17 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abandoned God, an element of cloudiness, beautiful life, call upon me, calm all our fears, can cheer me so, comfort us, confession, Creator, crying out, cut off, deceitful, despair, destruction, empty-headed, eternal joy, eternal life, faith, false gods, forget thy misery, forgiving, from day to day, glorify, glorifying God, glory hallelujah, gracious, grey clouds hovering overhead, He makes me glad, He's my friend, Hour of Power, I am halfway home, I trust him now, I will deliver thee, idols, imprisons, in the day of trouble, in times of trouble, iniquity, Jesus is all the world to me, Jesus is my strength, Job, life's fleeting days, lift up thy face, living God, LOVE Revolution, loving, merciful, my all, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my joy, my life, no other, no push over, not looking back, omniscient God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, practicality, praise his holy name, prepare thine heart, provider, repentance, Samuel, satisfy all our needs, simplicity, sincerity, succour, thank God, the breath of life, the deepest and darkest times, the god of Abraham, the sun is shining, thou shalt glorify me, to a glorious future with Jesus, to Jesus I go, ungodly world, vain men, war, waters that pass away, We can do all things through Christ, Wednesday Wail, when I'm sad, wickedness, wisdom, with God's help, Zophar
Psalm 50:15. And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
And then it was Wednesday; a bright and shiny, but somewhat cloudy day! (smile) I know it sounds somewhat confusing, but the sun is shining and there are a few grey clouds hovering overhead.
However, the important thing is that the Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is shining as brilliantly as He always does. There’s never an element of cloudiness in Him! Praise His holy name!
And so, in honour of His constant faithfulness, I want us to begin today by singing this soulful ditty I heard the Hour of Power choir and congregation singing last night. I don’t know it personally, but the simplicity and practical nature of the song touched my heart and made me want to share it.
So let’s get soulful and sing: ‘Jesus is all the world to me, My life, my joy, my all; He is my strength from day to day, Without Him I would fall. When I’m sad to Him I go.No other one can cheer me so; When I am sad he makes me glad, He’s my friend.
Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better friend. I trust Him now, I’ll trust Him when Life’s fleeting days shall end. Beautiful life with such a friend, Beautiful life that has no end; Eternal life, Eternal joy, He’s my friend!’
Oh what wonderful sentiments my brethren. And as I said earlier, I just LOVE it’s simplicity and practicality. And besides, there’s truly no better friend than Jesus; He is able to satisfy all our needs, calm all our fears and comfort us in the deepest and darkest times of our lives! No human being can do all that for us.
And to further honour and glorify Him, as well as lift our spirits, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail nuh with plenty enthusiasm, and sincerity.
Wailing: ‘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, my people, how beautiful it is to be alive on this glorious morn, feeling the breath of God coursing through my body as I look forward to the wonderful future that Jesus has planned for us, if we stick to the programme that He’s outlined! It doesn’t get any better than that friends!
No wonder our Bit seems so appropriate. ‘And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ Yes my fellow believers, it’s all about glorifying Jehovah God, our Creator and heavenly Provider!
And we do that by living the life God has set before us, doing so in faith and sincerity, and in times of trouble, crying out to Him for succour so that He can uplift us and further glorify His holy name. Oh what a wonderful Deity we serve and worship my people!
Now let’s turn to some scriptures that corroborate our Bit. And to begin, we’ll go all the way back to the days of the prophet Samuel, when he lead Israel to repentance.
‘And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange (foreign) gods and Ashtaroth (images of Canaanite goddesses) from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hands of the Philistines.’ (1 Sam.7:3)
Oh friends, that is exactly what we need to do in this current evil and godless world. Like the Israelites back then, we’re worshipping all sorts of idols and false gods, thus our world is quickly going to hell in a hand basket. And the only thing that will save it is repentance and a sincere return to serving and worshipping the One and True Living God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Yuh see how all the other societies that abandoned Him and worshipped other gods fared? There was never any true peace, just constant war, destruction and despair. Now why do you think our society would be any different, suffer a different fate eh?
Yes, our God is a merciful and gracious, forgiving and LOVING God, but He’s no push over, He’s very serious about whatever He says. And He’s said several times in His word that if you don’t serve and worship Him, you’ll be destroyed. So I don’t know where we’ve gotten this foolish idea to abandon God, kick Him out of our society, and then expect to prosper. Steups!
Ah friends, it’s up to us believers to bring about that repentance. It’s not going to be easy, but with God’s awesome help we can do it. Remember we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
And we’ll end with this appropriate passage from Job, where his buddy Zophar reproves him. ‘If he (God) cut off (passes by), and shut up (imprisons), or gather together, then who can hinder (restrain) him? For he knoweth vain (deceitful) men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
For vain (empty-headed) man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt (when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man). If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch forth thine hands toward him; If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles (tents).
For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shall not fear. Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away. And thine age (life) shall be clearer (brighter) than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.’ (Job 11:10-17)
Yes my brethren, though Zophar was wrongly ragging on Job, believing that some hidden, serious sin caused his tribulations, his advice was right on. An omniscient God could clearly see man’s sin, and if he confesses and repents, the Lord will forgive Him and make his life better.
Now that is what we need to do in this ungodly world; bring about confession and repentance, so that our beautiful world can be lifted up, be without spot and without fear. That’s the wisdom of the age! Much LOVE!
…only Christ’s LOVE Revolution can save our sinking world…
01 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ambassadors, Amorites, as for me and my house, be my guide, blatant refusal, blessings, bounden duty, Christian living, comfort, covers all the bases, different strokes, difficult times, disicples, do His will, encompassing, encouragement, evil, examples speak more forcibly than words, fear the Lord, feel discouraged, fellowship, first day of May, glamour, glitz, grateful, guidance, happiness, heartfelt thanks, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Joshua, lean on God for support, listen with conern, living God, LOVE, magnanimous god, material possessions, my every deed, my every word, New World Order, one and only God, peaceful moments, praise, praise the Lord for His goodness, prayer, put away the gods, reassure, rejuvenation of spirit, seek God, serve him, sincerity, sinful trap, steadfastness of purpose, strength to keep going, Sunday, talk the talk, thanksgiving, the Euphrates river, the gospel of Jesus, the Great Commission, the Lord's Day, the Most High God jehovah, the other side of the flood, time for church, troubles, truth, ungodliness, ungodly world, uplift, we will serve the Lord, wisdom, worship
Joshua 24:14. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (The Euphrates River), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
Oh my beautiful believers in Jesus Christ, it’s the first day of May, as well as the Lord’s Day, better known as Sunday!
