10 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sailor band, Ash Wednesday, ashes, bacchanal, buss-up shirt, Carnival, Christian, christianity, church, computers, copy and paste, disunity, esteem, fellowship, focus on Jesus, friends, frustrations, fulfill ye my joy, glory hallelujah, goals, happiness, I'm not looking back, I'm so glad to be alive, Jesus Christ, joy, lack of harmony, laziness, Lent, let this mind be in you, living in harmony, LOVE, mas, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my own strength, needs of others, of one accord, our best days are still ahead of us, pan side, pride, problems of others, put our noses to the grindstone, Scarborough, selfishness, strife, the breath of life, the Lord carried me, to a glorious future with Jesus, Tobago, trust, truth, united in spirit, values, waste of time, Wednesday Wail, which also was in Christ Jesus, wisdom, without partiality
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.
Ah Friends, laziness is a hell of a thing yes! How many of you noticed yesterday that the top heading had one date and the bottom one another eh? Computers make it too easy for us sometimes. This copy and paste thing can do serious damage if we’re not careful. My sincere apologies to those of you who noticed. I aced it this morning though, got them both right! (smile)
So the bacchanal done now mih people; Carnival over and we now into the godly season of Lent. Let’s hope that we extinguished all our energy and frustrations during the Carnival period and are now ready to settle down to a serious time of consideration and ‘ponderation’ on God and all that He stands for, because this is the season for it.
Now, as per activities, yesterday, after finishing my buss-up shirt, I went down to Scarborough to see some local mas. Hn! We got down there about two o’clock, only to find the streets empty, not a mas in sight.
We walked up to where they were supposed to be judging the bands, but could not get a seat out of the sun because they had private tents, or tents with no seats, so we walked back to a closed up café or chicken joint, that had an awning over the front, the same place we were last year.
This time there were no chairs in front, apparently the owners got smart after last year, but there were a few benches by the side, we put one under the awning and limed there until we left around five thirty.
At two thirty, no mas had appeared, so I told the duchess if none appears by three o’clock we would leave. Luckily, about ten to three a sailor band with about a dozen people, of whom I knew about four, came down the road, passed the judging stand and eventually ended up liming right by us.
As the afternoon progressed about five bands eventually passed up in front of us, and I saw a few other people I knew, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. As usual though I could not see a pan side on the road to jump with. Ah Lord eh, what has mas come to eh, when there’s no pan on the road? Steups!
One friend there kept telling me how the pans usually come out after six o’clock, but who knows if what he said was true, and I definitely wasn’t hanging around to find out. So the duchess and I walked back to the car, not too far really, but it was a bit difficult, and the Lord ended up carrying me.
I definitely couldn’t make it on my own strength, even with my cane. And who says our God isn’t a great and caring God eh! I certainly won’t because there are many days without His help, I wouldn’t make it through. Anyway, enough about me and mas.
Today is Ash Wednesday. Hope those of you so interested went to church and got your ashes. I was too tired to get up, and the service in my area was too early, six a.m. But I think there is one at six p.m. tonight. I might check that out. And since it’s Wednesday, then we need to declare our Wednesday Wail with much gusto and sincerity.
As one now, let’s wail: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh my people, it’s so good to be alive on this Ash Wednesday, and alive in sweet Tobago too, that I can die from the happiness! (smile) But then we need to put our noses to the grindstone and focus our every thought on Jesus, keep looking ahead to the wonderful future He has planned for us, not at the past as so many of us unfortunately do.
Ah my fellow believers, what is past has gone, and believe me, our best days are still ahead, out in front of us, if we keep hanging sincerely with Jesus. But as our Bit tells us, we can’t be like Jesus unless we first think like Him. ‘Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.’
And today I want to share some explanations from the scholars on the 2nd to 4th verses of the chapter. ‘Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind.’ (Phil.2:2) Then he continues talking about the need for no strife and pride, selfishness and being our brother’s keeper.
The scholars offer these explanations: ‘2:2-4. Fulfill ye my joy (or, “Make my joy complete”). Paul rejoiced over the Philippians (1:3), but his happiness was incomplete, owing to some disunity and lack of total harmony among them. The Greek equates what, to Paul, constitutes “complete joy” with the readers being likeminded. This means “living in harmony” with one another. That is, the Philippians can “fulfill” the writer’s “joy” by living in harmony among themselves.
But what does such harmonious living entail? Beginning in verse 2 and continuing through verse 4, six participles spell out and clearly define what it means to “live in harmony:” (1) having the same LOVE toward one believer as shown toward another, without partiality; (2) being of one accord; that is, they are to be united in spirit; (3) of one mind; that is, the whole church is to have the same values and goals;
(4) let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, for selfish ambition or conceit; (5) let each esteem other better than themselves, that is, each is to regard his fellow Christian as more important than himself; and (6) look…every man also on the things of others; that is, each is to be just as concerned for the needs and problems of his brother as he is for his own affairs.’
Oh friends, oh friends, that’s exactly what Christianity is all about, living in LOVE and harmony with and for each other! It’s what Jesus taught, and how He lived! But are we doing that today? Hn! Definitely not as much as we should, else our world and our Christian fellowship would not be in the bad shape they are in.
So today, on this Ash Wednesday of 2016, please, let’s sit down and consider, ponder the way we live, and try, with God’s help obviously, to bring it more in line with the Christian principles outlined above nuh. For that my brethren, is the indisputable wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…oh how good and precious it is…when brethren live together in true harmony…
06 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: beating pan, believers in Christ, but to save the world, Christ-like, Christian, common sense, evil, fallibility, fellowship, fetes., fragile, friends, from the bottom of my heart, generous heart, glory to God, go to waste, God is good, God sent not His Son to condemn the world, hanging out, hope, humanity, Jesus Christ, Johnny Reid, joy, kind, laziness, lectures, lost, LOVE, mark of a true Christian, memories, need, neighbour, one day at a time, panacea, passing away, passion, peers, resolution, sacrifice, say hello, shake a stranger's hand, sincere, smile, taxes, the grim reaper, the shelter of God's arms, truth, try and change the world, zeppo
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Ah mih people, it’s a somewhat rough Saturday morning because when I opened my e-mail this morning I got some info re the funeral service of my old University pardner, Paul Emmanuel Lawrence. Just like I opened my e-mail a couple of weeks ago and found out about his unexpected passing.
But what to do eh friends? Not much really, we just have to move on, while enjoying the memories we made with each other. That’s what memories are for, so please be sure to make some good ones. As Johnny Bristol says in his old song; ‘Memories don’t leave like people do. They always stay with you. Whether they’ve been good or bad. They’re never something that you had.’
