the things that we should be joyful and expressive about. Nothing in this evil and ungodly world will ever beat those heavenly things. So let’s show some passion about our faith nuh, let’s talk it up, live it up, enjoy it and behave like we truly appreciate it, for remember, the joy of the Lord is our strength. So if we don’t have joy in God, then we won’t be strong and useful. It’s as simple as that my people.
We are behaving just like the church at Laodicea, to whom Jesus sent this message in our Bit. ‘I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would (wish) thou wert (were) cold or hot.’
Yeh Friends, it’s the same message that Jesus is sending us today, for we’re neither hot nor cold, just sort of indifferent, kind of doh-care, sitting on the fence trying to play both ends against the middle. But my brethren that attitude, that modus operandi seldom ever works positively, but negatively most of the time. We have to stand up and choose a side, else we’ll be levelled by both.
Now here’s a little history on Laodicea per the scholars. ‘3:14. Laodicea was located about 50 miles southeast of Philadelphia, in the Lycus River valley near Colossae and Hierapolis (cf. Col.4:13-16). Its name means “People Ruling,” and represents the unbelieving, materialistic church of all ages…’
Ah Friends, we can certainly fall under that heading, because we don’t behave like we truly believe and we’re extremely materialistic. And consequently, the message from Jesus continues: ‘So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew (spit or vomit) thee out of my mouth.’ (Rev.3:16)
Now my people, we don’t want Christ to spit us out or regurgitate us, do we? Certainly not! For if He does that, we won’t have a relationship with Him again, and thus lose all the blessings and other wonderful things that He represents.
And the scholars have this to say about those last two verses. ‘3:15-16. The church is likened to lukewarm, or as being virtually worthless. Christ says He will “spew them out,” or eject them from His company. The hot waters of nearby Hierapolis were known for their medicinal qualities, whereas Colossae was known for its cold, pure water. But Laodicea was forced to receive water by aqueduct from other areas.
By the time it arrived in Laodicea it was lukewarm and provoked nausea. The works of the Laodicean church were as worthless as the city’s lukewarm water. The description does not refer to a backslidden condition, but rather to their lack of genuine faith.’
Oh Friends, does that sound like our church today? Sadly I will have to answer yes. To a great extent the church has lost its way. We no longer practice what Christ taught, plus there are too many denominations, divisions, petty differences and grievances and consequently not sufficient unity and togetherness to make a worthwhile assault on the enemy.
And we obviously can’t make any inroads against enemy since we’re not seeking first the kingdom of God and its righteousness as Jesus directed in the Sermon on the Mount. But instead we are too taken up with the things of the world, rather than the things of God. Our faith is not demonstrated in the way we live our lives, that’s why the heathen, the unbeliever, mocks and scorns us and calls us hypocrites and are not interested in coming to Jesus.
As I keep telling us friends, examples speak more forcibly than words. So if we sincerely want people to come to Jesus, then we have to begin living the truth, with passion and sincerity, and not the lie that so many of us live nowadays.
Now hear how Jesus puts it. ‘Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods (have become wealthy), and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire (refined), that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment (garments), that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear (may not be revealed), and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I LOVE, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent.’ (Rev.3:17-19)
And the scholars explain all of that thus. ‘3:17-19. Laodicea was famous for its wealth, its bankers, its medical school, its popular eyesalve, and its textile industry. Christ says that spiritually the people of the church are poor, blind, and naked. True wealth is found only in God’s grace. This church had no spiritual value (gold), virtue (white raiment), or vision (eyesalve). He urges the Laodiceans to repent of their lack of genuine faith and of spiritual understanding.’
Ah mih people, what’s left to be said eh? Nothing really, because we are behaving just like the Laodiceans. We talk a lot, but don’t have the serious actions to back it up. And we are definitely showing more interest in the material things of the world than the spiritual things of heaven. Please remember Friends that the things of the world will rot and be destroyed, they will pass away, but the things of heaven don’t rot, and will never pass away. Much LOVE!
…he that hath an ear…let him hear…what the Spirit saith unto the churches… (Rev.3:22)
20 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a double-minded man is unstable, abundantly, ask in faith, awe-filled reverence towards God, blessings, brand new day, Christian maturity, commandments, Creator, dance and sing, doubting, evil and ungodly world, focusing on God, fount of wisdom, Glory Halleujah, God's praise endures for ever, God's Word, gold, gospel truth, jehovah god, Jesus came that we might have life, jump for joy, knowledge, LOVE, mercies, mortal man, ONE body in Christ, perverse things, perversity, praise and glory, praise and thanks, prudence, purpose for our lives, reading the Bible, reward for heeding wisdom, silver, the beginning of wisdom, the breath of life, the fear of the Lord, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Good Book, the living God, the Spirit of Holy God, the straight and narrow road, this is the day the Lord has made, to do evil, truth, understanding, wake up and smell the coffee, wavering, we shall rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom, wisdom is better than rubies
Psalm 111:10. The fear of the Lord (an awe-filled reverence toward the Lord) is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Well Friends, it’s another brand new day that we’ve been privileged to see! Wow! All praise and glory that our wonderful God has not taken away the breath of life from us! And for that, we shall indeed be very thankful!