That means it’s time for church; time for praise and worship, for thanksgiving and fellowship, for rejuvenation of spirit, encouragement and steadfastness of purpose, plus all the other good things that our magnanimous God pours out on those who LOVE Him, diligently seek Him and obediently do His will!
Now I’m not going to harangue or lecture us about going to church today. That shouldn’t be at all necessary, for if you’re a true believer, then you’ll know that’s your bounden duty, so I’ll just leave that up to you and your heavenly Father. (smile)
What I’ve been guided to do though, is to share a prayer which I shared a long time back, so many of you would not have heard it, but it’s one of my favourite prayers. From the first time I found it in my mother’s Bible after she died, something about it just touched me, and I’ve prayed it almost every day after that.
It’s a special prayer prepared by the Life Study Fellowship, Noroton, Connecticut. It’s titled ‘Lord, Please Accept My Heartfelt Thanks!’ And the sub-title is ‘Praise the Lord for His Goodness.’ – Psalm 107:8’
Now please pray with me: ‘Dear Lord, You are so good to me! And I thank You sincerely for the many blessings You send me! I’m very glad to have You in my life day in and day out – whatever I do and wherever I go! You are the One who always does what is best for my happiness!
How grateful I am to be able to turn to You for guidance and comfort when troubles come my way! If any situation arises that makes me feel discouraged, You let me know I can lean on You for support! And because of Your LOVE for me, somehow I seem to find the strength to keep going – even through the most difficult times!
I’m grateful too, for peaceful moments like these when I’m all alone with You in prayer! Talking with You never fails to reassure and uplift me! Nothing I say to You goes unheard. You listen with great concern to everything I confide in You! For You truly care about me!
As I look to 2016 (or whatever year) I pray that You will continue to watch over me – and grant me even more of Your wonderful blessings! And may I serve You well in my every word, my every deed! Be my Guide hour by hour; I pray! Amen.’
Oh friends, I do hope that prayer touched you all! I guess what I like about it is that it covers all the bases, it’s so all encompassing, plus everything it says is true and relevant. Some of you may not like it, but that’s okay; it’s your choice. As they say, different strokes for different folks! (smile) Anyway, that’s my contribution for today.
Now let’s turn to our new Bit, a part of Joshua’s farewell address to the Israelites. He had just finished reminding them about all the good things the Lord had done for them, giving them houses they didn’t build, vineyards they didn’t plant etc.
‘Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (The Euphrates River), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.’
Ah mih people, that verse is even more appropriate and relevant in this New World Order than it was thousands of years ago when Joshua spoke those fateful words. That’s because the worshipping of other gods, plus basic ungodliness is so rampant in our current society.
Unfortunately, the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not held in respect nor reverence by a rather large part of the world. Many people know of and about Him, but yet they steadfastly refuse to honour and obey Him. How sad that is my people, for our world could be truly such a beautiful place if more of us sincerely worshipped and revered the Most High God Jehovah.
Now why the blatant refusal to accept the God of heaven eh? I believe there are two main reasons. First of all, the pull of the material, lustful and sinful world is rather strong. We feast our eyes on all the supposed glitz and glamour and possessions available, and our hearts clamour for them, and the evil one just makes it so easy for us to fall into his sinful trap.
And the second reason is that we believers, supposed ambassadors and disciples of Jesus, who have been assigned the Great Commission (Matt.28:19-20) to teach and baptize and spread the wonderful gospel of Jesus all over the world, are not doing as good a job as we should. The hypocritical examples of our lives are turning people away from Jesus instead of drawing them closer to Him.
So there we have it; Lucifer and his evil cronies are doing a good job on selling sin, while the followers of Jesus are not doing a good job of selling righteousness. No rocket science involved at all friends.
So what are we doing, or going to do to change this rather unpalatable situation eh my believing breddren? All I can say is that we need to pull up our britches and do a better job of spreading the good news of Jesus, and backing it up with perfect, well not quite perfect, but much better examples of true Christian living.
Remember friends, examples speak more forcibly than words, and we can talk all the talk in the world, if we don’t walk that talk, then it’s useless, just wasted talk. And we’ll close with these precious and fateful words of Joshua, declared after our Bit.
‘And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood (The Euphrates River), or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh.24:15)
Yes friends, that’s the big and serious decision we all have to make. And like Joshua, I surely hope that we will all decide, with our families, to serve the Lord God Jehovah, for that is indeed the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…until more believers get truly serious about the Great Commission…both talking and living it…the good news of Jesus will be sadly lacking in this ungodly world…
20 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, acceptance, affirmation, ailments, alive and kicking, as the heaven is high above the earth, behave appropriately, benefits, bless the Lord, blessings, burden, chameleon, Creator of the universe, crowns, deity, destruction, diseases, dust, enjoy your life, ever-faithful God, ever-LOVING God, faith, flesh and blood, forget, frail, friends, give yourself to God, glory hallelujah, glory to God, goodness, gospel truth, human nature, incomprehensible God, iniquities, inner being, Jesus Christ, living God, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are higher than yours, One Year Book of Bible promises, pains, plans, pray, redeems, revere, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfies, Saturday, serve, slow to anger, so great is his mecry, the east is from the west, the Exception, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, top of the line, toward them that fear him, transgressions, truth, turn away from God, wisdom, worship, your ways, youth is renewed like the eagle's
Psalm 103:11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.
Saturday, oh Saturday! What a great day thou art! And isn’t that the awesome truth friends? It surely is! But what’s even better than that, is that every day that God makes is a great one! Glory Hallelujah!
That’s because He has great plans for those who LOVE and sincerely seek Him and dispenses His blessings and mercies in abundance to them each and every new day! Glory to God!
