22 Mar 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things work together for good, ask and ye shall receive, come boldly before the throne of grace, Jehovah Rapha, knock and it shall be opened, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pandemic of Covid 19, rise and shine, seek and you shall find, the God who heals, the universe is unfolding as it should, to receive grace in our time of need, wise guidance, ye shall search for me with all your heart, ye shall seek me and find me
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Rise and shine mih beauties! It’s another awesome day in God’s great universe! Blazing sunshine and warm temps! (smile) And be it known that His universe is unfurling exactly as He has planned it; with all sorts of new compassions and mercies made just for today! Wow! Yes friends, in God’s economy we don’t get any stale stuff, everything is brand new every day! (smile)
But with those divine blessings, He does expect our faith and trust in Him, to grow with each passing day, and our total surrender of our will to His, just like Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before His crucifixion. ‘O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.’ (Matt. 26:42)
Now that’s the kind of spiritual maturity that our God desires of each of us! Our faith and trust in Him must be so strong that we don’t doubt whatever plan He has in mind for us, knowing deep down that it will indeed be a good one, even though it may be filled with some rough times thrown in for good measure. (smile) Yes precious people, when we truly believe, we don’t doubt the goodness of God towards us.
The following scriptures faithfully promise us His fatherly goodness and LOVE. Hear Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Oh mih bredrin, God is in the process of working everything out for good, but those of us who are called to do His bidding, and who LOVE Him no matter what, are best able to appreciate that fact.
Meanwhile Jeremiah puts it this way to God’s chosen people of Israel, while they were held captive in Babylon. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11)
And Jesus, while teaching on judgemental behaviour and prayer, wraps it up thus: ‘Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt. 9-11)
Yes my people, if we with our sinful nature are kind to our children, why wouldn’t our heavenly Father be kind to us eh? No reason whatsoever! But it all boils down to our coming to Him in sincerity and truth. As Jesus said earlier on: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) Words of divine wisdom friends!
But we didn’t even need Jesus to tell us that nuh, because Jeremiah had said it long before that on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) Oh my fellow saints, how much clearer and plainer can our God put it eh? He has good plans and gifts for us, but we need to sincerely seek Him with hearts whose motives are pure. Then we’ll find Him, and He’ll listen to our requests.
And the author of Hebrews tells us very clearly that because we have a high priest in Jesus up in heaven who can empathize with all our weaknesses, because He also suffered serious affliction: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in our time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16)
And the website christiantoday.com has an interesting article that gives us this very appropriate info. ‘The Bible encourages, even urges us to come boldly to the throne of grace, most especially for mercy and grace that we will need in trying times. Many of us know that we should do that, but many of us don’t, because we either don’t know how, or perhaps just feel like we cannot do that even if we wanted to.
Whenever we refuse to come boldly before the throne, we deprive ourselves of our own needs. We deprive ourselves of the privileges that were already purchased for us. We deny ourselves the joy of coming to our own Father who LOVES us, waits for us to come, and longs to bless us with all the heavenly blessings in Christ (see Ephesians 1:3).’
Truer words were never spoken friends. So, in these ever so trying times that we’re currently experiencing, since our efforts have not met with any success, let’s go to God nuh, let’s seek Him with sincere and pure hearts, because deep down we know that we can’t do much without His divine help. And we have the perfect vehicle for that sincere gesture, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
So confidently, yet humbly, as one strong and sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’
Now our next move is to prove to God that we are truly sincere, not just mouthing empty words. And as believers in Christ, we all know how to do that! Much LOVE!
…our heavenly Father has already come to us…through Jesus…now He’s waiting for us to come to Him…through Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a different kind of Christmas, ask and it shall be given to you, be obedient to His word, believe in His Son, big egos, born of a virgin mother, But God commendeth his love toward us, cause for concern, Christ died for us, Christmas, Covid-19 virus, ease their suffering, eternal life, filled with pride, forgive us and heal our land, God - first and foremost, gracee and mercy, hard hearts, Humpty Dumpty, if ye love me, Jehovah Rapha, keep my commandments, knock and it shall be opened, left out in the darkness, lusts, magnanimous as our God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pay our sin debt in full, pseudo-Christianity, refuse to bow, repentance, salvation, seek and ye shall find, serious consequences, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the God who heals, the LOVE of God, the motives of our hearts, to the name that's above every other, turn from our evil ways, while we were yet sinners, wise guidance
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
‘Good golly Miss Molly! It’s Monday!’ Yes friends, the Monday before Christmas, four more days to the Big One! Are you ready for it? Have you done all your Christmas shopping? Hn, hn! It will certainly be a different kind of Christmas this pandemic year of 2020; not as much physical gathering, nor even eating and drinking and exchanging of gifts, as lots of people can’t afford the stuff they are accustomed buying. But that doesn’t mean the season can’t be festive, if we remember the real reason for the season in the first place -the birth of Christ.
