12 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comforting poem to dying child, a heartfelt version of the song, agape, agape love, all the way, angels, Anna Bartlett Warner, as he loved so long ago, being merciful, brotherly LOVE, Christ died for us, confidence building, despite our sins and faults, disloyal creation, disobedient beings, divine Love, eotic love, eros, eternal life, faith, Father forgive them, for the Bible tells me so, generous, generously giving of oneself, God commendeth his love toward us, god is our strength, God is with us each step of the way, God loves everyone, God loves us all, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God so loved the world, God will never leave our side, God's enemies, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he who died heaven's gate to open wide, he will wash away my sin, holy spirit, human reciprocal love for God, I am persuaded, I will henceforth live for thee, in God's opinion, Jesus Christ, Jesus Loves Me, Jesus loves me still today, Jesus loves people, kind, let his little child come in, let them come to me, little ones to Him belong, LOVE, love entails sacrifices, love is God's greatest attribute, love should be our greatest attribute, mercy, neither death nor life, patient, philia, poems set to music, praise and worship, principalities or powers, salvation, separate us from the love of God, spiritual renewal, spoken words, stay close beside me, sweet sacrifices of praise, sympathetic, taking children on his knee, thankful for Jesus' incomparable love, Thanksgiving Sunday, The Bible tells me so, the cross at Calvary, the fatherely love for humans, the highest form of love, the sacrificial death of Jesus, the world through him might be saved, they are weak but He is strong, they know not what they do, things present, things to come, this I know, thou hast bled and died for me, to all who live, to give light and love, truth, walking with me on my way, wanting as a friend, while we were yet sinners, whosoever believes in him should not perish, wisdom, yes Jesus loves me
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
So here we go again, another Sunday and that means another trip to the house of God for praise and worship, spiritual renewal and confidence building. But this is also a special Sunday, Thanksgiving Sunday, where we raise the level of our thanks all over the country, for all that the Lord has done for us. And it’s interesting that after I picked a song for today’s worship, I found myself wondering if I had picked one appropriate for Thanksgiving.
But then something told me, of course you have! This is the best song you could have picked because the topic of the song is the biggest thing we have to give thanks for in this crazy world. And that’s quite true, for the name of the song is ‘Jesus LOVES Me.’ And what else is there in this world that we should be more thankful for than eternal life and salvation earned through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary? Absolutely nothing is bigger and more important than that in the life of a human being!
“Jesus Loves Me” is a Christian hymn written by Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915), an American writer, the author of several books, and of poems set to music as hymns and religious songs for children. The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of an 1860 novel called Say and Seal, written by her older sister Susan Warner (1819–1885), in which the words were spoken as a comforting poem to a dying child. And with its simple, direct message, it is one of the first hymns missionaries teach to new converts. But it’s also very appropriate for adults.
So, enough talk, let’s get to offering up our sweet sacrifices of praise on this Thanksgiving Sunday, in a mid-tempo, scintillating heartfelt version of the song, letting the whole universe know how thankful we are for Jesus and His incomparable, unconditional, everlasting LOVE.
Singing: ‘Jesus LOVES me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so; Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong. (Refrain: Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! The Bible tells me so.) Jesus LOVES me! This I know, As He LOVED so long ago, Taking children on His knee, Saying, “Let them come to Me.” (Ref) – Jesus LOVES me still today, Walking with me on my way, Wanting as a friend to give Light and LOVE to all who live.
(Ref.) – Jesus LOVES me! He who died Heaven’s gate to open wide; He will wash away my sin, Let His little child come in. (Ref.) – Jesus LOVES me! He will stay Close beside me all the way; Thou hast bled and died for me, I will henceforth live for Thee (Refrain: Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! The Bible tells me so.)’
And you’d better believe that it does, in oh so many ways and places, that if you read the Bible, you will have absolutely no doubt about it! Listen to this most illuminating verse that Bruh Paul wrote to the Roman church: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Wow! That’s one of the most important verses in the Bible! Why? Because it proves just how much God LOVED us; in that while we were yet sinners, yes, while we were still His enemies, He sent Christ to save us. If that doesn’t prove how much God cares for His human creation, then I don’t know what does!
And if that verse doesn’t convince you, then listen to these from Jesus Himself, as He enlightens the Jewish leader Nicodemus. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) Now tell me, why would you want to save a proud, disobedient, disloyal creation if you did not care deeply for it eh?
Then there are also these verses from Bruh Paul to the Romans, where he confidently proclaims: ‘For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God.’ (Ron. 8:38-39) How much more do you want to hear to convince you eh? There’s much more, but we don’t have time for it. There are other things to explain; like what is God’s LOVE called?
This commentary explains it thus: ‘In the New Testament, the Fatherly LOVE of God for humans, is called AGAPE, as well as the human reciprocal LOVE for God. In Scripture, the transcendent AGAPE LOVE is the highest form of LOVE, and is contrasted with EROS, or erotic LOVE, and PHILIA, or brotherly LOVE. And true LOVE in God’s opinion, always entails qualities like sacrifices, generously giving of oneself, being merciful, compassionate, sympathetic, kind, generous, and patient. And that’s the example He showed when He sent Jesus to die on our behalf; one of Divine LOVE!
And don’t for one moment think that God LOVES only believers in Christ Jesus, for that’s the furthest thing from the truth. As this commentary informs us: ‘Even when Jesus was being killed by people that hated him and mocked him and rejected him, he said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Jesus LOVES people whether they respond to his LOVE or not. And God is exactly like Jesus (Hebrews 1:3). God LOVES everyone, not just believers.’
And we should try to follow in their footsteps as closely as humanly possible, for that’s God’s plan for His human creation. And we’ll close with these encouraging and reassuring words form the Godtube website. The Bible tells us that God loves each and every one of us, despite our sins and faults. Be comforted by the simple lyrics of ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and remember that our Creator is almighty and ALL-LOVING. He is with us each step of the day and will never leave our side. We may be weak, but He is our strength.’ Let’s not forget that on this Thanksgiving Sunday of 2025! Much LOVE!