Ah mih people, I can’t impress upon us enough the fact that we worship a most mighty, awesome, generous and ever-LOVING Deity! The ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING GOD, Creator of the Universe and all therein!
Yes Friends, all the other supposed Gods are dead, ours is the ONLY ONE who’s alive and kicking! So why worship something or someone that’s dead eh? No good reason at all my brethren.
And in response to the quote from our friend Anselm yesterday, here’s one similar to it that another friend sent me. Thanks Keith.
Listen up: “As you grow older, there are ailments and pains that beset you. Some will stay with you forever. But as you pray and give yourself to God, He gives you ways in which to deal with the aches, and in doing so, He makes them so much less a burden to you that you can still fully enjoy your life.”
And again I say: What an awesome God we serve and worship!
Now here’s some more indisputable truth, this time from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. Today’s writing is called ‘The Exception.’ Please pray with me, because we all need to come to this rather significant conclusion.
‘Lord, too often I demand From my family and friends More LOVE More affirmation More acceptance Than they are capable of giving. Today, dear God I ask You to burn this truth Into the depth of my inner being: Nobody in all the world Can ever LOVE me As much as I need to be LOVED – Except You!’
Ah mih breddren in Christ Jesus, I won’t even comment and say that that is the gospel truth! (smile) But we do expect a lot more from others than some of them are capable of giving.
Sometimes we need to remember that they are only flesh and blood, and though made in the image of God Almighty, yet are but frail and not as top of the line like Him. Thus we can only do so much and give so much, even though we may want to do and give more. Our human nature in other words is rather finite and at a very low level.
As the Lord has so rightly reminded us in His Word: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9)
Now that’s telling us friends! We can in no way truly comprehend the length and breadth of our incomprehensible God! But some of us still foolishly try.
Anyway the promise for today’s writing is also our Bit: ‘For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.’
More gospel and indisputable truth my people! The Lord’s goodness and mercy are unlimited towards those who serve and worship Him faithfully. And I can give testimony to that wonderful fact. Oh, all praise and glory be to our magnificent and magnanimous God!
Hear how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy – from which our Bit is taken. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:1-5)
Oh friends, oh friends, how can I not serve and worship and LOVE and revere such a wonderful God eh! And the most important part of all that is ‘forget not all his benefits.’
And all God’s children gratefully shouted: ‘Oh praise and thank the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for His undeserved kindness to the children of men!’
And that we should truly do my brethren; much more than we actually do, because too many of us forget His benefits, especially when times get rough.
Now that is something I can’t understand; when times get rough, a lot of us forget or turn away from God. But the truth is, that’s when we most need the affection and caring of our heavenly Father, because ofttimes, He is the ONLY ONE who can set our matters right.
We tend to quickly forget what the Lord has done for us in the past. But friends, if He’s helped us in the past, why would He refuse to do the same in the present, if we’re still being obedient and faithful to Him eh? No reason whatsoever.
Remember that we also serve an ever-faithful God, who does not change, is not a chameleon; one moment this, another moment that, but is ever constant.
Listen to Bruh David again. ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (revere) him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remebereth that we are dust.’ (Ps.103:8-14)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, in ending, all I ask, is that we too remember that we are mere dust; nothing but dust, and behave appropriately. Much LOVE!
…all flesh shall perish together…and man shall turn again unto dust… (Job 34:15)
15 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abuse the weekend, almighty god, aura of love, blessings, Colossians, comfort your hearts, complaining, confidence, conquerors, corrupt communication, Creator of the universe, enthusiasm, eternal life, evangelism, everlasting consolation, evil, faith, fellowship, for by grace you have been saved, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, glory in my infirmities, good hope, gospel truth, grace, His only begotten Son, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, lies, living God, lord god almighty, lord jesus christ, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, minister grace, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Monday Morning, my grace is sufficent for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, negative, not of yourselves, Oh Lord God Almighty, opportunity, pep in our step, pity parties, redeeming the time, rejuvenation of spirit, rise to the occasion, sacrifice, saved through faith, seasoned with salt, self-serving, sins, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that which is good, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the power of christ, the thorn in his flesh, to the use of edifying, ungodly world, unmerited favour, walk in wisdom, whining, wisdom, wise behaviour, witnessing
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Oh Friends, unfortunately the two big days off for the weekend are now over… And I hear a loud ‘Steups!’ in response. (smile)
That means today is Monday…yes Monday, and we need to get ourselves up and out to labour for another week, so that we can earn some money, often a pittance, to try and lead a half-decent life.
We all know it’s not the ideal scenario, but it’s what we have, so let’s just get over ourselves, stop the pity parties, the whining and complaining and rise to the occasion as Jesus desires of us. And remember that if you abuse the weekend, you won’t be fit for anything come Monday morning. So enough with the sermon, (smile) instead let’s belt our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a whole lot of vim and vigour.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh chuh people! That was a rather hoarse, half-hearted and off-key rendition! Jesus wasn’t thrilled at all. You could see Him shaking His head all through it, while His face bore an unhappy, puzzled ‘what else can I do eh?’ expression.
Anyway Friends, it’s too late to worry about that now. Hopefully though, just singing it boosted our adrenalin output and put a li’l pep in our step, enabling us to go out and do a good job in Jesus’ name.
We also need to remember quite clearly from whence all our blessings flow; from Almighty God. And one of the biggest blessings, if not the biggest, ever to befall mankind is enshrined in our Bit. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’
Mama Mia! I can’t help but say it Friends – what a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship! And there should be NO DOUBT whatsoever about that, just judging from the fact that He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our disgusting sins. Has any of the other supposed gods ever done anything like that? Obviously not, because they are all dead, inanimate, ephemeral objects. But the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the ONE AND ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD!
And all God’s people shouted a loud and lusty: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes Friends, our God is a true living and breathing Being, who sees and knows all that goes on in our world.
Now let’s turn to some provocative scriptures that deal with grace. And one of the most famous ones occurs when Bruh Paul asks the Lord three times to take away ‘the thorn in his flesh.’ But the Lord’s response is certainly interesting. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ (2 Cor.12:9)
Yes my people, in our weaknesses God’s power is demonstrated, for when we are unable to bear up in our own strength, God’s grace pulls us through. Please remember that in times of weakness and frailty. He doesn’t always solve our problems, but He ALWAYS gives us the wherewithal, the grace to handle them in our weakness.