Now that was the first step in God’s long promised, great gift of reconciling us to Himself and providing salvation and eternal life through the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. But to die as a man, Christ first had to be born, born of that virgin mother, in that li’l town called Bethlehem, before He could eventually make His way to the cross in Jerusalem and pay our sin debt in full.
Wow! No other supposed deity is as magnanimous as our God! All those other supposed gods want us to sacrifice our lives to them, but the wonderful God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sacrificed His Son for us woeful sinners to show His amazing unconditional LOVE! As the Good Book says: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) All praise and glory to His holy name!
And all He asks of us is to believe in His Son and be obedient to His word. But because of the free will God gave us, too many of us are filled with pride and lust and big egos and hard hearts, and thus refuse to bow down to the name that’s above every other name. Now though our God is gracious and merciful and all those other wonderful things, He’s also a stickler for justice and righteousness and obedience, and the non-doing of those things usually cause serious consequences in our lives. And when plenty of us refuse to toe the line, like right now, that means there are plenty of serious consequence in our world, like right now.
Jesus also said: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) And though we claim to LOVE Him, we definitely aren’t keeping His commandments the way He desires, otherwise our world would not be in such a terrible mess. Even this big do we make about Christmas, a lot of it is false and/or pseudo-Christianity, because our attention is more wrapped up in the gifts and food and shopping, the commercial aspect of the situation, not truly in the birth of Christ and what it really meant, and still means for mankind.
The celebration has taken on too much of a worldly and commercial overtone these days, meaning, that like so much else in this world, the things of God have taken a step or two back, and no longer predominate in our society. And that should give us serious cause for concern my people, for when a society has lost its way, when Almighty God is not first and foremost in the equation, then that society, like Humpty Dumpty, is slated for a fall, and ofttimes a rather big fall at that, from which it never recovers its previous prosperity.
And right now, I believe we are at that stage, at the brink of the precipice, because God is no longer Number One in our society. Oh yes, we talk the talk, but remember He looks at our hearts, and currently the motives therein are not God-centred. So what’s the position eh? It’s dark and dreary…unless we come to our senses and return to the ways of God; ways that our forefathers embraced more faithfully than we have done.
Friends, the only thing that can save us now is a revolution; a LOVE Revolution, for there is way more hate and negativity in our world right now than there is LOVE! And remember God is LOVE! So the less LOVE we have, the less of God we will also have. But we are people of faith, great faith, and anything we put our minds to, we can do, provided we have God involved. So if we require a LOVE Revolution to save our world, then we need to go to God to help us. As Jesus specified: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ (Matt. 7:7)
And the way we go to God is in prayer; that’s His desire. So as one sincere voice, let’s take all our problems to Him now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world.
We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them.
Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’
Now let me remind us again, that the Lord looks at the motives of our hearts before He answers our prayers, so if they weren’t right just now, and we’re not prepared to turn back to Him in true repentance, then we’ll be left out in the darkness, with no forthcoming light, a rather sad situation indeed. Much LOVE!
…to have a successful society…the LOVE of God…must predominate…
18 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a no-brainer, affinity for Friday, affirmations, all my fears, another week of work, any good thing, ask a fish, ask and it shall be given to you, ask bread, believers in Christ, blessed is he who trusts in God, blessed is the man, boundaries, Controller, cross at Calvary, decorum, defeat, delivered me, delivers them, each step I take, encouraging words, fear the Lord, Friday chant, friends, frolic, fun, further God's glorious kingdom, generous help, give him a serpent, give him a stone, go our own way, he heard me, heavenly Father, I sought the Lord, in Jesus' name, Jewish brethren, knock and it shall be opened, lack, leggo-beast, li'l pay, menial work, mind-boggling, no want, O taste and see, our benefit, our Creator, pain, praise and worship, Redeemer, refreshed, rejection, renewed, reverence, Sabbath, sacrificed His life, saints, saviour, seek and you shall find, sinful nature, sorrow, soul body and mind, suffer hunger, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the angel of the Lord, the great leveller, The Lord is good, the weekend is here, the young lions, those that fear him, time to party, wisdom
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Oh friends, oh friends, it’s here; Friday, the great leveller! For no matter what your persuasion or position, Friday plays an important part in all our lives.