And we had plenty good ones, Pablo mih brother; whether it was beating pan, going to lectures, fetes, just hanging out on the campus, or going down to your home in Montego Bay, or going to other places which I can’t mention. (smile). Anyway mih brother, you certainly had a kind and generous heart, and you’re no doubt giving free rein to it now in heaven too. Till we meet again on that great day. Much LOVE!
Yeh friends, it’s not easy when your peers are passing away, because it suddenly makes you think about your own mortality. But that’s the only thing we’re sure about in this life, for sometimes you might be able to get away from taxes, but you can never cheat the grim reaper. So let’s just live life and enjoy it under the shelter of God’s mighty arms.
And I’d now like to apologize for a typographical error on yesterday’s Bit. Hn! That’s just giving it a nice name, but it really stemmed from pure laziness on my part. I don’t know how many of you noticed that the heading of the Bit said the Bible verse was ‘Psalm 40.4’ when the actual Bit came from 1 Peter.
That’s because I simply copied the previous day’s heading and then forgot to change. And somehow I never notice these things until after I send them out. But it only goes to show the ole fella’s humanity and fallibility. (smile)
Ah mih people, life can be rough, but please remember that our God is good! Now here is how I had planned to open today’s Bit until I got those e-mails about Pablo’s funeral. It’s a song that I shared some time last year, and while partying out on my patio last night with the duchess I happened to play it, and got the zeppo that it was time to highlight it again, because the times they are a getting worse and Christ’s people need another wake up call.
So here are the words of Johnny Reid’s marvellous, motivational and inspirational song starting with the chorus ‘Today I’m going to try and change the world. Gonna take it one day at a time. I’ve made my resolution, opened up my eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world.
I’m gonna say hello to my neighbour, going to greet him with a smile, and shake the hand of a stranger, sit and talk to him for a while. Gonna tell someone I LOVE them, from the bottom of my heart. (chorus) Today I’m gonna try and change the world….
Gonna make sure my children know right from wrong. Never turn my back on those in need, always gonna try to see myself through another’s eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world. I made my resolution, opened up my eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world.’
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, that’s just what Christ is calling us to do; to make a serious resolution to change the world with His help, because it desperately needs changing! So please let’s join together today to do that nuh! And all it takes is one day at a time!
Hear the wonderful sentiments nuh: say hello to our neighbour, greet him with a smile. That’s not difficult to do, and a simple hello and a smile can ofttimes mean so much to others. Then shake a stranger’s hand and exchange a few words with him or her. Wow! What a Christ-like act! And remember friends, our God has a welcoming heart for strangers as we see all through the Bible. That means we too must have a welcoming heart towards strangers.
Oh, then tell someone we LOVE them from the bottom of our hearts! Mama Mia! What can be more Christ-like and endearing than that eh my brethren? Nothing really, if our greeting is sincere! And I just LOVE this next sentiment: make sure my children know right from wrong!
Oh my people, that is the basic panacea for what ails our world! We’ve not done a very good job on that front at all, otherwise our children would not be so lost and fragile that they can fall for all the nonsense the evil world has to offer. And it’s not too late my people. Remember while there is life there is ALWAYS hope, hope in Jesus, who can do ALL things!
And hear this other strong point of Jesus nuh; never turn my back on those in need! Oh fellow believers in Christ, that’s exactly what He did when He came down here from heaven to save us from the fiery halls of Hades; He offered us help in our time of need! Now it’s only appropriate that we should do the same for our fellow man.
And this last sentiment will help us to do all of them; try to see ourselves through the eyes of another person. Oh Glory to God my people!
When we can truly do that, and let it control our actions and emotions, then we are indeed being truly Christ-like! For we never truly know what others are going through and why they behave the way they do. So let’s stop being as judgmental as we now are nuh, because it’s the mark of a true Christian!
Oh friends, it’s obvious that the passion is flowing through the ole fella this morning, (smile) so please, I implore us, let’s not allow it to go to waste nuh, because it will also be a sad waste of Jesus’ sacrifice. As our Bit so wonderfully proclaims, in Jesus’ own words: ‘For God sent not his Son into world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’
Oh my people, if God sacrificed His Son to save us, why can’t we sacrifice a little of ourselves to help save our children, our neighbours, our friends, our families and our badly suffering world eh? That is just simple common sense in a heart beating for Christ! Much LOVE!
…let’s open up our eyes…and make that resolution…to try and change the world…one day at a time…TODAY…
31 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool, benefits, blessed is the man who trusts God, blessings, breath of life, Chrisitians, church time, computers, Cousin Sol, does not respect the proud, duty to gather, encourage each other, encouragement, exuses, faith, faithful God, fellowship, first fruits, friends, grow in faith, Harvest Sunday, hope, I lift up my soul, in the Lord's house, Jesus Christ, joy, laziness, let go, LOVE, loving kindness, man-made things, mature in Christ, mix and mingle, prosperous, proud heart, Proverbs, put confidence in man., put not your trust in princes, put your trust in the Lord, strength in numbers, strength to face another day, strife, such as turn to lies, Sunday, the god of Jacob, the Son of man, true believers, trust, truth, walk wisely, where two or three are gathered, wisdom, worshipping God
Psalm 40:4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Oh friends, it’s Sunday! That means it’s church time!
Now please, no simpering excuses why you can’t attend. Remember Jesus said wherever two or three are gathered together He will be there. So please, let’s gather nuh, in great numbers too, because it’s also true that there is strength in numbers, and worshipping God together brings more benefits than if we continually try to go it alone.
Anyway, as true believers, it is our duty to gather in the Lord’s house and send up our thanks and praise and receive His blessings, encouragement, and strength to face another day and another week. We also need to mix and mingle with other Christians, hear their stories, share ours, encourage each other and thus grow in the faith.
That’s the only way we will ever truly mature in Christ. It simply cannot be done alone and/or in private! End of sermon!
Hn! But I’m now thinking why do we have to beg Christians to go to church eh? I mean it’s a part of their faith, the Good Book requires it, wherever Jesus was, He made sure that He attended the synagogue on the Sabbath day. So why are we so anti church eh?
Is it just pure laziness, or is there a deeper reason? I don’t know nuh friends, and I refuse to speculate. All I can do is encourage us to go, and to do so myself. And one of the reasons I’m up so early this morning, is so that I can write the Bit before I go to church. You know I hate the late Bits, even though occasionally I do indulge. (smile)
And today is Harvest Sunday up at St. Patrick’s in Mt. Pleasant! Glory be! All like that friends, where we are supposed to offer our first fruits to God, how can we do it when we’re absent from church eh?
When I was growing up we excitedly looked forward to Harvest Sunday, and more so the Monday after, when school was closed and all the produce was set up there to be sold. I doubt today’s children would have any interest in such mundane things. Thank the Lord I was born when and where I was yes!