Now hear what Bruh Paul says later on to the Ephesians, re the new life in Christ. ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.’ (Eph.4:29)
Ah mih people, are we following those wise words of advice? I certainly hope so, because it is imperative that our words lift up, benefit those who hear them. We can’t expect others to come to Jesus if our words are negative and self-serving.
Then to the Colossians, he says: ‘Walk in wisdom toward them that are without (outside), redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.’ (Col.4:5-6)
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ‘4:5. Paul turns from his responsibilities for evangelism (v.3-4) to the Colossians’ evangelistic duties (v.5-6). They are to walk in wisdom or “live wisely” in their relations toward them that are without, that is, unbelievers. Redeeming the time is to make the most of every opportunity. They are to seize every opportunity to display wise behaviour toward the unsaved and to use it as a chance for witnessing.’
And yuh know what Friends? Those same sentiments apply to us in these worrisome and difficult times.
‘4:6. An example of wise conduct (v.5) is daily speech that is gracious (with grace) in nature. Such speech is to be seasoned with salt, that is, characterized by the wisdom of verse 5. Gracious, wise conversation will enable the Colossians to know how to answer every man when speaking to him about the gospel.’
That also applies to us today my brethren!
And we’ll end with Bruh Paul’s words to the Thessalonians. ‘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.2:16-17)
Oh Friends, I wish those exact sentiments upon us all today, as we go out into the crazy world to live and work for Jesus. Much LOVE!
…grace…the totally unmerited favour of God…given to totally undeserving men…a true and wonderful testimony…of God’s great LOVE for us…
21 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, always enduring, awesome truth, basking in glorious sunshine, blessing, both thou and thy seed shall live, carry us, choose life, cleave unto God, Creator, cursing, death and evil, Dicoveries, enjoy the wonder, faithful, fear him keep his commandments, fearful, God is always there, God is the length of thy days, God is thy life, I have set before you life and death, if god be for us who can be against us, if thine heart turn away, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, joy, judgements, keep his commandments, life and good, live and multiply, living God, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, lowest ebb, merciful God, minds, never changing, new birthright in Christ, obey his voice, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, peace, promise, raise us up, Ruth Harms Calkin, saving, second wind, serve and worship, serve him, sincere prayer, sinning, souls, statutes, strengthen, strong, successful life, the best element, the brilliant sunlight of jesus, the Lord thy God shall bless thee, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, thou wilt not hear, two avenues of living, walk in his ways, warm and tender love, weak, what shall we then say to these things, wisdom, words to faithfully live by, worship other gods, write it deep in our hearts, ye shall not prolong your days, ye shall surely perish, ye shall walk after the Lord your God
Deuteronomy 13:4. Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.
Well hello there all you beautiful believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! I do hope that this Tuesday morning finds you all basking in the glorious sunshine of His oh so warm and tender LOVE, for that’s the only way to truly live a good and successful life on this crazy earth.
And if by some unfortunate chance, you’re not basking in that brilliant sunlight of Jesus, then I’d strongly advise that you go to Him in serious and sincere prayer and humbly ask Him to rectify the situation, so that you can enjoy the peace and joy that He genuinely desires each and every one of His followers to have. That is your new birthright in Christ, and it makes no sense not to enjoy it.
And here’s a li’l something from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin to support that contention. It’s aptly titled ‘Discoveries!’
And it says: ‘Lord God Today You have penetrated My entire being With three glorious discoveries: When I am most weak You are most strong. When I am most fearful You are utterly faithful. When I am at my sinning worst You are at Your saving best.’
And isn’t all of that the God-awesome truth my people? It certainly is! For when we are at the lowest ebb in any aspect of our lives, that’s when our God is at His best. He’s always there to strengthen and raise us back up to where we’re supposed to be, to carry us until we catch our second wind.
Oh Friends, I never cease to enjoy the wonder of the great and merciful God that we serve and worship! He is indeed the BEST element in our lives!
And the promise associated with that poem is one that we all mentally know and LOVE, but in reality, don’t always faithfully feel and appreciate. ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom.8:31)
More awesome truth my brethren! For if the omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present Creator of this magnificent universe and all therein is in our corner, then who in heaven’s name can successfully come against us eh? NOBODY, my people! Absolutely, NOBODY!
Please believe that. Today, let’s write it deep in our hearts, souls and minds, then allow it show in our lives, lives which are to be modelled on the never changing, always enduring command of our Bit.
‘Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.’
Ah mih people, those are certainly words of heavenly wisdom, words to faithfully live by!
Now yesterday we looked at some scripture that reinforced or recast our Bit in a slightly different light. Today, however, we’re going to look at another very important aspect of the command set out therein; what happens, or will undoubtedly happen if we don’t follow it.
Listen to Moses as he delivers the living Word of the living God to the Israelites. ‘See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to LOVE the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce (announce) unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
That thou mayest LOVE the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.’ (Deut.30:15-20)
Oh my people, eons ago the Lord laid down the situation in clear and simple terms for the Israelites. And whether we like it or not, the same conditions apply even unto this day. So what more can I say that will make any difference it eh? Nothing really, since it’s all written right there in black and white in simple, everyday language.
All I can realistically do, is reiterate the Lord’s Word: ‘therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live… for he is thy life, and the length of thy days…’ That my Friends, is indeed eternal wisdom! Much LOVE!
…God has provided two avenues of living for us…blessing and cursing…we’ll be well advised to choose the first one…blessing…
18 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, acknowledge God in all thy ways, and lean not unto thine own understanding, as for me and mine, at odds with God's direction, be not wise in thine own eyes, blueprint for living a godly life, calamity, cast into the lake of fire, comfort, common sense, compassion, cry out to God for help, depart from evil, disobedience, ever-faithful God, fear the Lord, friends, give generously, glory hallelujah, glory to God, goals, God's plan for our lives, Hades, he shall direct thy paths, health, health to thy navel, honour the Lord with thy substance, how to live to purpose, humble yourself before God, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, joy, living God, LOVE, Lucifer, made in the image of God, magnificent and magnanimous God, marrow to thy bones, masterpiece of man, miracle, no way Jose, our heavenly Father, pay a price for disobedience, personal experience, possessions, praise his holy name, Praise the Lord, prince of darkness, rule the roost, sinful desires, sinful souls, singing praises to God, sufferation, the breath of life, the first fruits, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, top dog, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trust in the Lord with all thy heart, truth, understanding, usurp God's kingdom, wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell the roses, we move and have our being, we will follow the Lord, wealth, wisdom
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Well Friends, yesterday was another beautiful day in my area; lots of sunshine and blue skies, with unseasonably warm temperatures, and above everything else, a most magnificent and magnanimous God, controlling it all!