Whether you’re rich or poor, black, white, or any shade in between, we all have this affinity for Friday because it marks the start of the weekend, and the Jewish brethren consider it the start of their Sabbath. So Fridays are special in some form or the other.
That’s why the workingman, with a couple of days off from work, makes a big to-do about it, crying out to all and sundry: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! That means the weekend is here! Yes mih breddren, the weekend, the weekend!
That is we time to party and do what we want, with no massa constantly watching over we shoulder to see if we doing his hard, dirty, menial work for li’l pay. Party time people! Party time is here at last! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend oui!’
And you really can’t blame the ordinary working person for feeling that way, because life is indeed getting rougher and more impersonal, but that response is definitely overdoing it.
As believers in Christ, we can’t just let go like leggo-beast, although it’s very appealing. (smile) We must observe some sort of decorum, with definite boundaries to our behaviour. That’s why our Friday Chant is a much more fitting declaration for believers.
Please declare it with me now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers, the weekend is indeed a time for some fun and frolic, but it also means resting, renewing and refreshing ourselves, with some praise and worship included, so that we can positively handle the upcoming week.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ Ah mih people, that’s the glory and wisdom of believing in Almighty God! When we truly seek Him, He can do such wonderful and marvellous things in our lives.
Bruh David proudly and positively proclaims in the psalm: ‘The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps.34:7-10)
Oh friends, how good and how pleasant it is to seek the Lord and to trust totally in Him! There is no want or lack or fear to those who sincerely reverence Him! So why aren’t more people seeking and reverencing our Creator, Controller and heavenly Father eh?
It’s certainly mind-boggling to see us all trying to go our own way and do our own thing, following the foolish and unwise wisdom of the world and suffering defeat and rejection, sorrow and pain every time.
That unsuccessful, do-it-yourself, or as the world does attitude and belief is very heart-breaking, especially when we have true and faithful affirmations from God’s Son, our Saviour and Redeemer, who sacrificed His life for us on the cross at Calvary.
Listen to these true and encouraging words from the Master nuh, as He teaches about prayer. ‘And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall opened.
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father, which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt.7:7-11)
Ah mih people, since Jesus is incapable of lying, why don’t more people believe and live for Him eh? That’s a billion dollar question which I can’t answer, but I know that me and mine are certainly going to do so.
Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘7:7-10. The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer.
Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (vs.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’
And that’s exactly how it should be with a Deity of such power and magnitude! Yeh friends, as Jesus so powerfully reasons; if we, with our natural sinful nature can give good gifts to our children, why wouldn’t our holy and sinless and magnanimous heavenly Father give us good gifts if we genuinely seek and reverence Him eh? No reason whatsoever!
So let’s ponder it all today nuh, and see the wisdom in Jesus’ words and put them into practice, for it is to OUR great benefit, no one else’s. Much LOVE!
…following Jesus…and sincerely seeking the Father…is a no-brainer for the wise amongst us…
17 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, ask and it shall be given to you, diligently, fire and brimstone, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, Friend Anselm, glory to God, God has never let me down, God's chosen people, God's mysterious working, heal their land, holy spirit, I love them that love me, I will forgive their sin, I will hear from heaven, If my people shall humble themselves, Inspire us for a better tomorrow, Israel, knock and it shall be opened, mine ears attentive to prayer, mine eyes shall be open, or for them to change you, pray, punishment, seek and you shall find, seek my face, Spread God's Word, taken up with the foolishness of this world, the Lord hath raised up prophets for us, the Lord's covenant with Solomon, the next time, the One and Only True God, the prayers of a repentant people, the Truth, there will always be a reason why you meet people, those that seek me early will find me, to change them, to give you an expected end, too busy to listen, too many options, turn from their wicked ways, wake up and smell the roses, wallowing in disobedience, War Room, wisdom, worshipping false gods and idols
Proverbs 8:17. I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) will find me.
And then it was Saturday…. and I don’t have clue as to what I’m going to write about. (smile) But that’s where my faith comes in. I know that eventually the Lord through His Holy Spirit which indwells me, will point the way to whatever He desires me to write about.
And I can be sure of this because it has happened often enough before, and the Lord has never let me down yet. So why should He now eh? I am trying to write about His Word, spread it all over the world as Jesus detailed His disciples to do, (Matt.28:19-20) so why would He leave me in the lurch eh, where I have nothing sensible and substantial to say to my readers, His true and sincere followers?