But let us move on to the matter at hand, our Bit. ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’
Ah mih people, trust is such an important thing in our everyday lives. We trust that when we turn the switch, the lights will come on, the cell phone will also come on so that we can text. And when we turn on the tap, we expect to see water flowing out.
We trust all these man-made things, especially computers now, where our entire life is somehow tied to the man-made system, but we have problems trusting Almighty God; the Creator and Provider of EVERYTHING we have and enjoy.
Why do you think the psalmist so adamantly declared? ‘It is better to put your trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)
Because man is untrustworthy! And all of us have suffered some sort of deceit or untrustworthiness at the hand of men at some stage in our lives, but yet we continue to trust them! However, the great and ever-LOVING and faithful God, who has never let us down or deceived us, we are rather reluctant to trust.
Hn! That just doesn’t compute my brethren. It makes no sense whatsoever. No wonder so many of our prayers go unanswered! The Lord looks at our hearts and sees that they are not truly right. Deep down our motives are wrong, we’re selfish and just want to grab the lusts of our flesh and do our own thing.
And if you don’t believe me, listen to the psalmist in Psalm 146 – The blessedness of trusting God. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:3-5)
Yes friends, even man’s breath of life is not his to control! One minute he’s here, then the next his life is extinguished and he returns to the earth from which he was formed. So why do we insist on trusting him above the One who made him eh?
Good question that? One which I can’t answer with any certainty, so I won’t try. I can just give us scriptures that will help us to trust in the Lord. So let’s start with the wisdom of Cousin Sol from Proverbs.
‘He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat (prosperous). He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.’ (Prov.28:26-27)
And believe me my people, we can only walk wisely when we walk with the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Without His eternal guidance we’re just like lost sheep wandering in the wilderness.
Now listen to Bruh David as in Psalm 143, he desires of God – Teach me to do thy will. ‘Hear (answer) me speedily, O Lord; my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be (become) like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.’ (Ps.143:7-8)
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, until we truly start not only believing and trusting God to direct our lives, but more so letting go, so that He can have free rein, we will forever be hampered and confused in our earthly sojourn. Much LOVE!
…truly trusting God…means to completely let go…and let Him do His thing in our lives…
24 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a body of believers, a majority, Anselm, apostasy, apostolic doctrine, Christian instruction, comfort your hearts, compromise your character, consolation, customs, day follows night, dilly-dally, edifying words, encouragement, feeble excuses, for God so loved the world, give thanks and praise, go to church, grace, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heresy, Holy Triumvirate, hope, integrity, lack of godliness, laziness, LOVE, obey God not man, on the right track, oral communication, peace, renunciation of faith, sacrifice your dignity, self-worth, selfish humans, Sherlock Holmes, soulful experience, stand fast, steafast, strengthening our faith, suffer the consequences, Sunday, the Father, the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel, the Holy Spirit, the Lord's Day, the SON, the straight and narrow path, the teaching of men, the Thessalonians, the Word of god, tradition, true, upliftment, whoever believeth in him should not perish, wisdom, worship, worthy of your love, write indelibly in our hearts
John 3:16. 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.
Oh Friends, just as day follows night, so does Sunday follow Saturday, and yesterday was Saturday, which means that today is Sunday. Oh what excellent reasoning my brethren, worthy of our favourite fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes! (smile)
And since it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, then we should be preparing to go to church and worship, give thanks and praise with other believers to our wonderful Creator because that is His desire.
So let’s not dilly-dally in performing our duty nuh, raising up all kinds of feeble excuses, which we full well know don’t hold water, but merely reflects our laziness and lack of godliness.
Now friends, going to church is not merely our duty, it is also a means of upliftment for us, of encouragement, of strengthening our faith and keeping us steadfast and true and on the right track, the straight and narrow one.
And let me remind us that whatever God desires of us, it’s not for His benefit, but for ours. He doesn’t really need anything that we have, but we do need a lot of what He possesses.
Consequently, I shouldn’t have to badger us to go to church. And I’ll stop it right now. (smile) But if you don’t go, you’ll never know the beautiful soulful experience that comes from worshipping God as a body of believers. End of sermon.
Instead, here is some wisdom from our friend Anselm who always tries to inspire us for a better tomorrow. This quote wisely declares that ‘Someone who is worthy of your LOVE will never put you in a situation where you feel you must sacrifice your dignity, your integrity, or your self-worth to be with them.’
And that’s oh so true my people. Anyone who wants, or expects you to compromise your truthful and godly character is definitely not worthy of your LOVE! They definitely are not friends or LOVED ones, just users, only interested in their own selves and/or desires. So anytime that kind comes around you, just ignore them and move on.
And if they put up a fuss, just let them know that you already have truer and more important personages who sincerely care about you, as so passionately and powerfully declared in our Bit. ‘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.’
Yes my fellow believers, once you have the Holy Triumvirate in your corner, you don’t need anyone else, especially selfish, uncaring human beings. Please remember that in whatever situation you might find yourself, you and the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit always constitutes a majority, and that there is NO circumstance that you all can’t successfully handle together!
Now let’s continue looking at some scripture that confirms and upholds our Bit. And we’ll begin with Bruh Paul’s second message to the Thessalonians. ‘Wherefore he (God) called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our epistle.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath LOVED us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish (establish) you in every good word and work.’ (2 Thess.2:14-17)
Oh friends, what uplifting and edifying words! Words for us to hold on to, to write indelibly in our hearts, minds and souls!
And here are a couple of scholarly explanations. ‘2:14. By our gospel (see Rom.10:17): “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ He is here referring to the oral communication of the gospel; what we hear brings about faith. ‘2:15. Traditions…taught refers to more than customs. In view here is the totality of the apostolic doctrine as it was given to them.’
Now I’d be rather amiss and falling down in my duty if I didn’t share this most interesting explanation of ‘Tradition’ by the scholars. 2:15. The word tradition literally means “a giving over by word of mouth or writing.” It refers to teachings handed down from one person to another. Tradition is not in and of itself wrong; it is only wrong when opposed to the Word of God.
In the early church, good tradition was the principal means of Christian instruction (Luke 1:2). Paul used this word to describe his teachings, especially at Corinth and Thessalonica (v.15; 3:6). False tradition ends up as heresy or apostasy (renunciation of a religious faith).
Illustration: The religious leaders of Jesus’ day erred in placing the traditions of men above the Word of God (Matt.15:1-9). In contrast, Luke sifted through existing records and apparently interviewed witnesses in writing an inspired record to instruct Theophilus in the faith (Luke 1:1-4).
Application: Christians need to sit under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, but when the content conflicts with the Scriptures, the teaching of men should be disregarded for the certain truth of the Bible. (First Ref. Matt.15:2; Primary Ref. 2 Thess. 2:15; cf. 2 Tim. 2:15).’