…LOVE is God’s greatest attribute…and should also be ours…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a moral virtue, a new commandment I give unto you, a new flock of believers, a word to the wise is sufficient, abstain, as I have loved you, asceticism, backsliders, begun a good work in you, behave like Jesus, being confident of this very thing, Bible, binge, but of power love and a sound mind, by this shall all men know, christianity, courteous, error of their ways, faith, faithful believers, fly without any reservations, follow me, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, free and easy, Friday chant, from glory to glory, gentleness, god, going to the extremes, good examples., hasty decisions, if any man will come after me, indulgence, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kind, let him deny himself, let your moderation be known unto all men, like leggo beasts, LOVE, LOVE one another, moderation, omnipotent help, perform it until the day of jesus, reasonableness, self-control, simmering unrest, sinful world, take up his cross daily, temperance, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the throne of grace, the weekend, tolerant, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, ye are my disciples
Philippians 4:5a. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.
And the end of the month of May, could not fall on a better day…Friday! Thus all the glorious shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and another summer weekend is in the offing!’ We get all worked up about our weekends, especially the summer ones, because we can get out there and go where we want, and do whatever we want without the restrictions of the winter weather. We’re free and easy! But please, let’s not go wild and behave like leggo beasts, for that’s exactly how the enemy, his satanic majesty, wants us to behave; to forget God’s warnings, His rules and regulations and just fly without any reservations.
And once in a while, it is good to fly without reservations, although there is usually a price to pay when we do that. (smile) In the meanwhile, let’s remember these most memorable and oh so important words of Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Now the most important aspect of that statement in this case is the ‘sound or disciplined mind.’ Yes friends, that means we have self-control, which is also a fruit of the Spirit, wherefore we don’t go around flying off the handle or making hasty decisions, and going to the extremes.
In other words, like Jeeves says, we need a modicum of circumspection or moderation in all things. Now, what does moderation in all things mean? And we have a couple of commentaries based on the meaning the world has of it. The first says: “Everything in moderation,” goes the old line, meaning don’t binge, and don’t abstain, but do take it easy on the bad stuff. Between the two poles of asceticism and indulgence, moderation is about never giving up or fully giving in.’
The second one gets more philosophical. (smile) ‘According to Craiutu, Aristotle considered moderation a moral virtue and Plato, in “The Republic”, described moderation as the harmony between reason, spirit, and desire. “It’s the disposition of the soul where reason, spirit, and desire are in agreement,” says Craiutu. “It’s more than just temperance.’ And strangely enough Bruh Paul wrote about it to the Philippians: ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.’ (Phil. 4:5a) Now what’s this moderation business in the Christian life you ask? Is it the same as in the world? Yes and no.
Here are a couple more commentaries on the Christian explanation of ‘moderation.’ The first tells us: ‘Let your moderation be known unto all men. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. In any case, Paul’s idea is that don’t be so strict and extreme about the letter of the law; be fair minded, reasonable, and gentle.’ And the second says: ‘This characteristic of the Christian (moderation) must be a conspicuous one; that is, Christians must be well-known for their gentle, kind, courteous and tolerant ways with others. Put another way, behave as Jesus would because this was one thing Jesus was known for.’ Amen!
And that’s basically all that moderation means: behave like Jesus! And yes, you claim that’s not so easy to do, because He was the Son of God, deity, sinless and strong, but we have His power, His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, which gives us the ability to behave in a decent manner…remember the spirit of power, of LOVE, and of a sound or disciplined mind. No, we will never be perfect, but we don’t have to behave like the world behaves. And if we’re seriously intent on behaving like Christ, let’s not forget this scripture that Bruh Paul writes to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6)
Yes my brethren, once the Lord has begun a good work in us, meaning making us like Jesus, raising us from glory to glory, He won’t stop until He takes us home, or Jesus returns. So we don’t have to be overly worried about behaving like Jesus if we’re serious about living the Christian life…which in fact is not easy, but very worthwhile. The whole thing boils down to the true state of our hearts, and how much we truly LOVE Jesus and want to serve Him the best way we can. And I believe that if we remember and meditate on these words of His, our lives will become fuller and more satisfactory.
And it’s all about discipleship. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Then there are these most telling words. ‘A new commandment I give unto you. That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) Oh my fellow saints, I do believe that if we ponder and think on those words of Jesus, we will come to a positive realization in and of our Christian walk.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking help to live up to our responsibilities in these trying and troubled times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And I’d be seriously amiss if I didn’t point out that one of the requirements for getting divine help is setting a good Christian example. Nuff said! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken heart, a contrite spirit, a fatted calf, a good read, allow the Holy Spirit to control us, attentive, be acceptable in thy sight, be sarcastic, belittle you, better is a dinner of herbs, blinding people's thoughts, born of God, break into your thoughts, courteous, cutoffs, defences, endure to the end, faith, glory hallelujah, grace, halfway home, hands on the plough, hatred, hope love, I'm not turning back, icy silences, informative, kind, knoweth god, let the words of my mouth, listening love, love covereth all sins, LOVE is of God, LOVE one another, love that listens, mercy, missing real life, monologues, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my redeemer, not opinionated, now for now decisions, O Lord my strength, objective, One Year Book of Bible promises, overconfidence, patient, Ruth Harms Calkin, shame you, show forth thy praise, sinful nature, stirreth up strifes, surface talk, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith, the best life possible, the breath of life, the greatest is love, the meditation of my heart, the most valuable attribute of God, the sacrifices of God, thou desirest not sacrifice, to a glorious future with Jesus, trite spiritual answers, turbulent times, turn you off, undivided attention, unselfish, We can do all things through Christ, Wednesday Wail, where love is, with the Lord's help
Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.
Well friends, Wednesday has opened bright and sparkling and promises to be a hot one, not like the last two days that have been comparatively cool. But it’s summer and that’s what we expect…until it gets too hot. (smile) And this morning we have something to share from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that will break down all the walls and barriers and impediments that we have built up around ourselves and those with whom we interact. It’s appropriately titled, ‘LISTENING LOVE!’
Yeh mih people, it’s LOVE that listens. So please pray with me: ‘Listening LOVE is one of the greatest gifts we can give our mates, our families, and our friends. Too often we settle for surface talk or icy silences, for monologues or cutoffs, for defences. What a difference when we follow the principles of Listening LOVE. Listening LOVE is courteous. It says… I will strive not to interrupt or outguess you. I will not finish your sentences or break into your thoughts. Listening LOVE is attentive. It says… I will give you my undivided attention. I will not turn you off or leave you isolated.