Oh Friends, there are so many promises in God’s Word that we should want for nothing, once it is within His will! And this promise suddenly came to mind: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt.7:7-8)
And I did just that my brethren…I asked, I knocked and I sought. And all of a sudden I was bombarded with all sorts of useful scripture! Oh glory to God! But now I have a different problem; hn, hn! I have so many options that I don’t know which to choose.
But we’ll deal with that later, right now I want to share a quote from our Friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this one says: ‘There will always be a reason why you meet people. Either you need them to change your life or you’re the one that will change theirs.’ And that’s indisputable truth my people.
As they say, some people come into our lives for a reason, a season or an entire lifetime, but there’s always a reason why. And I can think of several people who came into my life just at the right time, either to help me change, or for me to help them change. And if you go to see the movie that I told you about earlier this week ‘War Room,’ the very truth of that quote will be driven home to you.
And if you scrutinize your own lives, you’ll see that there are some people who just drop in for a short time, while others spend a little longer, while others will be associated with you for the long haul. But they each serve a purpose, regardless of the time they spend in your life.
So please don’t feel too badly if people you like or are useful to you don’t stick around for long. Once their time is done, they have to move on. It’s a little harder though to handle those who seem to stick around long past their due date. (smile) But count it all as God’s mysterious working.
Now here’s our Bit, from the Proverbs of Cousin Sol. ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) will find me.’ There’s absolutely no doubt about any of that my Friends!
Now the Lord LOVES all of us basically the same, but He does tend to gravitate towards, or to specially bless those who sincerely LOVE Him, and those who diligently seek Him, will always find Him. That’s what He’s been saying from the very beginning of time, but we’re always too busy to listen, and too taken up with the foolishness of this world to pay any attention to Him.
Here’s what He said through Jeremiah, re the promise of Israel’s return from captivity in Babylon. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you.
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away (bring you back from) your captivity, and will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. Because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us up (raised up for us) prophets in Babylon.’ (Jer.29:11- 15)
Oh Friends, it’s so simple. Israel was God’s chosen people, but they disobeyed His word and followed after other Gods of the heathen, so He had them taken away captive to Babylon, promising that after seventy years He would cause them to return to Israel. So why are we today still insisting on worshipping false gods and idols eh, and not the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?
If he could punish His chosen people for their disobedience, why wouldn’t He do the same to us eh, especially after He has warned us so often? That punishment is in the offing my people because it doesn’t seem like we understand that God is not joking, and we are wallowing mirthfully in disobedience, following the foolish ways of the world.
Now here is a seminal piece of scripture Friends, re the Lord’s covenant with Cousin Sol at the dedication of the temple. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent (attentive) unto the prayer that is made in this place.’ (2 Chr.7:14-15)
And the scholars put those verses into proper perspective for today. ‘7:14-15. While this promise was originally given to Solomon regarding the people of Israel, it is certainly applicable to all who will call on the Lord in repentance and faith. These verses stand as a high expression of God’s LOVING readiness to hear the prayers of a repentant people (cf. 6:37-39; James 4:8-10).’
There’s only one thing left to be said my brethren; that we desperately need to turn back to Jehovah God in repentance and faith, if we want to escape the calamity that will eventually befall us if we keep living in prideful disobedience to our Creator. It’s simple wisdom, but unfortunately man doesn’t seem to deal in that. Much LOVE!
…the first time was water…the next time will be…fire and brimstone…so let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh people…
26 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all thy commandments are faithful, another sun fest, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, ask and it shall be given to you, backbone, belly, but I hope in thy word, Christ has conquered hell death and the grave, Christ-like, confidence, contentious, destitute, doing good, downtrodden, execute judgement, faith without works is dead, give you rest for your weary souls, glory to God, greedy, holier than thou, I do not forget thy statutes, I forsook not thy precepts, jehovah god, keep the testimony of thy mouth, knock and it shall be opened, live in your bubble of happiness, loving kindness, my burden is light, my soul fainteth for thy salvation, my soul pants after God, my soul thirsteth for god, my yoke is easy, power hungry, Quicken me, resentful, reticence, salfish, seek and you shall find, sharing, stop sharing your dreams with dream killers dream killers, the battle has been won, the good news of Jesus, the light of the world, the living God, the pagan onslaught, the poor, the salt of the earth, trust, victory is ours, weary souls, what a privilege to work for Jesus, wisdom of the ages, wishy-washy
Psalm 119:81.My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.
Oh Friends, another sun fest is expected in my area this Saturday morning! Glory to God! And on top of that I did not read my name in the obits this morning either. Wow! That means I am still alive on God’s great earth with work to do for Him. What a marvelous privilege to work for Jesus!