That means He still has some purpose for our lives here on planet earth, so let’s offer up all the praise and thanks we can, and as one joyful body in Christ, sincerely declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we shall all rejoice and be glad in it!’
And that’s exactly how it ought to be my people, because the Lord gave us life so that we could be joyful and enjoy it. What did Jesus say? That He came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
Therefore we ought to rejoice and give thanks each and every day that we open our eyes and discover that the awesome breath of life, the Spirit of Holy God is still flowing through our mortal bodies.
So what are we waiting for eh Friends? Let’s jump for joy, dance and sing, and give thanks and praise to our wonderful Creator for all the blessings and mercies He’s continually showering down on us!
And let’s also take our Bit to heart. ‘The fear of the Lord (an awe-filled reverence toward the Lord) is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever,’
Oh my brethren, when we do that, then we’ll know that we are on the right track, because having a sincere reverence towards Almighty God is the first step to Christian maturity, to true wisdom and understanding!
It’s a two pronged instrument my people; fear the Lord and keep His commandments, then you’ll be on the right road, the straight and narrow one, to wisdom and understanding. That’s because true wisdom and understanding emanate directly from Jehovah God! He is the fount of it all!
And how do we access that wisdom and understanding? By focusing on God and reading the Good Book! For the Bible is God’s Word to us, still fresh through all the ages. And if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages. And furthermore, please remember that ONE TRUTH from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man. Glory Hallelujah!
That’s why James tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘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 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)
Now that’s the gospel truth my brethren! For whatever situation we’re facing, to come up over it wisely, we need to go to God, who is so generous, and without reproach too. But we have to do it in strong and constant faith, not in a wishy-washy, wavering, neither here nor there attitude.
And that’s why so many of us are so lost in this evil and ungodly world. We either completely refuse to go to God, and go to mortal man instead, foolishly figuring that he, who cannot control his own days, has the answers. Or we go to God without true faith and confidence.
I like how Cousin Sol declares it in chapter 8 of Proverbs – wisdom is everlasting. ‘O ye simple, understand wisdom (prudence): and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart…. Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.’ (Prov.8:5,10-11)
Awesome truth my fellow believers! And here is the reward for heeding wisdom. ‘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 forwardness (perversity) of the wicked.’ (Prov.2:10-14)
Now Friends, I’m sure that all of us would dearly LOVE to walk that upright kind of path in our lives. And we can all do it, if we embrace the living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with reverence and sincerity, while following His commandments as best we can, making praise and thanksgiving an essential and integral part of our existence.
And we’ll go home with these fateful words of the Preacher: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl.12:13-14)
Oh Friends, those are words of absolute and indisputable truth! So let’s get our act together nuh man; let’s seek true wisdom and understanding by sincerely serving and worshipping the wonderful God of our forefathers. For there’s none else like Him; a living, faithful, generous, merciful, forgiving, ever-LOVING and omnipotent God!
So if we want to have a truly enjoyable life, then let’s wake up and smell the coffee nuh people! (smile) Hn, hn! It’s been a while since I last heard that expression. But a couple of days ago, I heard my sister-in-law use it, and it reminded me of when my grandfather Bill, would boil his coffee every morning in the orange juice tin, you’d stay down the street and smell it.
So let’s inhale that refreshing aroma this Saturday morning nuh mih breddren, and take a strong and faithful stand with and for Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…Praise ye the Lord…shout Hallelujah…I will praise the Lord with my whole heart…in the assembly of the upright…and in the congregation… (Ps.111:1)
21 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: apostles, better to obey God rather than man, boasting himself to be somebody, brought to nought, Christ, counted worthy to suffer shame for Jesus, cut to the heart, dressing down, eternal life, false messiahs, false teachings, first day of summer, furious, Gamaliel, glorious Saturday morning, God's providence, God's Word, grateful, had a reputation, held in respect, holy spirit, hypocritical faces, if it be of god, Judas of Galilee, jump for joy, move as the Spirit dictates, Pharisees, practical gift, preach jesus as the christ, rash actions, reconciliation, redemption, rejocing, resounding welcome, salvation, Sanhedrin, sighs of relief, speak in the name of Jesus, stand the consequences, take heed, teacher of the law, Thank you Jesus, the Spirit's leading, Theudas, this work be of men, thumb our noses, to come up over our problems, to fight against God, wise advice, you cannot overthrow it
Acts 5:39. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
Oh Friends, please give this glorious Saturday morning a resounding welcome, as it heralds the first day of summer in the memorable year of 2014! And let’s hope and pray that it treats us much better than the last winter season did. But please don’t hold your breath, because I believe that once the summer truly gets going, it will be a scorcher. (smile)
But as I keep reminding us, once we’re hanging out with Jesus, we will be able to handle the crazy summer and whatever else comes against us. And all God’s people mouthed a loud and grateful ‘Thank You Jesus!’