Listening LOVE is patient. It says… I will not rush you or insist on a right-now conclusion. Listening LOVE is kind. It says… I will not shame you with sarcastic retorts. I will not belittle you. Listening LOVE is objective. It says… I will try to be informative rather than opinionated. I will not attempt to think for you. Listening LOVE is unselfish. It says… I will guard against overconfidence and trite “spiritual” answers. Listening LOVE is prayerful. It says… I will pray for insight, for wisdom, and for gentle reactions.’
Oh my people, Listening LOVE is indeed difficult to practice when all the problems of the world are weighing us down! But please pray that there will be Listening LOVE between the duchess and I today, (smile) because I’ve already turned on the A/C after it was off for the last two days, and that’s usually a source of contention between us. But although practicing Listening LOVE is difficult, it is indeed possible, if we took our time and thought about our reactions before we engaged them. Unfortunately though, that’s also a difficult thing in this new and modern world of speed and now for now decision making.
And I guess that’s why Bruh David prayed this solemn prayer at the end of Psalm 19, which is our Bit and also the Bible Verse associated with today’s writing. ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’ Yes my brethren, it’s only with the Lord’s help that we can truly practice Listening LOVE! The world and the sinful nature that exists within us do not allow us to be patient, thoughtful, kind, courteous and all the other things that Listening LOVE requires.
I guess that’s why Cousin Sol also wisely proclaimed: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov. 12:19) And again why he later on declared (yeahhh!) ‘Better is a dinner of herbs (vegetables) where LOVE is, than a stalled ox (fatted calf) and hatred therewith.’ (Prov. 15:17) Oh my people, LOVE is such a wonderful thing! And it ought to be, since it’s the most valuable attribute of our magnanimous and magnificent God! ‘And now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.’ (1 Cor. 13:13)
But since the fall of man, when sin entered our lives, true LOVE seems to be so difficult for us to practice. And the great efforts of the fallen angel Lucifer, now his satanic majesty, against it doesn’t help us in the least. Satan hates LOVE because he knows that LOVE comes from God. and he doesn’t like it one bit when John says: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7)
But as true believers in Christ, that is exactly what we are called to do! All the greed and selfishness of the world should not be showing up in the sons and daughters of Almighty God. Sadly, however, it is showing up to a great extent because we are still too contaminated by the ways of the world and we are not seeking the righteousness of God as much as we ought to. And a very good example of how we ought to behave is given by Bruh David when the prophet Nathan eventually accosted him re his adultery with Bathsheba and the premeditated murder of her husband Uriah.
He prayed: ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51) Yeh friends, our sin nature is responsible for a lot of stuff. But please listen to these wise words from the scholars.
‘Sin nature: 51:5. When the word sin appears in the singular, it usually denotes the sin nature of humanity. This sin nature, which everyone possesses, influences us to sin and is the source of lust. It negatively affects people’s minds (Rom. 1:28). Illustration: The sin nature is partially responsible for blinding people’s thoughts and understanding, so that they cannot perceive spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). Although our sin nature continues to operate within us, it was judged when Christ died (Rom. 6:6-7).
Application: Until Christ returns, we must live in the strength of the new man, to overcome the sinful desires arising from the sin nature. We cannot eradicate our sin nature, but we can allow the Holy Spirit to control us so that we do not give in to temptation. (First Ref. Gen. 6:5; Primary Ref. Rom. 3; cf. Rom. 5:12).’
Ah friends, life can be somewhat difficult at times, but with Christ in us, and we in Him… Oh we can do any and all things through His most wonderful strength and grace and mercy. So please, let’s not fall or falter by anything evil that comes against us. And please read those scriptures the scholars outlined above, because they are so educational and uplifting, and do we ever need uplifting stuff in these turbulent times! Now let’s go home declaring (oh yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our serious, sincere and most excellent position in Christ Jesus!
All together 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!’
And if we endure to the end, we WILL experience that glorious future with Christ! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t know Christ…you’re missing real life…the best life possible…
P.S. Sorry it’s late, but I had to go out the street and do some time sensitive stuff first. But it’s a good read. (smile) Much LOVE!
02 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little member, a world of iniquity, anger, attentive, avoidance of unnecessary trouble, be acceptable in thy sight, be pleasing to God, bless God, boasteth great things, bounden duty, cantankerous world, considering our response, courteous, curse man, defiles the whole body, friend of Jesus, fuller life, gentle reactions, gospel truth, guards his life, he that guards his mouth, hurry, informative, insight, kind, listening love, LOVE, my mouth shall show forth thy praise, my redeemer, now for now society, O Lord my strength, open thou my lips, opinionated, patient, power of the Lord, reward of cautious speech, saints in Christ, sarcastic retorts, share His love, strife, the meditation of my heart, the party over, the tongue, the tongues is a fire, the words of my mouth, thoughtless and selfush words, thoughts and words, trite answers, truly listen, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, worry
Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.
Well an end to all good things must be, so the Canada Day party is over now, with some rain in the early morning hours and some cloudy skies. But thankfully no showers of blessings spoiled the party! (smile) Now it’s time to return to the daily grind and common task.
Yeh, the radiation treatments are upon me again… the ole bod must have breathed a relieved sigh at the lack of treatment for three whole days. (smile) Only another couple of weeks to go though. And since the Lord promised to see me through whatever He chooses to put me through, then I’m not worried about the outcome, just dying for the very inconvenient everyday visit to the hospital to end. But patience…and a stiff upper lip friends! (smile)
Anyhow, let’s check out this important gift from our One Year Book of Bible verses with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin nuh. It’s titled ‘LISTENING LOVE!’ Please read with me: ‘Listening LOVE is one of the greatest gifts we can give our mates, our families, and our friends. Too often we settle for surface talk or icy silences, for monologues or cutoffs, for defences. What a difference when we follow the principles of listening LOVE!
Listening LOVE is courteous. It says… I will strive not to interrupt or outguess you. I will not finish your sentences or break into your thoughts. Listening LOVE is attentive. It says… I will give you my undivided attention. I will not turn you off or leave you isolated. Listening LOVE is patient. It says… I will not rush you or insist on a right-now conclusion. Listening LOVE is kind. It says… I will not shame you with sarcastic retorts. I will not belittle you.
Listening LOVE is objective. It says… I will try to be informative rather than opinionated. I will not attempt to think for you. Listening LOVE is unselfish. It says… I will guard against overconfidence and trite “spiritual” answers. Listening LOVE is prayerful. It says… I will pray for insight, for wisdom, and for gentle reactions.’