Oh, Glory to God! What more can I say eh? Not a whole lot, because my vocabulary is limited when coming to singing the praises of God. And in any case, ‘Glory to God’ says it all.
Yes my people, He is indeed the God in whom we move and have our being. The very breath of life that percolates through our frail and finite bodies comes from Him, and to top it off, we’re also made in His likeness, His wonderful image. What a miracle!
And all God’s faithful people declared a loud, proud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord! He is indeed a great God! The One who gives us everything we need to live this earthly life; health, wealth, comfort and joy, LOVE and compassion, wisdom and understanding. Glory Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name!’
Oh Friends, our heavenly Father is indeed a most wonderful God! In fact, He is the ONLY true and living God in existence! All other supposed deities are dead, but He is most certainly alive and kicking, and running the marvellous universe He created, the way He desires, with no one to tell Him yay or nay! (smile)
And one of His most important rules is that we, His most important creation, live and LOVE the way He does. But unfortunately too many of us refuse to do so. We’re more interested in living and LOVING the way our naturally sinful souls desire, which is most often at odds with God’s direction.
And if we don’t look sharp, we’ll pay all sorts of harsh and hefty prices for our disobedience.
Anyway, here is an interesting quote that addresses the matter somewhat. It’s attributed to Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), one of the significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He reputedly declared: ‘The great and glorious masterpiece of man, is to know how to live to purpose.’
And there’s a lot of truth to that statement my brethren. To live a successful life we must set proper goals and also take good care of ourselves, all in accordance with God’s plan for our lives. However many of us in today’s sinful, ungodly world don’t care about God’s plan for our lives, so we do our own thing. Then when the ‘sufferation’ comes, we quick to run to God and cry out for help!
But life doesn’t work that way my people. God’s Word wisely tells us in our Bit: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.’
That my Friends, is one of the most significant and important passages of the whole Bible! If you follow that and nothing else, you will never go wrong, for it encompasses everything. In this chapter of Proverbs, Cousin Sol is exhorting us to obedience to God, because our God takes it very seriously.
Now hear how he continues after our Bit. ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.
Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov.3:6-10)
Oh my people, my people, those 6 verses (5-10) are the everlasting blueprint for living a godly life! Humble yourself before God, don’t be too proud, let Him guide you, and then give generously of your possessions to His cause. Oh Friends, it’s so simple that we think it couldn’t be true. But believe me, it is true, and I’m talking here from personal experience.
Instead, we foolishly follow the worldly lusts and dictates of Lucifer. But my brethren, if Lucifer was so smart, he would not have tried to usurp God’s kingdom, and he’d still be top dog, the number one angel in heaven. But no, he wanted to be king and rule the roost, so he rebelled against the Father, the same senseless thing that so many of us are doing in this current age.
But how can the created ever overthrow the creator eh? Not in this life, or any other! Granted, Lucifer is now the top dog, but in the darkness of Hades and in this sinful world which will eventually be destroyed and he and his minions cast into the lake of fire.
So Friends, if that is where you want to end up, you just have to keep on following the sinful desires of our nature and the lusts of this evil world, ruled over by the prince of darkness. But that’s not wisdom, common sense or the plan that God has in mind for any of us.
Remember the words He spoke through 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)
Now my brethren, after hearing that wonderful promise from our ever-faithful God, how can we ever go and get seriously involved with Lucifer eh? Steups! No way Jose!
But everybody has to make their own decision, and I guess, though we may all speak the same language, we don’t necessarily have to think alike. Just look at the wicked, evil, war-like, greedy, ungodly, vengeful state of our world nuh. How could you ever want to be involved with those who are running it eh?
Oh my people, let’s smarten up nuh. Let’s ask God for the wisdom to make right and good choices, and stop depending on our sinful nature and limited mentality, for as James says, He gives it liberally to all who ask and without reproach too. (James.1:5)
So Friends, let’s wake up and smell the roses, the coffee, or whatever it takes to follow the Lord God Jehovah nuh, for that is the essence of wisdom and common sense. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will follow the Lord till our dying day…
25 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed day, a hard row to hoe, a token of a covenant, accepting Jesus, almighty god, ambassadors, awesome, be strong and courageous, beautiful rainbow, benefits, blessing, blot of a curse, clouds of darkness, confusion of tongues, courage, covenant, Creator of the universe, demonic purposes, enlightening, ever-faithful God, everlasting covenant, evil, evil cohorts, exile, faith, feeling of relief, fires of evil, floundering ship, for our children's sake, get with the programme, glimmered in the bright sunlight, God has my back, God's creation, God's ever-loving embrace, God's great heaven, God's little Acre, God's people, God-like wonder, good things God's promised, have the world by the throat, I set my bow in the cloud, illuminating, in living colour, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice, leading and guiding, live in the fleah, living God, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Love conquers all, Lucifer, man's evil nature, mockery, Niagara Falls, no need to fear, Noah, obedient to God's will, passion, peace, planet earth, rainbow, sign, signs and wonders, strangling, swirling water, thank you heavenly Father, the Good Book, the Great Flood, the last breath of life, the LOVE of Jesus christ, the Love Revolution, the One and Only One, the spirit, the tower of babel, to further God's glorious kingdom, Tobago, total destruction, troubled times, unconditional LOVE, wake up and smell the coffee, walk seriously with God, waste of time, we praise and bless your holy name, wisdom, wonder of God, working diligently, worthwhile, Wow, you can never go home again
Genesis 9:13. I do set my bow (rainbow) in the cloud, and it shall be for a token (sign) of a covenant between me and the earth.