Yes Friends, we do indeed have a lot to be thankful to Jesus for; things like redemption, reconciliation, salvation and eternal life. ! Now how could we not be eternally grateful for all that wonderful stuff eh? Oh… and please don’t forget that most practical gift of His Holy Spirit, which indwells every believer and gives us the wherewithal to come up over all our problems, be they large or small.
And Friends, today just might be your lucky day, for we might just be finished with the messages on the Holy Spirit today. And I can hear some sighs of relief in the background. But don’t jump for joy too soon, because there’s no guarantee of that, (smile) for we have to go and move as the Spirit dictates. Just like how we saw the apostles’ move yesterday, through the Spirit’s leading, telling the Jewish council to their hypocritical faces where to get off. (Acts 5:29-32)
Today we’ll look at what happened after that dressing down by the fired up apostles. ‘When they (the council) heard that, they were cut to the heart (furious), and took council to slay them. Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor (teacher) of the law, had in reputation among (held in respect by) all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space (for a little while);
And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching (regarding) these men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed (followed) him, were scattered, and brought to nought (nothing).
After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing (census), and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.’ (Acts 5:33-39)
Oh Friends, what wise advice from Gamaliel! Now here are some notes from the scholars: ‘5:34. Gamaliel was a respected Pharisee, a prominent teacher at Jerusalem, a member of the Jewish high council (the Sanhedrin), and the teacher of Paul.
Jewish tradition states that Gamaliel’s grandfather was Hillel, the prominent rabbi who represented the liberal wing of the Pharisees in opposition to the more rigid, and conservative wing led by Shammai. When the lives of the apostles were in jeopardy before the Sanhedrin, Gamaliel quieted them with his persuasive and pragmatic speech. Gamaliel is mentioned only twice in Scripture: Acts 5:34 and 22:3.’
Yeh mih people, Bruh Paul was a student of Gamaliel, so you can see where he got some of his persuasiveness, some of his lawyer’s skills from. And some more notes from the scholars: ‘5:36-39. Many false messiahs have arisen through the ages, as Christ Himself predicted (Matt.24:5). These have all died and have amounted to nothing. Gamaliel cites two such cases from his lifetime to discourage any rash actions against the Twelve.
God in His providence uses this to protect His servants. Gamaliel’s advice must not be regarded however, as biblical precept. False teachers do not inherently cease with the passing of time. Paul, one of Gamaliel’s own students (22:3), did not follow or teach this principle. We are to note, rebuke, and oppose false teachings (cf. Rom.16:17; 2 Thess.3:6; Jude 3).’
Now there’s no doubt about that Friends! We ought to expose and clarify false teachings as soon as we become aware of them.
And how did the rest of the Jewish council respond to Gamaliel’s suggestion eh? ‘And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.’ (Acts 5:40-41)
Oh my brethren, are we willing to suffer such pain and shame for Jesus’ sake? We ought to, although that’s easier said than done.
But listen to this last verse: ‘And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus (as the) Christ.’ (Acts 5:42)
Oh praise the Lord and the power of His Holy Spirit! Why? Because it was the mighty power of God’s Spirit that enabled the apostles to withstand the brutal physical punishment, then go right back out and do what they were commanded not to do.
Ah mih people, how I wish that many, many more of us would thumb our noses at the evil, ungodly leaders of today, and just keep on doing God’s work, whenever the law of the world contradicts God’s Word. So please, let’s all try and do better in that aspect of our faith walk nuh. Much LOVE!
…remember, it is always better to obey God rather than man…and He will help us to stand the consequences…
25 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all powerful God, angel of the Lord, Asa, Azariah, Balaam, be happy, be very thankful, being close to, bless Israel, Creator, Cuddle Day, daily basis, dangerous, disobedience, don't worry, embracing another, enchantments, faithful God, find God, forsake, fortunate, generously blessed, give much praise, godless world, godly attitude, graciously, great reason, guidance, happiness, Happy Tuesday, heavenly wsidom, helpful God, holy spirit, improvement, Israel, jehovah god, Jesus, joy, joy and happiness, jump for joy, Lord god of Israel, LOVE, lovingly, magnanimous god, Mammon, mercifully, obedience to God's will, of no avail, Old Testament, play both sides against the middle, provider, radiate joy and happiness, rebellion, righteousness., sacrificial and reconciling actions, second thoughts, seek God, serve two masters, shout, significant sign, sincerely, sinful society, sorcery, Spirit of God, spread LOVE, thanks and praise, the breath of life, the Good Book, the LOVE of God, the voice of God, to sing, trouble, true believers in Christ, true God, unfortunate circumstances, ungodliness, wanton sinfulness, warning, wicked times, wise attitude
2 Chronicles 15:1. And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.
Oh Friends, it’s Happy Tuesday! And everybody looks at me like I’m crazy or something. Well it is Tuesday, and as true believers in Christ, we ought to be full of joy and happiness. So doesn’t that qualify today as Joyful and Happy Tuesday? Well to my simple mind it does!