Oh my people, how wonderful our world would be if we would all show just a li’l more Listening LOVE! If we’re truthful, we’d all acknowledge that too often we interrupt, belittle, are impatient, unkind and otherwise in our conversations, and thus they do not go as well as we want them to, or as they ought to go. Half the time we don’t even truly listen, but while the other person is talking, we are considering our response, and thus miss half of what they are saying.
And we can’t blame it all on this fast, now for now society in which we now live, but must cast some of the blame on our impatient, know it all selves. I know I’m guilty of some of that ‘unlistening’ LOVE, and sometimes when I catch myself doing it, I berate myself for it, but it’s not easy to change our accustomed behaviour.
However, there is help for us in the power of the Lord our God, beginning with the Bible verse that’s allocated to our poem today. Yeh friends, the immortal words of Bruh David is our Bit for today: ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’
Oh my fellow saints in Christ, it’s ever so important that our thoughts and words be pleasing to our heavenly Father. But as with so much of life, we can’t do it on our own, that’s why everyday we ought to ask Him for the power to think and speak wisely…in other words, with listening LOVE.
And there’s no doubt that a lot of the strife and anger that currently exists in our world are caused by thoughtless and selfish words. No wonder Cousin Sol could warn us that ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (guards) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov.13:3) And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘13:3. The reward of cautious speech is fuller life and the avoidance of unnecessary trouble.’
Truer words were never spoken friends! Many of us would have so many fewer problems if we’d only watch what we say! That’s why Bruh David seriously asked the Lord in Psalm 141 – Prayer for help in trouble. ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.’ (Ps.141:3) And if a man of Bruh David’s faith and religious stature could make such a plea, who are we, living in a much more evil, contentious and cantankerous world, not to do the same eh?
And listen to some more of Cousin Sol’s wise words on the mouth. ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles.’ (Prov.21:13) Gospel truth that my brethren!
And we don’t have time or space to write all that James says about the tongue, but hear these few words. ‘Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire)! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:5-) And we all know that’s gospel truth!
The tongue is impossible to tame without God’s help, and it is the cause of many of the world’s most serious problems. What we seriously need in today’s world is Bruh David’s plea: ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.’ (Ps.51:15) What a wonderful world this would be, if we were using our tongues to praise God rather than curse our fellow man!
And having read and digested all of that, let’s go home declaring (wrong again!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and sincere sense of purpose: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we’re truly sincere, then let’s go out now and share that friendship and LOVE of Jesus with those who unfortunately don’t know Him. That’s our bounden duty as faithful believers! Much LOVE!
…it’s not right…to curse man…and then bless God…with the same tongue…
06 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a constant struggle, abundance, as for me an my house, baptizing, Beelzebub, curse, examples of our lives, faithful service, fleshly self, foolish personalities, generously, god, haughty, Joshua, kind, lay not up earthly treasures, lazy, logic, loving, making disciples, meritorious benefits, moth and rust doth corrupt, motives of the heart, negative word, not rich towards God, parable of the rich fool, proud, saints of Christ, self-control, self-discipline, selfishly hoard, selfless, sit on the fence, spiritual being, talent, the devil, the Father, the Holy Spirit, the prince of darkness, the SON, there is your heart, thieves break through and steal, Thursday Blessings, treasures in heaven, two options, we will serve the Lord, where your treasure is, wisdom, worthless baubles of the world, you got to bow to somebody
Matthew 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.
Well it’s wet and somewhat cloudy…but that’s nothing new! (smile) And it’s certainly not going to stop we saints of Christ from going about His business, witnessing to the unsaved, making disciples of them, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and leading lives that exemplify the glory and LOVING-kindness of Jesus!
Oh friends, that’s what we are called on to do, and do it we must, or the world will just be more strife-filled and sink even deeper into the mire of evil and ungodliness. It’s too bad already! Can you imagine it getting worse? But that’s what will happen if we don’t stand up NOW and be counted!
Just think about your children or grandchildren living in such an ungodly and evil world nuh. Think about them not knowing or even hearing about Jesus and the awesome stuff He’s done for mankind, and the wonderful treasures He has stored up for those who sincerely LOVE and obey Him. What kind of life would they be living eh? A satanic life of greed, selfishness, lust, envy and all the other stuff that will have them heading straight for hell and eternal damnation!
That means you won’t be seeing them in heaven, won’t be congregating with them in better circumstances that this evil earth. Like the rich man and the beggar Lazarus, they’ll be begging you to send a drop of water to cool their burning tongues in the raging fires of Hades and you’ll be unable to help them in the least bit! So let’s think on these things nuh and try to do better in our teaching and the examples our lives portray.
Oh, none of us are perfect, but we can all certainly improve and do better with the help of God. The problem though is that we are either too lazy, or too interested in the fancy but worthless baubles of the world…and asking God for help, well that’s definitely not in some of our proud, haughty and foolish personalities! But please remember people, in this world you got to bow to somebody, and the two main options are God and the devil himself!
You have to choose one. You just can’t sit on the fence, as so many of us try to do, and hope that everything will work out right, because it won’t! The two powerful entities that control things want you all for themselves, don’t want to share one iota of you with the other, so they’ll both try their level best to get you fully into their camp. That means a constant struggle between the devil; your earthly and fleshly self, and the Lord; your heavenly and spiritual being!
So whom are you going to choose eh? Remember Jesus said that no man can serve two masters; you can’t serve God and mammon too. (Matt.6:24) That means you have to make a conscious choice. And hopefully we’ll all declare like Joshua did: ‘But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh.24:15d) Yeh friends, that’s the smart thing to do, the wise move to consciously make.
Why? Although Jesus calls on us to be more selfless, generous, LOVING and kind, sentiments that the world consider folly, the things that He has in store for us are way way more useful and important than the things Beelzebub, the prince of darkness has to offer.
And as always, Jesus put’s it so simply and succinctly: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:19-21) Now doesn’t that sound like simple, sensible logic and wisdom? It certainly does!
That’s because all the treasures we amass here on earth, time and insects will eventually destroy, or people will steal them. And for sure we can’t carry any with us! Oh, I know some of us will have them place some in the box with us, (smile) but they’ll be no good on the other side, neither in heaven nor in hell. That’s why listening to Jesus, and following Him is the wiser of the two options we have. For if we do that, then we’ll end up in heaven, and will have treasures stored up their for us, that will be even better than those down here on earth.