And you know what? When we work for Jesus we enjoy the time, even though some of the tasks might be difficult, painful and inconvenient. Mama Mia! What a great Master He is to work for because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Matt.11:30) Yes my people, Jesus is the only employer that calls the toiling and heavy laden unto Him, so that He can teach them and give them rest for their weary souls. (Matt.11:28-29)
Now why wouldn’t you want to work for such a caring and compassionate employer eh? I really don’t know and can’t find a good explanation for the reticence, especially since the majority of our earthly employers are greedy, selfish, power hungry, slave masters. That puts me in mind of the quote I got today from our friend Anselm, who is always aspiring to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the quote says: ‘Some people are just plain old negative so stop trying to convert them. When they are ready to graduate to the next level you’ll see the change in them the way they saw your light shining. Until then, live in your bubble of happiness and stop sharing your dreams with dream killers.’
Now there is a lot of truth there, because some of us are so ignorant, stubborn and negative that it doesn’t make sense to try and show them a better way, to tell them about the good news of Jesus, and continuing to spend time with them only frustrates us. Once we have shared the Word with them and see their negative response, it’s truly better to leave them to God and just enjoy our own journey with Christ, let them see from our lifestyle how joyful we are in Jesus; being the salt of the earth and shining like the light of the world.
As James says, faith without works is useless, is dead. (James 2:17-18) And unfortunately today our Christian walk truly lacks Christian works. That’s why so many people laugh and jeer at us and don’t have time for Jesus. And why should they if we’re not performing as we should? This world could be such a beautiful place if believers in Jesus behaved just a tad more Christ-like.
And that doesn’t mean holier than thou, but simply by doing good as Jesus did; sharing and caring for the poor, downtrodden and destitute, of which there are far too many in our world. Enough preaching though, (smile) let’s turn to our Bit from Psalm 119, under the section CAPH – All thy commandments are faithful.
And they definitely are my brethren, that’s why the psalmist confidently declares: ‘My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.’ What trust and confidence the psalmist has in the word of the God of his forefathers!
Oh Friends, do we possess that high level of trust and confidence to day in Jehovah God? I sincerely doubt it. Otherwise we would not be behaving as wishy-washy, resentful and contentious as we are, while trying to run Him out of our society.
Listen as the psalmist continues his plea. ‘Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me? For I am become like a bottle (wineskin) in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes. How many are the days of thy servant? When wilt thou execute judgement on them that persecute me? The proud have digged pits (dug pits, laid traps) for me, which are not after (according to) thy law.
All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me. They had almost consumed me (made and end of me) upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts. Quicken me after (revive me according to) thy LOVING-kindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.’ (Ps.119:82-88)
Yes my brethren, though life seemed to be pretty rough with the psalmist, nonetheless throughout all his pleading, he never once doubted or gave up on the Lord and His Word…’yet do not I forget thy statutes…but I forsook not thy precepts…’
Oh my people, if only our faith in the Most High God today was so strong and incorruptible! But sadly it isn’t, for our generation doesn’t seem to have the parts, the belly and backbone to stand up to the enemy the way we ought to. No wonder every day they are taking away more of our godly and Christian rights, rites and ways. Meanwhile we just mutter and complain and do nothing about it.
I’m sure Jesus must be sorely disappointed to see how we are simply lying down before the pagan onslaught and not putting up a more serious fight. Please remember Friends, the battle has already been won, victory is ours, for Christ has conquered hell, death, Lucifer and the grave!
We just have to stand strong now and see the war through until Jesus returns in all His glory, power and splendour. But for whatever reason, we seem incapable of doing that. We don’t seem to have the longing for God that the older folks did.
And we’ll close with some most appropriate words from Psalm 42 – An intense longing for God. ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after (longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps.42:1-2)
Oh my people, that’s how we ought to be longing for the Lord our God; so much that we can’t wait to come before Him. Now let’s see if we can’t sit down today and begin that process nuh, that soulful longing for our Creator, by seriously and sincerely inspecting our souls, see where we may be found wanting and ask the Father to help us change our somewhat negative, less than stellar approach. You know He will always help us, so please don’t be afraid to ask for it, since it is the wisdom of the ages. Much LOVE!