Just having the breath of life flowing through us, being granted it so mercifully, graciously and LOVINGLY by an all- powerful God, is great reason to sing, shout, jump for joy, give much praise and be very thankful!
As the once popular song so truthfully advised: ‘Don’t worry, be happy!’ And that’s exactly what many of us supposed believers ought to be doing; concentrating on our wonderful and magnanimous God, instead of our unfortunate circumstances.
For being worried and anxious about the circumstances is not going to solve them, but sincerely communicating with our great Creator and most generous Provider will help us do just that.
Oh by the way Friends, I also understand that today is Cuddle Day…Yeah! So please show someone or ones that you care by cuddling with them, not only today, but everyday, if possible, since there’s nothing that shows the LOVE of God, more than being close to, embracing another of God’s most beautiful creation.
Although, right now, through our boldfaced disobedience, rebellion and ungodliness, I’m sure He’s having second thoughts about us being His most wonderful creation.
However, to try and correct that opinion, let’s go out today and spread some LOVE nuh! Let’s radiate joy and happiness, while giving Jehovah God thanks and praise for all the undeserved goodness and LOVING-kindness with which He’s so generously blessed us.
And furthermore mih people, if we adopt that wise attitude and try to practice it on a daily basis, there’ll be such a wonderful improvement in our lives and the world around us, that we’ll be somewhat annoyed with ourselves for not adopting that friendly and godly attitude long before.
Now let me go and seek an appropriate Bit, because that rambling preamble is just what the Spirit filled me with as I came downstairs to begin writing. (smile)
Oh mih people, mih people, that didn’t take long at all! I just opened the Good Book at an arbitrary spot, and behold, the first words I read were: ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.’
Wow! What a faithful and helpful God! Not only nowadays, but from since the beginning of time! Back then though, under crucial and critical circumstances, He sent His Holy Spirit upon certain individuals, so that they could deliver His message to the people at large.
And today we’ll look at a couple of examples from the Old Testament, of the Lord working in that manner. And on the particular occasion referred to in our Bit, the Lord sent the king of Israel His warning through the prophet Azariah.
‘And he went out to meet (before) Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.’ (2 Chr.15:2-4)
Oh my brethren, how many, many times do we read that in the Good Book eh? Whenever a sinful society sincerely sought the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they ALWAYS FOUND HIM! But the operative word there is SINCERELY.
Now Friends, I believe that’s a very significant sign for us in this godless world of today. We desperately need to SINCERELY seek the face and ears of our omnipotent God, before He destroys us for our wanton sinfulness, gross disobedience and unashamed ungodliness.
Now let’s check out another instance of God’s Holy Spirit coming upon an Old Testament individual. This is about the zigzag prophet Balaam, the one who tried to play both ends against the middle, to simultaneously work for God and Beelzebub. (Num.22-24)
And that we know is impossible as Jesus so wisely informs us. ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt.6:24)
And we all ought to pay special attention to that my brethren, because oftimes, we are indeed trying to do just that, albeit unconsciously.
But getting back to Balaam. This time the Lord showed him the error of his ways, causing him to foretell Israel’s happiness to their enemies. ‘And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments (to use sorcery or enchantments), but he set his face towards the wilderness.’ (Num. 24:1)
Ah Friends, yuh see how it is when we try to serve God and mammon at the same time.
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ’24:1. Saw that it pleased… went not as at other times, to seek for enchantments: He had not perceived “the angel of the Lord” standing in the way (Num.22:21-32), but he now perceived his enchantments were of no avail. At other times expresses what had been his habit, which extends to his lifestyle, not just the first two times in this account.’
Then the Good Book continues: ‘And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents, according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.’ (Num.24:2)
Now we won’t get into what Balaam said and did after that, because it would make the Bit much too long. (smile) But we will note how fortunate we are in these dangerous and wicked times to have God’s Holy Spirit continually dwelling within us, through Jesus’ sacrificial and reconciling actions.
Now please my fellow believers, let’s use it for the purpose for which it was provided; to lead and guide us in all righteousness and obedience to God’s will. That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to divine God’s guidance for your life…listen closely to the voice of His Spirit within you…
Previous Older Entries
SCRIP-BITS 