Unfortunately though, many of us can’t see the forest for the trees, can’t see the bigger picture, always believing that a bird in the hand is better than two or three in the bush. But friends, with Jesus, we have to see it that way. And we can only do so by faith, believing for that which we don’t see. And yes, that’s not easy, especially with the kind of world we’re currently living in.
But as Jesus taught in the parable of the rich fool, (Luke 12:13-21) who, not caring about anybody but himself, kept building bigger and better and storing up treasures here on earth. And what happened when the Lord called him home unexpectedly eh? All his earthly treasure was left behind for others to fight over, and he had none in heaven to go to. ‘So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:21)
And it’s oh so important that we hear this explanation from the scholars. ‘6:19-21. The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term treasures implies the addition or accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven). The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather of rewards for faithful service, as is illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’ So heavenly rewards depend more on the attitude of our hearts and service, than just what we deserve for doing good.
Now let’s go home declaring (yes!) our Thursday Blessings. In full voice and strong belief: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And please remember, those wonderful blessings haven’t been given to us to selfishly hoard, but to go out and share with the less fortunate…generously…and with the right motive in our hearts! Much LOVE!
…in all that we do…be it good or bad…the Lord looks for the motives in our hearts…
14 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a husband unto them, a light by day, a new covenant, a smile on our face, adrenaline, all things in Christ, antidote, aura of love, be of good cheer, beloved children of God, by the hand, celebrate, come up over it, confidence, conquerors, dispensation, divideth the seas, enthusiasm, evil, exceptional offer, foolishness, forgive their iniquity, forgiving, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God is gracious, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, i have overcome the world, in their hearts, invincible, Jesus, joy, kind, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, merciful, mercy, minds, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my law, negative connotations, New Covenant, power of prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, remember their sin no more, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, sincerity, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the bride of Christ, the days come, the fullness of times, the house of Israel, the house of jacob, the Sun, the waves roar, their inward parts, trust, two or three are gathered together, ungodly world, wisdom
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 Jacob.
Awright folks it’s Monday once again…and it’s somewhat cloudy and a tad depressing…so what eh? No big deal, for we are all well equipped to deal with it. We just don’t put out that heavenly power that we possess. We allow the negative thoughts of the new workweek to oppress us and make us anxious.
Oh my people, instead of letting Monday come up over us, with the help of Jesus, we ought to come up over it! This is a new year and we’re supposed to be coming closer to Jesus, and one of the things that needs to happen is that we become better able to deal with Mondays and all its negative connotations. Right ho! We simply need to be better prepared.
Anyway, seeing that our God is gracious and merciful and forgiving and kind, He’s given us a way to embrace all that He is and has to conquer those fearful feelings of Monday. It’s appropriately called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! It’s the undisputed antidote for all that ails us on a Monday morning. So let’s declare it now with some enthusiasm and sincerity.
In unison: ‘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!’
Wowee! Wowee! Just feel the Holy Spirit rise within us now and get all the adrenaline flowing and our own spirits soaring to high heaven! We’re feeling like true conquerors through Him who LOVED us! Yes friends, that’s the power of prayer…especially where two or three are gathered together and agree on it! Mamacita!
Ah mih people, I hope all of this also puts a smile on our faces and some joy in our souls, because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was indeed a person who smiled a lot and was always joyful, even through His trials and tribulations. ‘Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
We obviously don’t have all the parts that He had, but we do have sufficient to keep us joyful throughout our earthly sojourn. And as always, it’s for OUR benefit, not God’s! So why feel bad when you can feel good eh? No reason whatsoever!
Now let’s see what the Good Book has to offer us this glorious morning, this awesome day in the life! Give our amazing God some thanks and praise for allowing us to see another bountiful day on this precious earth nuh!
And the Good Book reminds us today of these faithful words of our God, spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Jacob.
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord.’ Jer.31:31-32).
Oh my people, I can’t help but keep on declaring (spelled it wrong): ‘What a wonderful God we serve and worship!’ Even though His people broke their covenant with Him, He was still ready, willing and able to make another one with them; and an even better one.
‘But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts (minds), and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth (disturbs) the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name.’ (Jer.31:33-35)
Oh Mama Mia! What an awesome and faithful promise from the Creator of the universe my brethren! Only a real FOOL would not accept such an exceptional offer!
And if you didn’t realize what all of that was about, listen to this explanation from the scholars. ‘31:31 New Covenant: In this prophecy Jeremiah foresees the new covenant (“testament”) that God will make with mankind by extending His grace to the Gentiles. Under this new covenant, God will call out a people for Himself from all the nations of the earth to form the bride of Christ (Rev.21:1-9).
This new an unconditional covenant is better than the old covenant because it rests on the efficacy of Christ’s atonement for the sins of mankind (Heb.8:10-12). First Ref. Jer.31:31; Primary Ref. Luke 22:17-20; cf. Eph.1:10.)’
Yes friends, it was all about the coming of Christ, our inclusion into the house of God as His beloved children and the forgiveness of our sins! About the Holy Spirit that now dwells in each and every one of us, to lead and guide us in a godly manner on this ungodly earth!
The same Holy Spirit that just lifted our spirits and made us feel joyful! And yuh want to tell me that our God isn’t faithful and true to ALL of His promises? That’s foolishness, utter rubbish yes man!
So let’s get out there this Monday and just do Jesus’ work yes and ignore all the chupidness that the world wants to tell us! Cause we are beloved children of God! That’s who we are! Glory Hallelujah! That’s certainly something to celebrate, so let’s do it nuh! Much LOVE!
…that in the dispensation of the fullness of times…he might gather together in ONE…ALL things in Christ…which are in heaven…and which are on earth…even in him… (Eph.1:10)
03 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a common foe, Aaron's beard, Behold, blanket of snow, blessedness, blessings, Brotherhood, burst with joy, Christ cricified, Christ's Church, Christ's heart, Christian faith, compassionate heart, courage, curse, defeat the purpose, denominations, disturbed cobra, divide and conquer, family unity, for brethren to dwell in unity, forgiving, forgotten our resolution, free, Gentiles, God forgave us, how good and how pleasant, I and the Father are one, in Christ's name, Jews, joy, kind, life for evermore, LOVE, mountains of Zion, negative word, oil, one, Oneness of Jesus, organizational unity, precious ointment, preciousness, put away Christmas decorations, put away christmas spirit, religions, rocket science, sanctifies, sects, slaves, solidifies, spiritual unity, talent, tenderhearted, the dew of Hermon, Thursday Blessings, turbulent times, unity, walk more closely with Jesus, work together
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Oh, it looks so beautiful undisturbed…but disturb it…and like a disturbed cobra it can bite you in an unexpected second! Ah friends, I’m talking about the blanket of snow that’s covering my area this morning. Yeh it does look white and beautiful when just lying there undisturbed by man. But once you get into it, if you’re not careful it can cause you all kinds of damage and disaster. So like we finally had a snowfall where the people we pay to clean our driveway had to do some work; the first time for the season. And I doubt it will be the last.