…ask, and it shall be given you…seek, and ye shall find…knock, and it shall be opened unto you… (Matt.7:7)
27 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a rough day, all praise to the lamb that was slain for us, almighty god, Amen, and he heard my voice, Anselm's Quote, anxious, approach God's holy throne, Asa, ask, ask and it shall be given to you, ask for Your help, attitude of positive expectation, Azariah, believers in Jesus Christ, Bruh David, burdens, Calvary, Creator, cup of java, enjoy God's goodness, ever-generous God, expectant faith, fallen world, fearful, freedom, friends, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's goodness, God's Holy Will, good things of God, grace, he will be found of you, he will forsake you, Healer, heavenly Father, heavenly wisdom.the giver of success, hot cup of coffee, hungry hope, I cried unto the Lord, I will not be afraid, if ye forsake him, if ye seek him, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, it's up to us to look for God, joint heirs with Christ, knock and it shall be opened, lead and guide us, lighten our load, look forward to a brighter day, loving kindness, mercy, naysayers, needful times, new blessings, new mercies, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, option, our be all and end all, out of his holy hill, petitions, precious blood, provider, reaching out to God, reconciled, safely, saved children, seek and you shall find, smile, strength to bear our load, succour, superior personality, Thank you Father, thanks and praise, the Father's good graces, the Lord is with you, the Lord sustained me, the Spirit of God, the undeserving children of men, time of need, Tuesday, warning, we love and adore you, while ye be with him, wisely
Psalm 3:4. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
Oh Friends, yesterday was indeed a rough day! I haven’t had one like that for a long while, and in truth, I don’t want to have another one for an even longer while! (smile) I guess though, that I was due for one of those rough and miserable days.
But the reality Friends, is that today is Tuesday; a brand new day, and I’m certainly looking forward to the brand new mercies and new blessings which the Lord prepares for us every day!
I’m still tired and a tad woozy (smile) but I am feeling better, although I could not get up to write an early Bit. However, I am waiting with hungry hope and expectant faith for all the good things that the Lord has in store for me today, and I would strongly advise that you do the same thing too.
And believe me, that first cup of java, tinged with some cough syrup, is certainly going down warm and soothing on the chest! (smile) Let the naysayers say what they want, but you can’t beat a hot cup of coffee on any morning, especially a cold one, and it is cold an snowy by me.
But enough of my woes, you have your own to contend with, and the only thing that’s going to help either of us, is reaching out to our Creator, our Healer, our Heavenly Father and generous Provider; the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
So let’s do that nuh. Please pray with me. ‘Heavenly Father, our be all and end all, Your grateful children come to you this morning bearing heavy burdens that we cannot carry. We sincerely ask for Your help, either for strength to bear them, or for Your LOVING-kindness to lessen and lighten our load.
We’re doing our best, but You know we can’t do much in our own strength, that’s why we’re looking to You this morning for grace, mercy and succour in our time of need.
We LOVE and adore You, and give You thanks and praise in our own simple way, and ask that You lead and guide us safely and wisely on this blessed day, as we make our way through this fallen world, trying to do Your holy will.
This we pray, in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose precious blood that was shed at Calvary, enables us to confidently come to You with our petitions. Thank You father. Amen.’
And you know what my people? If you sincerely prayed that prayer, I truly believe that our gracious Father in heaven heard it, and is right now getting ready to act on it on all our behalves! So let’s all look forward to a brighter day! Glory to God for His goodness to the undeserving children of men!
And rather appropriately, here is my friend Anselm’s quote from yesterday that inspires for a better tomorrow. ‘An attitude of positive expectation is the mark of a superior personality.’
And that’s no lie, my brethren, for all successful achievers have a positive attitude and outlook on life! Our Bit today is also rather appropriate. It comes from Psalm 3, Bruh David’s prayer of confidence in God. ‘I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.’
And that’s exactly what we did earlier on my people; we cried out to our ever-generous God for help and succour in these very trying and needful times.
We have that option because we are believers in Jesus Christ, which has made us new creations, with the freedom to approach God’s holy throne of grace, since we are now reconciled to Him once more. We are now His saved children, joint heirs with Christ in the kingdom.
And all God’s children declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise to the Lamb that was slain for us, so that we could get back into the Father’s good graces!’
By the way, the second cup of caffeine is going down just as good as the first! (smile)
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that reinforce our Bit. And we’ll begin with the verses right after it. ‘I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps.3:5-6)
Oh Friends, I do hope that we can all say those things in sincerity, because until we can, we will always be fearful and anxious about our lives.
And from way back when, comes this warning of the prophet Azariah. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: 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.’ (2 Chr.15:1-2)
Now my brethren, the matter couldn’t be stated any simpler or more straightforward than that! It’s up to us to look for God.