Oh friends, we on a roll! (smile) And I do hope that you appreciate the lengths the ole fella is going to, to give us all a better understanding of God’s Word, for if we don’t understand it, then how can we obey it eh? And for your benefit, I suggest that you look up the references mentioned, to make sure they make sense. (smile) I did before I wrote them down.
And now, may the Lord God bless and safely keep us all, grant us His unmatchable wisdom and unsurpassable peace, as we go about today to do His bidding! Much LOVE!
…when circumstances go against God’s Word…we ought to obey God…rather than men…and be ready to suffer the consequences… (Acts 5:29)
15 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a make work programme, a meaningful day, a sense of urgency, a time for every purpose under heaven, accept with calmness, almighty god, an excuse for laziness, and rest awhile, busyness, calms my inner muddle, come aside into a deserted place, compassion, crumble under pressure, cuts through the confusion, distractions of life, faithfulness, God in the flesh, grin and bear it, have fellowship with God, health and well being, I am more patient, I needn't condemn myself, indolence, Jesus, Jesus was moved with compassion, laziness, like sheep without a shepherd, longevity, Moments of Leisure, more loving, more understanding, multiple demands, obedience, peaceful solitude, plan more wisely, prayer, purge our sins, rat-race, rest and recuperate, Ruth Harms Calkin, sloth, stress, thankfulness, the cross at Calvary, the multiple demands imposed upon me, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, there's no glory in a rat race, wisdom, work out for our good
Mark 6:31. And he (Jesus) said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart (aside) into a desert (deserted) place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
Aye mih Scrip-Bit family! Welcome to a bright, beautiful and bountiful Tuesday in God’s great universe! All the elements are present for it to be another meaningful day in our lives.
So let’s make it one nuh, with prayer, obedience, faithfulness and thankfulness to Almighty God, who LOVES us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross at Calvary so that He could purge our woeful sins and allow us to have fellowship with Him once again. That ought to count for something now my people.
Unfortunately though, the noise persists outside of my house, for it seems as though they are finally digging up and paving the main road in my area. Oh what a miserable spring and summer it’s been with noise and all sorts of big machinery in the area supposedly fixing drains and culverts and lanes and what have you.
To my way of thinking, some of it didn’t seem necessary, and some people are of the opinion that it’s only a make work programme… What you say? You thought it was only in the West Indies we had that stuff! Well apparently not! And every so often the house vibrates from the noise outside. Ah chuh!
But like the tests the Lord puts us through, we just have to grin and bear it, knowing that it will all eventually work out for our good with well paved roads etc.etc. There it goes again, the shaking, the vibrating of my poor house. This time it only lasted for a few seconds though. Oh glory to God. I spoke too soon though, it’s back again.
Anyway, listen to this interesting poem from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘Moments of Leisure.’
And it says: ‘Lord, thank You For the moments of leisure And peaceful solitude I can legitimately snatch Here and there Without apologizing. Thank You for assuring me That I needn’t condemn myself When I spend some time Reading or resting Or shopping just for fun. Thank You for convincing me That there’s no glory In a rat race.
I’ve discovered, dear Lord That an hour or two “Away from it all” Calms my inner muddle And cuts through the confusion. Without a driving sense of urgency I think more clearly – I plan more wisely. I am more patient, more LOVING More understanding with my family.
I even accept with calmness The multiple demands imposed upon me. Thank You so much, dear God For the certain knowledge that Jesus (Who always obeyed the Father) Went apart from the crowd to rest. So must I!’
Oh Friends, is all of that ever so true! We do need to take some time apart from the crazy rat race that our society, our world has become in the last generation or so. If we don’t, the busyness and the numerous demands on our time and energy will certainly drive us crazy and bring us to our grave much earlier than we want to.
Notice how the stress factor has soared off the charts in the last couple decades. Before that stress was not a well-known, or rather an unknown entity, because people had lots of free time and other endeavours to relieve and release it. But with the coming of this communication and technological age it’s just become our worst enemy.
One very important proviso in this story though, is that we don’t use rest and leisure as an excuse for laziness and its other cronies. Rest if you must, but don’t abuse it.
And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘And he (Jesus) said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart (aside) into a desert (deserted) place, and rest a while; for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure (time for themselves) so much as to eat.’
Oh my brethren, we all know about those oppressive times, because we all have experienced them at some time or another! But sadly some of us are still experiencing them too often, and that is definitely not good for our health and well-being.
And you see Jesus‘ wisdom in calling His disciples apart to rest. They had just come back from a missionary journey and people were milling all around them, so that they had no time to rest, not even to eat. Yes Friends, sometimes we have to do that too today in our overly busy and zealous society, otherwise we’d just crumble under the pressure.
And the Good Book continues: ‘And they departed into a desert (deserted) place by ship privately (by themselves). And the people (multitudes) saw them departing, and many knew him (Jesus), and ran afoot thither out of all the cities, and outwent (arrived before) them, and came together unto him (Jesus).
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude) and was moved with compassion towards them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.’(Mark 6:32-34)
Oh Friends, yuh see that? Even though Jesus tried to get away from the multitude for some rest, they followed Him from all over, and even came to His disembarking point before Him! And Jesus, with a heart ever so filled with compassion had no other choice but to minister unto them, because they looked so lost and frail and feeble, like sheep without a shepherd.
However my fellow believers, let’s remember that that was Jesus, God in the flesh, and He had more parts than us, who are merely flesh, and when the busyness and distractions of this life bombard us, as they will do, we don’t always have to embrace them.
Sometimes it is necessary to show compassion, but then it’s also necessary for us to rest and recuperate, otherwise we won’t be able to deal successfully with the circumstances that surround us. Now that’s the wisdom of longevity! Much LOVE!
…there’s a time for every purpose under heaven…so rest if you must…but be careful it doesn’t turn into laziness…indolence…or sloth…
01 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a parent, a wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, Ark of the Covenant, ask in faith, blessed, Bobby Schuller, brains, brawn, brute strength, California, casts down the strength of the confidence thereof., copying, Cousin Bobby, Diana Rampersad, didn't understand, direction, forgiveness, friends, generous nature, going to be with the Lord, Gramps Schuller, guidance, he that doubts is like the wave of the sea, heaven on earth, heavenly days, Hour of Power, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, Independence Day, Israelites, Jamaica's Independence Day, Jericho, laziness, LOVE, mea culpa, Mother Earth, my friend Jesus, my heart is right, not doubting, pasting, paying proper attention, rough times, scales the walls of the mighty, share the Love of Jesus, Shepherd's Grove, smile, sons and daughters of God, Trinidad and Tobago's Independence Day, trumpets of ram's horns, truth, wisdom, worry
Proverbs 21:22. A wise man scaleth (climbs over the walls of) the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence (trusted stronghold) thereof.
Oh Friends, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa!