Anyway, today’s the 3rd day of the New Year, let’s hope that we haven’t already forgotten our resolution to walk more closely with Jesus this year. And as we begin putting away this season’s Christmas decoration, we won’t also put away the Christmas spirit with it, but allow that wonderful spirit of Christ to dwell with us all year long. And that would make Christ’s heart just overflow and burst with joy! Why, simply because of the immense joy to be found in brotherhood!
Hear how Bruh David puts it in our Bit: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment (oil) upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts (edge) of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.’ (Ps.133:1-3)
Yeh friends, three simple verses make up that psalm, but they’re all so wonderful and appropriate to our Christian faith and walk in these treacherous and turbulent times! Hear this explanation from the scholars: ‘Psalm 133. This psalm is all about the preciousness of family unity. Its blessedness is exclaimed in (vs.1) and explained in (vs.2-3). It sanctifies (vs.2) and solidifies (vs.3).’
Ah mih people, if individual families in our society could only live that way eh…And even more importantly, if the family of Christ, His church could only do that…Oh what a wonderful place our world would be! We seem to have forgotten that Jesus came to make all nations, all believers in Him ONE! So let’s remind ourselves of some of the ONENESS that Jesus preached so avidly.
He begins with this awesome statement: ‘I and the Father are ONE.’ (John 10:30) Then, as He prayed to the Father for us, Jesus pleaded: ‘And now I am no more (longer) in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be ONE, as we are ONE.’ (John 17:11)
And later on in that same awesome prayer Jesus reiterates: ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be ONE; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be ONE in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.’ (John 17:20-21) Yes my people, Jesus is there praying that those like us, who believe after He’s gone, should also live as ONE.
And the scholars specify ‘17:21. They may be …one conveys spiritual unity, not organizational unity (cf. 1 Cor.12:13; 2 Cor.1:11; Eph.2:19; 4:3-16; Heb.10:25).’ But friends, my contention is that if we live in spiritual unity, there ought to be much more organizational unity among us than is currently in vogue. We have thousands of sects and denominations and religions, all purportedly teaching Christ crucified, why is that eh?
That doesn’t spell unity, but rather reeks of disunity and division in what is supposed to be one body of Christ. The enemy is using the age-old tactic of divide and conquer amongst the Christian brethren, and we are foolishly and compromisingly allowing him to do it! That’s not right nor wise my friends in Christ!
Now hear Bruh Paul on the subject: ‘For as the body is ONE, and hath many members, and all the members of that ONE body, being many, are ONE body: so also is Christ. For by ONE Spirit are we all baptized into ONE body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slaves) or free; and have been all made to drink into ONE Spirit ….For the body is not ONE member, but many…Now are they many members, yet but ONE body.’ (1 Cr.12:12-14, 20)
Oh my faithful believers in Christ, it’s not rocket science, as Bruh Paul explains using our human body. Although our human body is made up of many dissimilar parts, it is still ONE body, and all the parts need to work together in harmony for the body to function properly. It’s the same with Christ’s church: we are made up of different races, cultures, languages, etc. but we need to come together and do Christ’s work as ONE, otherwise we defeat His whole purpose.
Yes friends, like the believers in the early church, we need to get together in ONE accord (Acts 2:46) and pursue Christ’s work, not be fighting against each other like hungry wild animals. And if wild animals of the same type can band together against a common foe, why can’t we spiritually led believers do the same eh, instead of foolishly fighting against each other, even purporting it to be in Christ’s name? Steups! End of Sermon! (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring those wonderful Thursday Blessings that the Lord has bestowed on us, expecting us to dwell in unity. In loud and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s go out and share and declare those blessings over the less fortunate, for that’s a big part of the reason they were bestowed on us. Much LOVE!
…and be ye kind one to another…tenderhearted…forgiving one another…even as God…for Christ’s sake…hath forgiven you… (Eph.4:32)
P.S. Yeh it’s long, but it’s also early…and it’s ALL for Christ! (smile) Much LOVE!
03 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a roof over our heads, accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, acclamations, aches and pains, agree with God, arrogant, attitudes, bears all things, believes all things, born of God, building blocks, common sense, communication, conquer the world, constant level, cover the multitude of sins, covers all sins, direct your paths, Dr. Charles Stanley, eternal life, faith, faith walk, food on our tables, forsake sin, get sufficient rest, goes against the grain, good and bad, halfway home, hatred, hit our full stride, hope, hopes all things, in full swing, Jesus' programme, kind, knows God, lean not on your own understanding, leave all the consequences to Him, listen to God, LOVE, Love God, Love suffers long, middle of the workweek, never fails, obedience, obey God, of God, prayer, precarious predicament, puffed up, rejoices in truth, rejoices not in iniquity, rude, salvation, seeks not her own, stirs up strife, Thank the Lord, the Boss, the breath of life, the greatest of these, the only way to the Father, the straight and narrow path, trust God, unseemly, waiver, walk in the same direction, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wishful thinking, with all thine heart, with the Lord's help, without Jesus
Proverbs 10:12. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth ALL sins.
And then it was Wednesday, the middle of the workweek…and we in full swing now. We’ve hit our full stride and feel like we can conquer the world, even without the help of Jesus…wishful thinking though. (smile)
But that just shows the difference in our attitudes between Monday, the start of the work week and today, when we’ve gotten accustomed once again to getting up and getting out to labour for a penny to keep food on our tables and a roof over our heads.
Yeh friends, it’s all in our attitude, our state of mind, and we can’t afford to let it waiver between good and bad, because then our lives also waiver between good and bad. It’s in our best interest to keep our attitude at a constant positive level, in tune with Jesus’ programme for His followers.
And before I forget, let me thank the Lord for a much better beginning to today, than I had yesterday, the aches and pains are nowhere near as bad. Brother, yesterday was truly a rough day! But with the Lord’s help I weathered it…Praise His holy name!