Mornin’ Neighbuhs! LOVE and peace and wisdom be unto you all this blessed day that our wonderful God has provided! Let’s be strong and courageous and enjoy it in Jesus’ name, because that’s why it was given to us.
And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank you heavenly Father for allowing us to see another marvellous day on planet earth, and we will strive to be obedient to your will. We praise and bless your Holy Name! Amen.’
And Friends, yuh better believe that the ole fella thoroughly enjoyed yesterday. I took my brother and his wife to see that great wonder of God and tourist attraction – Niagara Falls. And it’s interesting that what seems to amaze them most is the vast expanse of land and water that is Canada.
Oh they enjoyed it all, but coming from the small, but oh so beautiful island of Tobago, God’s Little Acre – you know I had to throw that in there (smile) – and seeing for the first time the vastness of God’s creation, especially as believers, it will have a noticeable impact on you.
Even me, who has been here for over forty years, I still get a jolt of God-like wonder when I behold the Creator’s vast and beautiful expanse of nature.
But mih people, what thrilled and excited me the most yesterday is that through the mist of the swirling water of the falls on the American side, a small but ever so beautiful rainbow glimmered in the bright sunlight!
When I first saw it, my spirit responded with a silent but powerful exclamation of ‘Wow!’ And note, it wasn’t a big one arcing through the whole sky, but just over the falls itself.
Ah mih people, how could I not believe and have faith and courage and all the other good things that our great God has promised eh, when He so plainly shows me His signs and wonders?
Hear the Creator’s promise to Noah after the Great Flood that was supposed to wash away man’s evil nature, but unfortunately didn’t, and culminated in the building of the Tower of Babel and God causing the confusion of tongues. (Gen.11:1-3,7)
‘And God said, This is the token (sign) of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow (rainbow) in the cloud, and it shall be for a token (sign) of a covenant between me and thee and the earth.
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow (rainbow) shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
And the bow (rainbow) shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.’ (Gen.9:12-16)
Oh Friends, rainbows are few and far between these days, and whenever I see one, I take it as a personal blessing, a personal message from my ever-faithful God, that things will be all right, there’s no need to fear, He has my back, I’m safe and protected in His ever-LOVING embrace, and He will make my way clear, despite the bumps and pot-holes in the road.
I took yesterday’s rainbow as a sign that God was mightily pleased that my brother and I had hooked up so wonderfully, and that we were both working diligently to further His glorious kingdom!
That reminds me of two years ago when I returned to Tobago after thirty years in exile. The first thing I espied as the small plane took of from Trinidad, heading for Tobago, was a big, beautiful rainbow arcing through God’s great heaven.
And it just brought a mighty, but ever so grateful feeling of relief over me, because I knew then that everything would be all right, that the saying you can never go home again wasn’t true, once Almighty God was involved, leading and guiding your way!
And my first visit to Tobago, after such a long time, was indeed beautiful, as it obviously would, if orchestrated by the Creator of the universe. And believe me people, the second visit, earlier this year, was even better! Mama Mia! Can’t wait to experience the next one! (smile)
That’s why I keep telling us, that though walking seriously with God is often a hard row to hoe, the benefits, the blessings and the awesome, unconditional LOVE of our heavenly Father makes it all worthwhile!
I don’t know what else to say to convince you all nuh. The Good Book tells you about people long dead and otherwise, but Friends, I’m giving it to you live and in the flesh, in living colour, from a living God, the One and Only One!
So you have it both from the ones that have gone before, and also from the ones alive and kicking all around you right now, so what’s preventing you from accepting Jesus Christ as your true Lord and Saviour eh?
Believe me people, in these seriously troubled times, the only thing that will, or can save our world from total destruction is the LOVE of Jesus Christ, the rising up and flourishing of His LOVE Revolution, because Lucifer and his evil cohorts now have our beautiful world by the throat, gradually strangling it, trying to squeeze out the last breath of life in it for evil, demonic purposes.
Are we going to allow them to do that, my fellow believers? I certainly hope not!
Please remember that Jesus is depending on us, His workers, His ambassadors, to right the floundering ship that’s our world. So please, I implore us, let’s get a move on nuh, let’s get with the programme!
Do you know, or do you realize that right now, Jesus isn’t too thrilled with us, because we’re allowing the evil forces to take Him out of the world He created and died to save, without even a decent effort on our part. Chuh! Just like we don’t like others to force us out of stuff that we created, Jesus doesn’t like been forced out of His creation.
So again, I plead, let’s wake up and smell the coffee nuh! The fires of evil are spreading their dreadful tentacles all over the world with much haste, and we desperately need to combat them before they totally overtake us. And if they do, that would make Jesus’ sacrifice a mockery, a complete waste of time.
Do we want the blot of that curse on our generation? Certainly not!
So let’s get serious about the LOVE Revolution, and instead of evil spreading like wildfire, let’s have LOVE! Let’s allow the LOVE of Jesus Christ to lift the heavy clouds of darkness and evil from our world, and replace it with His bright, illuminating and enlightening light…for our children’s sake Friends! Much LOVE!
…LOVE CONQUERS ALL…
P.S. Hope it makes sense yes people, but that’s just where the Spirit led me today. And yuh know what happens once the passion in the ole fella is set free. (smile) Much LOVE!
22 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a double-minded man is unstable, a world of opportunity, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, almighty god, an ornament of grace, an untenable position, another week of work, ask in faith, ask of God, awe inspiring knowledge, Beelzebub, being tossed to and fro, blessings, cast into the lake of fire, Cousin Sol, crapaud smoke we pipe, double minded, doubting, eat drink and be merry, eternal separation from God, faith, fellowship, for all eternity, freedom, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, gospel truth, grace, guided by our Lord and Saviour, heavenly wisdom, honour, idol worship, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, jesus name, Jesus' parable, joy, knowing God, knowledge of God, living God, LOVE, make excuses, one true God, peace, personal relationship with Almighty God, praise and thanks, Praise the Lord, Proverbs, pursuit of lust, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, reverential awe, ride out the storm, right perspective, single minded, strength, sunlight of Jesus Christ, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the human spirit, the knowledge of god, the principal thing, the rich fool, the right track, things of the world, trials, troubled world, understand the fear of God, understanding, unison and harmony, upcoming weekend, vacillate, wavering, wisdom, wishy-washy
Proverbs 2:5. Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
Well hello there you beautiful people, it’s Friday, our favourite day!