Yes, on this first day of September, there are four things I want to apologize for. The first is not having the right date at the top of the Bit yesterday; instead of the 31st, I had the 30th. Although I don’t know how many of you noticed it. (smile) But that’s what comes from laziness and copying and pasting and not paying proper attention.
The second is for not mentioning Jamaica’s Independence Day on August 6, which celebrated 53 years of freedom from her colonial rulers. The third thing is not celebrating T&T’s Independence Day yesterday, the 31st, also marking 53 years of independence from Mother England.
I always write about Canada and the U.S Independence Day, but I forget or choose not to write about my two home countries…countries that nurtured me and made me who I am. Chuh! That’s definitely not good enough. And lastly, I forgot to celebrate the fourth anniversary of my beloved mother Molly going to be with Lord on August 31 2011.
Now that one I need some special forgiveness for. But yuh know what Friends? I have no doubt that that is forthcoming, for the ole girl knows that my heart is right, it’s just that my brain is getting a li’l old and foggy. (smile) And it’s not like I have completely forgotten about her, because I visited her just this past week, and we had a good chat, about what’s happening now and all the old times we spent together, both the good and the bad. And believe me, they were indeed some rough times that people don’t know about.
Yeh Mols baby, I myself didn’t understand some of those hard times back then, not until I became a parent myself, and I’m sincerely sorry for any problems I caused through my not understanding. And I know that because of your LOVING and generous nature, you’ll say that’s okay, you didn’t expect me to understand such things at such a young age.
Anyway, I know that you are now resting and enjoying your heavenly days with the Saviour, as you so richly deserve. I know that you and your grandmother Di (Diana Rampersad) are chatting away everyday. (smile) Although it was definitely a shock earlier on this year, to hear that Di had departed this earth so unexpectedly, and at such a young age too. But I guess that was the Lord’s decision, and who can argue with it eh? Nobody!
So you two, please enjoy yourselves and do whatever it is you do heaven (smile), while we slog it out down here on Mother Earth, until the Lord calls us to join you all.
Now for all of us still down here in heaven on earth, here’s a simple prayer that says so much. It’s being used by the congregation of Shepherd’s Grove, the church in Southern California from which the Hour Of Power broadcasts are done, now conducted by Cousin Bobby (Robert Schuller III) Gramps Schuller’s grandson.
Please pray with me. ‘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.’
Yes my brethren, we are indeed the beloved of God, Almighty God’s wonderful children, so we ought to have nothing to worry about, especially where our identification is concerned. We are not distinguished by what we do, where we live, or any other worldly determination. First and foremost we are the sons and daughters of the Creator! Matter fixed!
That brings us to our Bit; certainly an interesting statement from Cousin Sol. ‘A wise man scaleth (climbs over the walls of) the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence (trusted stronghold) thereof.’ And when we reason it out Friends, we see that it’s absolutely true.
The scholars declare it as: ‘21:22. Wisdom is mightier than brute strength.’
And isn’t that the God-awesome truth? It surely is! Brains are far more useful than brawn, as the old saying goes. Brawn can be uppermost for a while, but in the long run it’s the brain that scales the walls of the mighty. Just look at the brilliant example in how the Israelites captured the supposedly impregnable city of Jericho.
They simply marched around it once a day, in total silence, for six days, with seven priests bearing before the Ark of the Covenant seven trumpets of ram’s horns. And on the seventh day they marched around it seven times, with the priests blowing on their trumpets. And when they made a long blast the people shouted a loud shout, and eventually the walls of Jericho tumbled down and the Israelites simply went in and took it over. (Josh. 6:1-27)
Granted that was basically through God’s machinations, but the moral of the story is that brute force would not have brought down the walls of Jericho, but brains, wise council did. And even today my brethren, it is wisdom for us to come before God with every problem and ask for His wise guidance, before we do anything at all.
As Cousin Sol further tells us: ‘A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. For by wise counsel. Thou shalt make thy war (wage your own war): and in the multitude of counselors there is safety.’ (Prov.24:5-6)
Yes Friends, wisdom, or rather in the pursuit of wisdom, lies the answer to a myriad of our problems. And where does this wonderful thing termed wisdom come from?
James 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. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (without doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.’ (James 1:5-6)
So my fellow believers, today, please let’s turn to the Lord God Jehovah for guidance and direction in ALL that we do, but with a sincere faith and trust that He will acknowledge our requests. Much LOVE!
…blessed is he that has a combination of brains and brawn…but if only one is granted…brains will surely win the day…
29 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: another footnote in the annals of history, awesome truth, blessed art thou Lord, by taking heed to God's Word, by the sweat of thy brow, casino gambling, everlasting wisdom, God's Holy word, God's testimonies, God's Word, gopsel truth, hard work, harvest, how shall a young man cleanse his way, I have hidden thy word in my heart, I have sought thee, I will not forget thy word, in the sweat of thy face, lack of a work ethic, laziness, let me not wander from thy commandments, lottery ticket, lottery tickets, mind-grasping, most important thing on earth, one in a million, perseverance, poverty, procrastination, prosperous, pundits of writing, rewards, Saturday morning, shadows of our former selves, shall constantly be in thy mouth, striving for success, successful, teach me thy statutes, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the mire of ungodliness, this book of the law, thou shalt eat bread, thrilling, thy word, trained how to handle money, truth, trying to harvest where you haven't planted, two steps ahead of the law, unorthodox greeting, wisdom, with my whole heart, without hard work, worldly riches, you shall reap what you sow
Psalm 119:9. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.
Ah Friends, this Saturday morning is one of those where I don’t know what to write. I can’t come up with a nice, unorthodox greeting, something to get you all hot and bothered and excited to hear what comes next, where you just hang on my every word, as the pundits of writing decree one’s opening remarks should do. (smile)
So please excuse the ole fella if today’s Bit is not as thrilling and delightful as it ought to be. But I know one thing for sure; it will contain God’s holy and truthful and profitable Word, and that is the most important thing on the face of this earth! So I’m not worried about the lack of a mind-grasping beginning or a thrilling ending, because ALL of God’s Word is mind grasping and thrilling. And that’s the awesome truth my people!
Now here is something interesting from our Friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. He claims that ‘Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you have not planted.’
Those again are words of gospel truth and everlasting wisdom, for they reflect the basic principle of God’s world; what you sow, that shall you reap, and also, in proportion to how much labour, energy and thought you put into a project, so shall your rewards and harvest be.
Therefore, with the laziness, lack of work ethic and procrastination so prevalent today, it is no wonder that a lot of people, especially amongst the young, are unsuccessful. We all want to be rich and successful, but we don’t want to invest the time and energy that it requires. And we see that so blatantly in the current explosion of casino gambling and lottery tickets.