And I believe the aches and pains are directly related to how much time I spend in bed. I’ll be fine with three or four hours at a time…But Chuh! Once we hit the five or six hour mark, like the body begins to stiffen up. And I won’t even mention seven or eight hours… (smile) So it seems like my best bet is to sleep in four hour spurts.
But that’s not always practical, and it goes against the very grain of one of my most important acclamations; that I will get sufficient rest each and every day. But if I want to avoid the worse of the aches and pains, with the Lord’s help, I will find a way to do it. Amen!
Now let me share some stuff from Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) that I just glimpsed on one of the many bits of paper on my desk. I believe it deals with walking and having a full life with God. (1) Accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Now that should be obvious because we can’t walk with God unless we go through Jesus, since He is the only way to the Father.
(2) Listen to God. That’s through prayer; the method of communication He made for us to get to know each other. And we can’t listen alone, we also need to talk to Him.
(3) Trust God. And here Uncle Charles points us to his favourite scriptures; the immortal words of Cousin Sol: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov.3:5-6) Yes friends, those verses should be the foundational building blocks of our faith walk!
(4) Agree with God. That’s wisdom in spades, for He is the Boss! And you know what happens when you don’t agree with the Boss; you’re liable to get fired. (smile) (5) Obey God. And that brings us to Uncle Charles’ favourite statement: ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him!’ Sure words of wisdom my people, because obedience is one of the few things that the Lord totally demands of us.
(6) Walk in the same direction. Now that’s simple common sense. You can’t be a true and sincere member of an organization and not walk the path the leader proscribes. And with Jesus, it’s the straight and narrow one; the hard to find and difficult to navigate path, but the oh so rewarding one, leading to salvation and eternal life.
(7) Stay in step with God. Now that’s also basic common sense. If God is leading the way – as He most definitely is – then you can’t go ahead of Him, else you’ll get lost in the dark and tumble over an unseen cliff, since you don’t know where you are going. And for our purposes here, I’ll change Uncle Charles’ line up. I’ll put as number (8) Forsake sin. And that’s oh so important my brethren, because it’s sin that has us in the precarious predicament we’re currently in.
But this last point is the most important because it covers everything. (9) LOVE God! Wow mih people! When we do that sincerely, we don’t have to worry about anything else. And here is some scripture that proves it. First off is our Bit, the treasured words of Cousin Sol: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth ALL sins.’ And isn’t that the glorious truth my people? It surely is! And Peter corroborates it. ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover the multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet.4:8)
But here now is the piece de resistance on the subject from Bruh Paul from the famous Way of LOVE Chapter. ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not…vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, (keeps no records); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (LOVE) NEVER FAILETH…’ (1 Cor.13:4-8a)
And that my fellow believers is the gospel truth! For if we have sincere LOVE, then we’ll be like John says: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7) Now with all that LOVE just percolating madly through our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, let’s go home sincerely declaring (wow! spelled it right) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our position in Christ.
As one 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!’
And it’s indeed going to be more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Our finite minds can’t comprehend it! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth…faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
05 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, alive, another blessed day, Bless His Holy Name, boundaries, cast us off, chain, chisel, cleanse, comforting knowledge, comforts, Counselor, crash, crucifixion, crush, directed the Lord's Spirit, do god's work, do the will of who sent me, encourages, eternal future, ever-loving deity, finish his work, flood, free from outside influence, get away with nonsense, gives us chances, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God will exist forever, God's freedom, grasp anew, halfway home, He is the greatest, He is worthy, he went away again, I AM, if this cup may not pass away, inconsistency, independence, intentions, Jesus' darkest hour, justice, kicking, kind, knowledge, looking forward to, loving, melt, melt you with my love, method of Achievement, mine, Moses, my food, my love, nature, not looking back, o my father, One Year Book of Bible promises, our intention, our priority, planet earth, Praise the Lord, prayed, rebellion, resentment, rules, Ruth Harms Calkin, self-centredness, stifle fears, taught him, thanks and praise, the breath of God, the burning bush, the created, the creation, the Creator, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Good Lord, the method, the path of judgement, the Samaritan woman, the same, the second time, the well of Jacob, thy will be done, turn our lives around, understanding, unless I drink it, volition, Wednesday Wail, who is the boss, with my blood, with myself
Matthew 26:42. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.
Alive! Alive and kicking mih breddren! Yea! The Good Lord has seen it fit to allow us to see another blessed day on His wonderful Planet Earth! Glory be! That means He still has stuff for us to do down here. So let’s go out willingly and do His work today nuh! Make it our priority this Wednesday, as it ought to be!
And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Bless His holy Name, for He is indeed worthy of much thanks and praise! Amen!’
Yeh mih people, our God is indeed a great and powerful God, but also an ever-LOVING and caring deity. That means He doesn’t just cast us off, even when we deserve casting aside. But He works with us, encourages and comforts us, gives us second, third, fourth and even fifth chances to turn our lives around. No other supposed deity does that! That’s why He is indeed the GREATEST!
But though He’s LOVING and kind and all that, He still has rules and boundaries and will not allow us to get away with too much nonsense. I’m reminded of that by this piece in our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Method of Achievement.’
Please pray with me. ‘I said to You: Lord, crush my resentment Chisel my rebellion Chain my self-centredness Crash my inconsistency Stifle my fears. You said to me: I will cleanse you with My blood I will melt you with My LOVE I will flood you with Myself Until you grasp anew – Our intention is the same But the method is Mine.’
Glory be mih people! The method is certainly God’s! He will do whatever we want, but it will be His way, according to His will, and His time! He’s just reminding us who is the Boss! Who is the Creator and the Created! And though He is indeed our Friend, our BEST Friend, He is also our Lord, our God, our Maker and Master, so we have to know our place! Amen!
Even Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour acknowledged that the Father’s will was most important. As He says in our Bit, when He was anguished in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before His crucifixion. ‘He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.’
Yeh friends, even in Jesus’ darkest hour, He acknowledged that the Father’s will was uppermost. And all through His earthly sojourn He never claimed that He was here to do His will, but always the Father’s. Listen to His reply to the disciples when they offered Him food at the well of Jacob, after He had spoken to the Samaritan woman. ‘Jesus saith unto them, My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’ (John 4:34)
Ah my brethren, doing the Father’s will should also be our main job on this Planet Earth! He made us, created us for His purpose and if we’re truly faithful, we’ll do what He desires. He has a plan for every life He creates, and it’s our duty to talk to Him and find out what He desires of us personally.