And all hard working people joyfully declared: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes! Don’t know if I could have handled another day nuh. Praise the Lord! Thank Him ever so much that it’s Friday!’
Yes Friends, we have to be ever so thankful to our wonderful God for bringing us through another dark night into the glorious sunlight of His Son Jesus Christ and showering us with the many blessings He has planned for us today.
And while we’re in the praise and thanks mood, (smile) let’s chant our Friday Chant to give us a right perspective for the upcoming weekend. As one now, in unison and harmony. ‘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.’
And yuh know what Friends? Once we get on the right track, then a whole new world opens up to us. A world of opportunity, of peace, LOVE, joy, grace, strength and faith like we’ve never imagined! That’s what knowing God does for the human spirit.
Like our Bit so wisely says: ‘Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.’
And in today’s crazy, evil, ungodly, troubled world, do we ever need to hold Almighty God in reverential awe, and embrace His freedom releasing knowledge! For without that awe inspiring knowledge, we’d be just like a small boat being tossed to and fro on a big, stormy sea, that will eventually disintegrate and sink when we can no longer take the constant jamming and battering.
But my brethren, with the wisdom and knowledge of God circulating within us, we’ll instead stand steadfast and strong, like a big ship on those same stormy seas and successfully ride out the storm, ably guided by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Yes Friends, as Cousin Sol so eloquently says in Proverbs 4: ‘Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline (turn away) from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: LOVE her, and she shall keep thee.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov.4:4-9)
And isn’t that the gospel truth? It surely is!
And furthermore, re the subject of wisdom, James cautions 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 to him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting).
For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
And the scholars have an interesting take on verse 5: ‘1:5. This verse is not a blanket promise of wisdom for any situation. In the context of life’s trials, it probably speaks of the believer being granted (1) wisdom as to the reason for his trials and (2) wisdom to endure them.’
But sadly my people, the truth is that nowadays too many of us are either double minded, wishy washy in our attitude towards God, and thus unstable. Or if not, then we’re single minded in the foolish pursuit of the lust and idol worship of the things of the world, and have little or no regard whatsoever for Jehovah God.
That my Friends is an untenable position, for eventually you will pay a whopping price for your gross disobedience and lack of reverence to your Creator, even to the point of facing eternal separation from Him…and that’s for all eternity. And believe me, that is the worst thing that can ever happen to a soul, since that means being eventually cast into the lake of fire with Beelzebub and all his other evil and foolish minions. (Rev.20:10)
Now I’m sure none of us wants that to happen to us or to anyone close to us. But the only way to avoid that judgement is by sincerely embracing the ONE TRUE and LIVING GOD; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as soon as possible, preferably RIGHT NOW, for none of us knows when we will be called to the other side.
And if we continue to put it off, to vacillate and make excuses, we could end up being like the rich fool in Jesus’ parable. ‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:19-21)
Therefore my brethren, on this crucial Friday morning in August 2014, I implore us to take a serious look at our personal relationship with Almighty God, and make sure that we are properly aligned in His court, otherwise crapaud smoke we pipe, we’ll end up eternally separated for Him.
And that’s definitely not heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to have ears…and not listen to what God says…is the wisdom of a fool…
14 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: act wisely, actions speak louder than words, ask for the old paths, be strong and of a good courage, bones crying out, break free from a limited mindset, bring me out better on the other side, caring, characteristics of Jesus, Christ-like actions, Christian brethren, conquerors, created me to be uncontainable, Creator of the universe, death and destruction, destined to be a barrier breaker, disobedience, do according to all the law, doing good, eternal life, evil and ungodly times, example of our everyday lives, experience god's favour, fellow believers, find rest for your souls, friends, frightful times, glory hallelujah, God's children, God's promise, God's purpose for my life, God's Word, good news, I won't bear more than I can handle, inheritance, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, Joel Osteen, keep keeping on, living God, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, meditate on God's Word, Moses, my destiny, never to leave or forsake me, obedience, one of those days, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, persecuted, potential, Praise the Lord, problems, prosperity, salvation, seeds of greatness in me, sharing, sight of faith, significant lesson, stand in the ways and see, success, successful living, suffering, talent, thanks and praise, the gospel in action, the head and not the tail, Today is my day, trampled in the dust, victors not victimes, way ahead of the game, where is the good way, wisdom, with God's help
Jeremiah 6:16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Oh Friends, neighbours and fellow believers, it’s just one of those days… I went to bed late, got up early, feeling foggy, with all the ole arthritic bones crying out!
And to make matters worse, a tooth in my lower right jaw has suddenly begun acting up, which might necessitate a trip to the friendly dentist. (smile) Oh, my dentist is truly friendly. I’ve been going to him for over thirty years.
And what’s my response? A great ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes Friends, I’m giving thanks and praise, because if those are my biggest worries, then I’m way ahead of the game! Those are minor problems compared to those so many others are suffering, especially our unjustly persecuted Christian brethren in other parts of the world. Hope you are continually praying for them.
And my problems most likely won’t do me in, so I’m just going to keep on keeping on, in the holy name of our magnificent Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has faithfully promised never to leave or forsake me.
Now He never promised that I wouldn’t have problems, in fact He assured us that we would by simply believing in Him, but promised that He would not allow me to bear more than I can handle, and even then to help me go through them and bring me out better on the other side.
Wow! That’s why I can confidently say, like my Bubba Joel, (Joel Osteen): ‘TODAY IS MY DAY!
Yes my brethren, today is our day, so please affirm with me: ‘God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me.
Today, I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision. Today, God is taking me places that I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today, I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’
And all of God’s children gave out a mighty shout of, ‘Praise the Lord!’
And now that we’ve affirmed all that, let’s go out and through sight of faith, make it happen…with God’s help obviously. Because through our great and wonderful God, we’re all conquerors, victors and not victims, the head and not the tail!