And we’ll end with these famous words of Christ that convey the same basic message. ‘And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Luke 11:9-10)
Yes Friends, it’s time we start seeking, asking, and knocking, if we want to enjoy God’s goodness! That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to be successful…one must seek the Giver of success…Almighty God…
P.S. Please be forewarned that tomorrow’s Bit may be even later than today’s because I have some stuff to do out of town that will push my whole schedule back. But please wait with baited breath, because it will be good – as always. (smile) Much LOVE!
07 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and he delivered me from all my fears, as for me and mine, as I was with Moses, ask and it shall be given to you, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, blessings, children of the Most High, circumstances, communication with God, deity, diminish the cold, encouragement, fear, fervent and continual prayer, forgiveness, frequent prayer, giving, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's LOVING-kindness, grace, half-way home, hell freeze over, hope, I sought the Lord, I will not fail thee nor forsake thee, jehovah god, Joshua, knock and it shall be opened, leader of the Israelites, LOVE, magnanimity, magnificence, mercies, no excuse for failure, O taste and see that the Lord is good, oersevrance, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, promise, rejoice and be glad in it, reverence, sacrificing Jesus, seek and you shall find, Son Jesus, sunshine, taking, thank you heavenly Father, the death of Moses, the Lord thy God is with thee, the sun is shining, they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing, this is the day the Lord has made, to eternity and back, trust, walk in god's will, we praise and bless your holy name, we will follow Jesus, Wednesday, words of wisdom, workweek
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Well hello there Friends and Neighbours, welcome to this big and beautiful Wednesday morning! But brother it’s cold as ever, just like the last two days were, probably cold enough to make hell freeze over too! (smile)
Hopefully though, there will be lots of sunshine, like we had yesterday, to sort of mentally diminish the cold, since it never seems as bad when the sun is shining. Hn!
However my people, today is Wednesday, which means we are half-way home through our work week, which I know is proving to be very difficult for some of us, being the first one of the year, and all that. But wherever you are, and whatever the weather situation might be there, I want us to remember a few salient facts.
Firstly, that this is the day the Lord has made, and regardless of our circumstances, we ought to rejoice and be glad in it, for that’s why the Lord made it. Secondly, we’re alive, that means there’s hope that all our situations will be bettered eventually.
And lastly, that today, new mercies, new grace, new forgiveness, and new blessings are being prepared in heaven to shower down on us all later on.
Wow! That’s the magnificence, magnanimity and LOVING-kindness of our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God!
And all the children of the Most High declared a loud and heartfelt: ‘Thank You heavenly Father! You are so good to us! We praise and bless Your holy name! And much much thanks again too for sacrificing Your One Son Jesus, so that we could have LOVING communication once more with You.
You are indeed the very best! We truly do LOVE You, and will endeavour to walk sincerely in Your will this new year of 2015; with Your help and encouragement of course! This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!’
Oh Friends, Jehovah God is such a wonderful Deity, that I don’t know what we’d do without His LOVING-kindness!
Now that segues very smoothly into our Bit: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’
Oh my fellow believers, that only proves what we’ve said above! Which other supposed god does stuff like that eh? None of them! They are only interested in taking, while the living, LOVING and very active God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is much more concerned with giving!
I don’t know about you all nuh Friends, but I’d much rather have a God that gives than one that takes. That brings us to our first scripture passage showing where and how the Lord quells fear in His obedient subjects, and that’s when He appoints Joshua as the leader of the Israelites, after the death of Moses.
Hear these wonderful words of encouragement and promise that the Lord told him back then. ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Be strong and of a good courage… Only be thou strong and very courageous… Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1: 5, 6a, 7a, 9)
What a display of encouragement my people on the part of our kindly and LOVING God! Three times in four verses, He tells him to be strong and of a good courage. With all of that, if Joshua obeyed, He couldn’t help but succeed!
Now listen to some further words of Bruh David on the subject, which ought also to enlighten us and boost our courage. ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear (reverence) the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear (reverence) him.
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord.’ (Ps.34:8-11)
Oh my people, how can we not be encouraged when we hear those wonderful words from a man who lived them eh?
And we’ll close, as we like to whenever possible, with words from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself. Hear these challenging but righteous and very truthful words from the Master.
‘Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt.7:7-11)
Oh Friends, what beautiful sentiments from our Saviour!
Now here are some interesting and relevant notes on those verses from the scholars. ‘7:7-10. The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer.
Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (vs.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’
Oh my brethren, in light of those fateful and moving words from Jesus and the scholars, what more can a humble human like myself add eh?