And the scripture promise for our poem today was this interesting passage from Isaiah. ‘Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him the path of judgement (justice), and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?’ (Is.40:13-14)
And the simple answer to that friends is NOBODY! It was ALL His own doing!
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation re the Freedom of God. ’40:13. God is the only Being in the universe that possesses independence from the Creation. The only limits to God’s freedom are in His own nature and attributes. He is unlimited in His existence. Because His existence relates to His nature rather than His will, God will exist forever. He who exists by reason of His nature rather than His volition must have existed – and must continue to exist – forever.
Illustration: When God revealed His nature to Moses at the burning bush, He called Himself “I AM” (Ex.3:13-15). This name emphasizes God’s self-existence, the fact that He has always existed and always will. Application: Neither anyone nor any outside force will affect God’s relationship to us. He will deal with us according to His nature because He is free from outside influence. (First ref. Gen.6:17; Primary Ref. Is.40:13; cf. Rom.12.1).’
Ah friends, that might be somewhat confusing to some of us, but my favourite part is that nothing or no one will influence God’s relationship with us. Yayyyy! Glory to God! Now, having said all of that, let’s go home rejoicing, declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our position in Christ Jesus!
So in strong voice, with sincere hearts, let’s wail mih breddren! ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And as always, I can’t help but think that the eternal future with Jesus will be even more glorious than we can hope or imagine! Much LOVE!
…God is…was…and always will be…that’s comforting knowledge to the believer…
18 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a bowl of cherries, a destiny, a new day, after dinner nap, Anself, aspires to inspire, be fed, be gentle with yourself, be not wise, beat ourselves up, behave appropriately, best intentions, by chance, by change, coincidence, common sense, compassionate, depart from evil, direct thy paths, do good, dwell in the land, entrust our souls to God, faith, faithful promises, fear the Lord, feed on his faithfulness, foolproof recipe, forgive ourselves, God's Word, greedy society, growing in faith, happiness, health to thy navel, immaterial things, imperfect human beings, in thine own eyes, joyful, kind, lean not, long life, marrow to thy bones, more Christ-like, more mature, move forward, never satisfied, offer thanks, permissive, petty, plan, recipe for success, riches, stop complaining, stronger, thankful, the Christian life, the lot of the believer, the master's will, the soothing sound of the rain, to rule God's people, torrential downpiur, troubles, trust in the Lord, trust your leader, trying times, unto thine own understanding, walking in God's plan, Walmart, what a life, what's meant to be will be, wisdom, with all thine heart
Psalm 37:3. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).
Well friends, the ole fella’s been up and about early. I even went out to my favourite store, Walmart and bought a new lamp, an LED one to boot. It seems to be working fairly well so far.
And everything outside surely looked and felt fresh and clean because we got some good rain yesterday evening, in fact a real torrential downpour, and later in the night it drizzled for quite some time. And after my after dinner nap, I just lay in bed enjoying the soothing sound of the rain and eventually fell asleep again. Hn! What a life!
But it’s a new day, for which we’re thankful, and will behave in the appropriate manner. And since it’s also Saturday, we’ll look at some quotes from our friend Anselm, who sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘Be gentle with yourself, you are doing the best you can.’
And most of us are doing our best, but unfortunately we’re not being gentle with ourselves. However, it’s something a lot of us need to learn how to do. We are kind and compassionate to others, but we beat up ourselves over the slightest mistake.
That’s not right friends. Just like the Lord forgives us, and we forgive others, we also need to forgive our selves. We’re only imperfect human beings, and consequently will make mistakes even though we have the best intentions and interests at heart. So please, let’s stop beating up ourselves unnecessarily.
And this next quote tells us that: ‘It might take a year, it might take a day, but what’s meant to be will always find its way.’ And I want to look at that in the context of the Christian life. The Lord has a plan for each and every person that He breathes life into.
That means we all have a destiny and the only person who can stop you from reaching it is you. Once you are walking in God’s plan, your destiny will come true, but believe me, it will certainly take more than a day or a year. (smile)
That leads us to this next quote: ‘Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.’ And it ties in with the last one, where in the Christian context, we don’t believe in chance or coincidence. We believe that everything is worked out through the Master’s will. Therefore, if you’re walking in His will, then your life will change according to the definitive plan that He has for it.
Now listen to this: ‘Happiness comes when we stop complaining about the troubles we have an offer thanks for all the troubles we don’t have.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth my brethren! But it just so happens that in this prosperous, permissive and greedy society, we’re never satisfied with what we have. We always want more, even when we don’t have the time to use or enjoy what we already have.
And talking about troubles, most of the troubles we complain about are petty, immaterial things. Ninety percent of the world would be overjoyed to have our problems. That’s why we should be ever so thankful and joyful for the fairly trouble free lives we live.
And the last quote declares: ‘You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.’ And if you’re a Christian, then that will always be the case, because our God doesn’t explain everything to us, but He does expect us to move forward, daily growing in faith, because of His Word and all His faithful promises contained therein. That’s the lot of the believer.
Ah friends, it all depends on one word, ‘TRUST!’ Yeh, when we truly surrender our lives to God and put all our trust in Him, then we’re truly on our way. Listen to these words of Bruh David, a man who lived that trust throughout his life and was well rewarded by the Lord.‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).’
That’s just pure common sense mih breddren! If you’re walking hand in hand with the faithful Creator and Controller of the universe, your life must be on the up side! Look at all Bruh David went through before he became king, but in those trying times he kept on trusting the God of his fathers to look after him…and He did! So much so that Bruh David became Israel’s greatest king and ruler.
And the Lord will certainly do the same with us friends, if we entrust our very souls to Him. Life will not always be a bowl of cherries, but we will come out of the trying times stronger, more mature, more Christ-like, and filled with more faith. That’s just the way it works in the Lord’s economy.
And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to his son, Cousin Sol, whom the Lord made the wisest and richest man in the world because he asked not for riches and long life but for wisdom to rule God’s people.
‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:5-8)
Oh friends, there we have the recipe for success from two of the most successful men that ever passed through this world, and the foundation is exactly the same: sincere TRUST in Almighty God! Now why would we not use the same foolproof recipe eh? Could it be because we’re just stubborn and prideful and feel we know best…? Much LOVE!
…if you don’t trust your Leader…why are you in His organization…
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