Everybody wants to be a winner by simply rolling a few dice, pulling the handle on a crooked machine, turning over a few cards or purchasing a lottery ticket. The chances of doing so are one in many millions. And the few who are lucky enough to do it, soon lose or spend it all, because they have no sense, or appreciation, of having put in a real effort to get it, neither have they been trained in how to handle money successfully.
Remember, it’s easier to make a million dollars than to keep it. Just look at all the people who have made millions several times and still don’t have anything to show for it. It’s a good thing I was never much into those things. The few times I bought a lottery ticket I hardly ever got more than two numbers. I was taught that by the sweat of my brow I shall earn bread. (smile)
And the one gambling vice I had, betting on horses, soon disappeared too, because my losses constantly outweighed my winnings. Now I can easily go to a racetrack, watch a few races and don’t bet on any, without any qualms whatsoever. Praise the Lord!
What we don’t seem to realize is that to be a success in, or at anything at all, plenty hard work and perseverance are involved. Even to be a successful crook or criminal, one has to work extra hard so you can always be two steps ahead of the law.
That brings us to our rather appropriate Bit. ‘Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.’ Yes Friends, that’s exactly where young people ought to begin setting the standards for their lives; by following God’s Word!
The psalmist further declares: ‘With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgements of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto (contemplate) thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.’ (Ps.119:10-16)
Oh my people, what marvelous sentiments from the psalmist. But how many of us today even read the Word, much less meditate and ponder on it eh? And how many of us can ever say that we have rejoiced in the way of God’s testimonies, as we do in worldly riches? Definitely not too many of us, and for sure not enough!
But Friends, in God’s Word is where we find the formula for prosperity and success. The Lord Himself told it to Joshua in no uncertain terms, when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8)
Ah mih breddren, our God could not have made it any simpler or more straightforward! Constantly read and understand and practice my word, and you will be prosperous and successful. Friends, it’s not rocket science! And we know that when the Israelites did as the Lord decreed, they were successful and prosperous. And when they fell by the wayside, they suffered serious negative consequences.
Even our nations, when they were first formed as Christian nations they were successful and prosperous. But like so many other nations before us, when we reached those heights, we forgot who brought us to the dance, and began to dismantle our godly society, and consequently our success and prosperity began to wane, until now we are merely hulking shadows of our former selves, sinking deeper and deeper into the mire of ungodliness and poverty.
And until we wise up and realize on which side our bread is buttered, and repent and return to sincerely worshipping and serving the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our society will keep on disintegrating, until we’re simply another footnote in the annals of history.
Please my people, for our children’s sake, let’s try our best, obviously with God’s help, not to let that happen, for it would make all of Jesus’ sacrifice of no account. Much LOVE!
…in the sweat of thy face…shalt thou eat bread…till thou return unto the ground…for out of it wast thou taken… (Gen.3:19)
02 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a close relationship with God, a tight hold on our reins, a torch of hope, Anselm, antidote, apathy, be thankful for what you have, believe in the light, Bruh Paul, Caribana, Christian homes, communion between believers, complaining about what we don't have, defense, do not practice the truth, ephemeral Being, Ephesians, ethical overtones, eyewitness, fairy-tale king, give thanks, God dwells within us, God is always right beside us, God is light, God's will, gospel truth, guidance, guilt, happiness, ignorance, immorality, in him is no darkness at all, Jesus Christ, laziness, lifts your spirits, light in the Lord, lighthouses, like pulling teeth, mere mortals, misery, moral purity, never get it, obedience, opposition to God, ordained by God, party people, petty excuses, practicing Christians, priae, profess to love God, reciprocating love, reconciled to God, reinvigorated, sacrifice, satanic world, set a proper example, sin's presence and power, spiritually unenlightened, Sunday, surrender, that ye may be the children of light, the bondage of sin, the heathen, the Holy Spirit, the infidel, the message we have heard, the shed blood of jesus christ, the things of this world, truth, violent death on the cross, walk as children of light, walk in darkness, walking in sin, wanty wanty, we lie, worship, Ye are the light of the world, ye were sometimes darkness
Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Okay all you party people, it’s Sunday, time to get up and get yourselves to church, for this is the day that was ordained by God for His children to gather in His sanctuary every week to worship Him and to revive and refresh our faith and witness. Yes Friends, leaving church makes you feel reinvigorated, renewed, and lifts your spirits.
And we don’t want any petty excuses like I’m tired because I was out partying till late. You should have thought about that before. When you came home from work or wherever, you were tired too, but that didn’t stop you from going out to party, so please don’t let a little tiredness, plus a lot of apathy and laziness stop you from going to praise and worship and give thanks to your heavenly Creator this Caribana Sunday morning of 2015!
I’m chuckling here Friends, but seriously, that is the exact scenario that’s playing out in many Christian homes this Sunday morning. What is it eh about going to church that makes it feel like pulling teeth, but going out to parties requires a tight hold on our reins?
And yet we still profess to LOVE God so much. But how can you LOVE Him when you don’t want to go to His house and make nice with Him eh? I guess it’s partly because we still have this idea of God being some faraway, ephemeral Being, more like a fairy-tale king, who just sits on His throne in heaven on high and looks down on us mere mortals with only a cursory glance and an occasional nod.
But that’s the furthest thing from the truth Friends, because our wonderful God is always right beside us. In fact He dwells within us through the power of His Holy Spirit and He is very much interested in EVERY thing we do, because He truly LOVES us, with a LOVE so great that He even gave His one and only son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice so that we could be reconciled to Him! Now if that isn’t real true LOVE, I don’t know what is.
Somehow though, we seem to have a real problem reciprocating that LOVE! But if we truly want to spend eternity with Him in heaven, my people we have to get to a point of true LOVE, surrender and obedience to the Father’s will. Another part of our problem is that we’re too much into the things and ways of this wicked world, which are in complete opposition to those of God.
That brings to mind a recent interesting quote from our friend Anselm, who delights in inspiring us for a better tomorrow. And Anselm warns; ‘Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never have enough.’
And that’s gospel truth my brethren! Many of us don’t have enough because we are always concentrating on and complaining about what we don’t have, which only aggravates our spirits and drives us nuts. However, when we’re thankful for whatever we have, we bring a different element, a different emotion to the table; one of contentment, of sufficiency, at least for the time being, instead of constantly being uptight and wanting.
Remember the ole Jamaican saying: ‘Wanty wanty, never get it?’(smile) That’s also indisputable truth! As sincere, practicing Christians though, what we need to do is to set a proper example for the rest of the world, for the infidel, the heathen, to follow.
As Jesus so wisely puts it our Bit: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ And we all know that to be true, that’s why lighthouses were always built on hilly ground, so that their light could be seen from far and wide and give good guidance to the travellers seeking it.
That’s our mission on this earth people; to be guiding lights in a world of darkness. Not necessarily as overblown as a light house, but certainly at least as a large lamp.