Not much nuh, except to advise and encourage us to follow them, if we want to be successful down here on earth, as well as in heaven above, for they are indeed words of heavenly wisdom. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…hn!…we will follow Jesus…all the way to eternity…and back too… (smile) …that’s how much trust and faith we have in Him…
12 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a future and a hope, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, advice, all the right places, anxiety, ask and it shall be given to you, ask for help, ask god for help, believers, blessings, bread, calamity, come up over our problems, confidence, deflate like a balloon, evil, faith, faithfully, fellowship, fervent prayer, fish, frenzy, frequent prayer, fret, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, Glory Halleujah, God's plan for our lives, hello there mih lovelies, hope, hot air, if any of you lack wisdom, in Jesus' name, indisputable truth, Jesus, knock and it shall be opened, LOVE, nature of the human animal, no excuse for failure, not an easy task, peace, perseverance, political outlook, poor economic situation, prayer, pressure, problems, promise of Almighty God, refreshed in soul body and mind, rejuvenate ourselves, relaxation, renewed, sanctified, search for me with all your heart, seek and you shall find, serpent, serve and worship God sincerely, spiritual success, standing steadfast and strong for Jesus, stone, strain, stress, stressful and anxious society, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Thank God the weekend is here, thanks for getting me through another week of work, the Lord of the universe, the weekend, things of the world, thoughts of peace, troubled times, trust, truth, wisdom, without reproach, worry, zenith
James 1:5. 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.
Well hello there mih lovelies! The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived… it’s Friday!
And I hear all sorts of ‘Glory Hallelujahs; TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Don’t know what I’d do if I had to work another day nuh! Thank God the weekend is finally here and I can get some rest!’
Ah Friends, it’s certainly amusing, and somewhat instructive, how we suddenly deflate like a balloon come Friday. All the hot air, stress, strain and anxiety seem to just suddenly dwindle at the thought of a couple days off.
But I guess that’s the nature of the human animal in conjunction with the stressful and anxious society in which we now live. Confidence also seems to be at an all time low, with people worried about jobs, families and their livelihoods in general, due to the poor economic and political outlook today.
But my people please remember that as believers, we’ve been sanctified, made a people apart, where we don’t have to fret and worry because Jesus, the Lord of the universe is looking out for us. So let’s show our great faith and trust in Him by standing steadfast and strong nuh, despite the frenzy that’s surrounding us.
And to help us do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with feeling, so that we’ll be enabled to come up over our problems this weekend. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh mih breddren, in these crazy and troubled times we need to rejuvenate ourselves frequently so that we can handle the enormous pressure that is coming at us each and every day.
It’s definitely not an easy task, but as I said above, as believers, we have Jesus, the Lord of the universe leading and guiding our every step, and when problems arise we ought to have the confidence to go to him in prayer and ask for help.
As our Bit rightly and wisely tells us: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him.’
That’s indisputable truth, my Friends! That’s the beauty of being seriously involved with Jesus, making Him your Lord and Saviour, of surrendering your very life to Him and letting Him put in place the wonderful plan He has for your life.
Remember what He says, the promise He makes in Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). (Jer.29:11)
Yes my people, our wonderful God only has wonderful thoughts and plans towards us! Why else would He shower us with new mercies and blessings everyday eh? But having said that, it is now our responsibility to live up to our promise, to serve and worship Him faithfully, so that we can acquire all that He has in store for us.
Our Bit instructs us to ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach. And that’s wonderful advice my Friends. Jesus also instructed us to do the same thing when He lived here on earth with us.
‘Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt.7:7-11)
Oh mih people, mih people, how can we refute or ignore such wisdom eh? We’d be very foolish to do so! Unfortunately however, a lot of us still do that foolishness, lured by the glimmer and glamour of the things of the world. But as we keep saying my brethren, that’s a fool’s wisdom!
Now check out this info from the scholars: ‘7:7-10. The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer.
Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (v.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’
What more can I say eh Friends? Not a whole lot, because we have already been given everything we need to succeed in this world, we just have reach out with faith and prayer and take hold of it.
And we’ll close with this poignant promise of Almighty God, through Jeremiah, on the topic of coming to Him in sincere prayer. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:12-13)
Oh Friends, it doesn’t get any better than that! So today, let’s take that promise of our most faithful God to heart and diligently seek Him, truly search for Him with all our hearts, so that we may be comforted, consoled, lead and guided successfully in all our endeavours. Now that’s indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…the only way to truly find God…is to keep looking for Him…in all the right places…
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