As Bruh Paul advised the Ephesians when talking about the ways of the believer: ‘For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.’ (Eph.5:8) Yes my people, that’s certainly Jesus’ expectation of His followers.
And the scholars give us this bit of info on that verse. ‘5:8. Darkness indicates that the readers used to be spiritually unenlightened, and accompanying this ignorance was immorality with its resultant guilt and misery. Light denotes that the recipients are now to be religiously informed. Their knowledge of the truth is attended by moral purity and happiness.’
Ah mih breddren, what is it going to take for us to really wake up and see and truthfully accept the light eh? We have to do it real soon Friends, because Jesus can return at any moment, and then it will be too late.
Listen to how John describes God’s light in his first epistle. ‘This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ (1John 1:5-7) What awesome consolation Friends!
And the scholars offer this info on those verses. ‘1:5. Again John implies his eyewitness status, having heard of him, that is, Jesus. John passes on to the church teaching he first received from Jesus. Light and darkness here have ethical overtones. John is saying that God is perfect and good; there is thus no sin or evil in Him. This will have implications for followers of this God in the following verses.’
‘1:6. Walk in darkness means walking in sin. John may have had in mind people who claimed to be enjoying a close relationship with God, but whose lives were clearly characterized by sin. Such a state of affairs, John say boldly, is impossible; such persons are lying.’
‘1:7. “God is light” (v.5): To walk in this light, which is to live free from the bondage of sin (cf. Rom 6:18), is to make true communion between believers possible. Jesus’ violent death on the cross, which is what blood signifies, is the initial antidote for and ultimate defense against sin’s presence and power.’
Voilà! There we have it Friends! The only antidote and the best defence against Lucifer’s evil presence and power: the shed BLOOD of Jesus Christ! So please, let’s be wise and go to the cross and take hold of it nuh, so that we can run with it blazing like a brilliant torch of hope in the darkness of this satanic world. That’s wisdom everlasting! Much LOVE!
…while ye have light…believe in the light…that ye may be…the children of light… (John 12:36a)
03 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a spring chicken, abominable sins, and all these things shall be added unto you, and he shall bring it to pass, Anselm's Quote, Beelzebub, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, celebrity status, Christians, commit our lives to Jesus, Commit thy way to the Lord, committments, confuffle our minds, damnation, death, delight thyself in the Lord, dishonour, dog eat dog world, eternal separation from God, eternal soul, eternity, ever-faithful God, feed on his faithfulness, fold of Jesus Christ, glad to be alive, halfway home, hankering after, hellfire, honour, humble apologies, I'm not turning back, jehovah god, lack of committement, laziness, LOVE, Lucifer, magnanimous, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, omnipotent, power, Scrip-Bit Culture, selfish mode, sensible approach to life, staying loyal, the breath of life, the cross of Calvary, the desires of your heart, the things of the world, the will of God, there's no giving up in Christ, things of God, trust also in him, trust in the Lord and do good, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
‘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!’
Oh Friends, that’s something I’m calling our Wednesday Wail! (smile) I haven’t decided yet whether it will be a part of our Scrip-Bit Culture, like our Friday Chant and Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It’s just something I was led to pen before going to bed this morning.
And by the way, my humble apologies for this really late Bit. I had a busy day yesterday and didn’t get to bed till real late this morning, and since the ole body is no longer a spring chicken, (smile) it obviously needs more rest than before.
And truthfully, I don’t see much sense in forcing myself to get up if I am not going to be in good shape to write something sensible. Better it’s a little late and I’m truly refreshed in mind, body and spirit.
So my mea culpas. (smile) It was just one of those days, which do happen occasionally, and might just happen more often as the summer weather picks up. Don’t worry though, the Bit will always be there.
Now here’s an interesting and very relevant quote from our Friend Anselm, whose avowed purpose is to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And it says: ‘Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do, long after the mood you said it in has left you.’
And that is gospel truth my people! It’s what we ought to do, especially as Christians. However in this golden age of dishonour and lack of commitment, that statement doesn’t factor into the thoughts of the majority of the society. It’s truly become a dog-eat-dog world, where we’re only interested in ourselves and what we can do for us.
And we live in such a feel-good society that we make promises and commitments on the spur of the moment, without thinking things through, then later realize that we can’t keep our promises and just ignore them. Whatever happened to the days of honour eh? When a man’s word or handshake was a certain commitment?
Hn! Sorry Friends, those days seem to be long gone. Now we’re simply into selfish mode, where ‘I, me, myself and I’ are the all-encompassing factors of today. But my people, as true followers of Jesus Christ we are expected to be different, different from the world in which we live.
Bruh David wisely informs us in our Bit. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ Ah Friends, if more of us would adopt that bit of wisdom, our world would be such a wonderful place!
But we can’t give up on it, because there’s no giving up in Christ. We have to keep on dreaming the dreams of improvement and working diligently with Jesus to bring them to pass. That’s the only way things will ever get better.
And if we listen to what Bruh David said just before our Bit, we’ll realize the immense wisdom in his theory. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps.37:3-5)
Oh mih people, mih people, why aren’t more of us adopting that most wise and sensible approach to life here on this much traumatized earth eh? My only answer is that we are still allowing the things of the world; the material possessions with their bright and shiny facades, the hankering after power and celebrity status to ‘confuffle’ our minds and souls.
Consequently, though we may not want to, in these tough times, we continue putting the flimsy and non-lasting things of the world before the eternal and oh so important things of God.
Unfortunately, Beelzebub still has too many of us eating out of his lying and deceitful hand. It’s time we stop that my brethren, and instead look to our Creator and faithful Provider, Jehovah God. For when our days on earth are up, we won’t carry any of the things of Beelzebub with us, but if we look to God, we will have rewards stored up in heaven for the hereafter.
The only things Beelzebub has to offer are death, damnation, hell-fire and eternal separation from God. I doubt that we really want to experience any of those things, but it’s what is going to happen if we refuse to seriously and sincerely commit our lives to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, the One who sacrificed His life on the cross of Calvary to pay for our abominable sins and redeem and reconcile us to our heavenly Father.
Oh Friends, so many of us today, especially our young people, are leaving the straight and narrow pathways of God for the wide and destructive highways of Lucifer that it’s heartbreaking. Lucifer will not keep the promises he makes, because he is a liar and deceiver, but our omnipotent, magnanimous and ever-faithful God will, because that’s just the kind of Deity that He is.
Oh my people, the Bit’s already pretty late, so I won’t prolong it, I’ll just end with these faithful and wise words of Jesus, which we all know, but find it difficult to put into action. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yes Friends, if we continue seeking the will of God, then all the worldly things we need will be granted to us. And the beauty of getting the worldly things we need from God and not Lucifer, is that when we get them from God, they last and we prosper, unlike those things gained from the evil one.
So please people, let’s wake up and smell whatever it is we need to smell and/or see, and quickly get ourselves back into the wonderful fold of Jesus Christ nuh, for that is everlasting wisdom. Much LOVE!
…when we walk with Lucifer…we stand to lose everything…including our eternal soul…but when we walk with Christ…oh such a beautiful eternity stretches out before us…
P.S. Sorry for not changing the date on the second heading of the Bit yesterday, but that’s what comes from laziness, just copying and pasting. Not that too many of you noticed. (smile) Much LOVE!
27 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and will forgive their sin, ashamed, ashes, branch, bubbling up in our hearts, burn as an oven, common sense, copying and pasting, curse, damnation, death, disaster, discipline, easy ways of getting by, Elijah, enter in at the strait gate, ephemeral dream, faithful God, fear my name, foolishness, frame evil, glory hallelujah, glory to God, Gramps Schuller, graven images, grin and bear it, grow fat, hard work, harness our dreams, heal their land, healing in his wings, heavenly citizenship, hope, Horeb, Hour of Power Devotional, identifiable quality, in the spirit and power, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, keep pushing ahead, laziness, leads to destruction, leads to life, live for Jesus, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, LOVE, make your doings good, Malachi, molten images, my people which are called by my name, patience, perseverance, plain, ploughing for Jesus, pray, promise, prophetic forerunner, return from your evil way, ringing in our ears, root, salvation, seek my face, shall humble themselves, shortcuts, sin, smite the earth, stall fed calves, straightforward, stubble, stubbornness, successful people, suffering, Sun of righteousness, the coming day of the Lord, the destructive path of sin, the Good Book, the Great tribulation, the law of Moses, the Life, the Light, the Lord of hosts, the Messiah, the New testament, the Old Testament, the power of patience, the transfiguration, the Way, then will I hear from heaven, theTruth, trample the wicked, trust in graven images, truth, tunr the hearts of the children, turn away from their wicked ways, turn the hearts of the fathers, ungodliness, walk after our own plans, warning, Wednesday, wisdom
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Well Friends, it’s a cool, cloudy and windy Wednesday morning in my area…and still no signs of rain. Chuh! Yesterday we definitely needed some showers of blessings to cool the hot and humid day, but since we don’t control the weather we just have to grin and bear it. Hn, hn! Today won’t be as hot and humid though. Glory to God!
So since it’s Wednesday, the mid point of our workweek, it naturally implies that we have to keep pushing ahead, no looking back, for he who looks back is not worthy of ploughing for Jesus. And I come bearing tidings this morning re patience, something a whole lot of us need to learn in this very impatient world.
And I can vouch for that by the different dates on yesterday’s Bit. The top heading was right, the 26th, but the one later on was wrong, the 25th. How many of you noticed that eh? (smile) But that stems from laziness and trying to do it the easy way, by copying and pasting, rather than typing it out again. I obviously forgot to change the second date. Please accept my most humble apologies.
As Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H Schuller) says in his Hour of Power Devotional, patience is the single most identifiable quality of successful people. And that’s no lie Friends! This generation has grown up looking for too many shortcuts and other cheap and easy ways of getting by.
We refuse to adopt the discipline necessary to harness our dreams and see them through to fulfillment. The easy road my people, is certainly no remedy for true success. That ephemeral dream that we’re chasing always demands, patience, perseverance and hard work.
Listen to these words from Gramps Schuller. ‘The people who win in life are the people who have harnessed the power of patience. You can move a mountain, Christ said – but He didn’t say how long it would take.’
And that’s the absolute truth my brethren! Mountains are indeed moveable, but it takes time, patience and hard work to accomplish any dream, be it worthwhile or not.
Now without further ado, let’s get to our Bit, this one for the last time… and I hear relieved shouts of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ in the background. Yeh Friends, this has indeed been a long standing Bit, but as we said before, it’s a rather important verse of Scripture that determines our eternal salvation or eternal death and damnation.
‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ Ah mih breddren, it’s so plain and straightforward… but yet we refuse to accept it, or even consider it.
And we’ll get straight into the scriptures that deal with the last of the four things we need to do to have God act positively on our behalf; ‘and turn away from their wicked ways.’
Listen to Isaiah as he declares that suffering is a result of sin. ‘They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.’ (Is.42:17) That’s gospel truth my people! And put in simple, unequivocal language too.
And this next scripture is from Jeremiah, re the lesson from the potter. ‘Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil (am fashioning a disaster) against you, and devise a device (plan) against you: return ye now everyone from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.
And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices (according to our own plans), and we will everyone do the imagination (stubbornness) of his evil heart.’ (Jer.18:11-12)
Unfortunately Friends, that’s the same foolishness we’re talking today, as we recklessly head down the destructive path of sin and ungodliness!
Now hear the prophet Malachi, re the coming day of the Lord. ‘For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall (grow fat like stall fed calves). And ye shall tread down (trample) the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgements. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.’ (Mal. 4:1-6)
Oh my people, what another wonderful promise of our most faithful God, most of which has already been fulfilled with the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Now hear this excellent explanation from the scholars. ‘4:1-6. The coming day is the day of the Lord (or the Great Tribulation), which is in view of the birth pangs for the millennial kingdom. Sun of righteousness is a figurative representation of the Messiah. Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets. Both of them appeared at the transfiguration of Christ (Matt.17:3).
The Old Testament ends with the promise of the coming of Elijah, which the New Testament identifies as John the Baptist (Matt.3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23). John’s own disclaimer (John 1:21) was simply a denial that he was literally Elijah. Jesus, on the other hand, clearly stated that John the Baptist came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Matt.11:14; 17:10-13; Mark 9:11-13).
Malachi’s promise is quoted by the angel in Luke 1:17 as referring to the ministry of John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah. Therefore, the Old Testament ends in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah and His prophetic forerunner, John the Baptist, who appears in the likeness of Elijah.’
Yuh see friends, the Good Book was not, is not, a haphazard concoction by a group of fuddy-duddy old men, but a well laid our plan by the Creator. And for those of you who don’t know, Malachi Chapter 4, is indeed the last chapter in the Old Testament. (smile)
And we’ll end this series of messages quite appropriately with the warning and wisdom of the Messiah. ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
Oh my people, my people, please, let’s go out today with those wonderful words of wisdom and warning ringing in our ears, and bubbling up in our hearts, minds and souls, as we continue to live and work diligently and excellently for Jesus! For that’s wisdom at its very highest. Much LOVE!
…wisdom and common sense both cry out loudly…accept Jesus…for He is indeed…the Way, the Truth, the Life and the Light…and no one comes to the Father…achieves heavenly citizenship… but through Him…
P.S. Oh Friends, I know it’s long, but it’s beautiful, (smile) and a special, just for today! Much LOVE!
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