So please let’s behave in a suitable manner, one that embodies all those fine characteristics of Jesus; also doing good, caring and sharing, both emotionally and physically, like He wants us to do.
Oh my fellow believers, the best way to speak of Jesus is through the example of our everyday lives! For remember that actions speak much louder than words, and others are liable to come to Jesus much more through our Christ-like actions, than our good news words.
As they say, the gospel in action is a most remarkable tool, and so very hard to ignore. And that’s my little spiel for today! (smile).
Now let’s see what our Bit has to offer. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’
Oh Friends, that is such a powerful and meaningful scripture, especially in these rather evil and ungodly times! It was very apropos in Jeremiah’s time, and even more so in ours now. I heard Uncle John (John Hagee) preach on it last night, and though we’ve used it as a Bit before, it’s so relevant to our frightful times, that I was guided to use it again.
Ah mih people, those old ways and paths of our forefathers were so blessed by obedience to God’s Word that prosperity was a given!
My brethren, let’s listen to this most potent passage of scripture, and as we do so, let’s also embed it deep in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, for it’s the quintessential, the purest and most perfect direction for success and successful living.
‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance (you shall give as a possession) the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success, act wisely) whithersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein in 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. 1:5-8)
Oh Friends, that says it all! The numerous new-fangled books on prosperity and success are totally unnecessary since we have God’s own direction for successful living.
Those are the old paths and way that we ought to tread and embrace if we want to be truly successful and prosperous! They have been proven over and over by numerous societies, who rose to greatness by following them.
But by the same token, when they have turned away from, forsaken the Lord God Jehovah, like we are currently doing, then their success and prosperity have been sadly trampled in the dust.
Please my fellow believers, I plead with us to learn that significant lesson today, and to put it into practice, for it is the wisdom of Almighty God Himself! And if we foolishly continue to not adhere to His commands, disobey His imperial dictates, then eventually, possibly sooner than later, our society will also crumble into dust and ashes.
Is that what we want to happen? I very much doubt it. Well then, let’s wake up and smell the awful stench of our disobedience nuh! Much LOVE!
…when new ways and new paths lead to death and destruction…the wise turn back to the old ways and paths…those of the living God…which lead to success and prosperity…salvation and eternal life…
31 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rose by any other name is just as sweet, a thirsty land, almighty god, as the deer longs for water, bad blood, be extraordinary, Caribana, Caribana Committee, Caribana weekend, commitment to excellence, dr robert h schuller, earthly traveller, elect the best, embrace the things of the world, empty spaces, enthusiasm, evil oppressive world, false glitz and glamour, follower of Jesus Christ, God fills the hungry soul with goodness, God satisfies the longing soul, gospel truth, guidance, heights that the Lord's planned for us, helping hand from almighty God, Hour of Power, hunger and thirst after righteousness, intense longing for Jesus, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Jesus requires excellence, legal wrangling, living God, lord of hosts, LOVE, mercy, modus operandi, my soul longs for God, no matter what price tag, pilgrim, pinnacle, pushing Jesus aside, rejoicing, rightful heirs, robert h schuller, satisfaction, Scotia Bank Caribbean Carnival, Selah, shun mediocrity, source of energy, spiritual poverty, spiritual rebirth, the condition of our souls, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory, things of the world, Toronto, walk uprightly, wickedness, wisdom, wish of all true believers
Psalm 42:1. As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth (longs) my soul after thee, O God.
And then it was Thursday – the day before Friday, the harbinger of the weekend! And this is Toronto’s big weekend in the sun, its weekend to shine brightly as the Caribana celebrations ramp up to the finale, the big parade on Saturday, moving from the Exhibition Stadium grounds out on to and down Lakeshore Boulevard.
Oh sorry Friends, officially the celebration is no longer Caribana, but something like Scotia Bank Caribbean Carnival. That’s because in the last few years the original Caribana Committee took the current runners of the festivities to court claiming copyright for the name Caribana, and they won.
However, despite all the legal wrangling, it will be forever known as Caribana, to the millions who’ve been involved in it. As they say, what’s in a name eh? A rose by any other name is just as sweet. I guess the same goes for the T.O. festivities. And would you believe that after all the bad blood between the two sides, there is now talk about them joining together. Ah Lord eh!
Anyway my brethren, I want to share with you a few words from one of my favourite pastors, Dr. Robert H. Schuller, and this from his Hour of Power Devotional. I don’t think I’ve shared this before, but even if I have, it’s worthwhile hearing it again.
He says that we ought to be extraordinary. ‘Choose the best, shun mediocrity. Mediocrity has a way of shrivelling up enthusiasm. But commitment to excellence taps an incredible source of energy. Elect the best, no matter what the price tag.’
And that’s gospel truth my people! And electing the best becomes even more important when you are a follower of Jesus Christ, because Jesus requires excellence in all those who choose to come to Him. Without overall excellence in our lives Friends, we’ll never reach the pinnacle, the heights that the Lord has planned for us.
And we cannot achieve excellence either without a helping hand from Almighty God. That’s why it’s so important to have that need, that intense longing for Jesus, as our Bit so astutely declares: ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth (longs) my soul after thee, O God.’
And that, my people, should be the modus operandi, the wish of all true believers! We ought to hunger and thirst after righteousness, as Jesus says in the Beatitudes, (Matt.5:6) so that He can fill us with His LOVE and mercy and guidance, without which we’d be totally lost in this evil, oppressive world.
And I just noticed an interesting scholars’ explanation for that Beatitude. ‘5:6. These future possessors of the earth are its presently installed rightful heirs, and even now they hunger and thirst after righteousness. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is proof of their spiritual rebirth.
Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which only God can give them. They shall be filled (Gr. chortazo) refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: ‘He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” (Ps.107:9)
Ah Friends, why in heavens name would we not be hungering and thirsting for Jesus and His righteousness if we claim to believe in Him eh? But the sad fact of the matter is that many of us are doing just that, claiming to believe, but not intensely longing for His righteousness, even though we are spiritually poor.
Unwisely, we try to fill up the empty space in us with the things of the world; its false glitz and glamour and earthly riches. But my brethren none of that can ever fully replace, or be better than the riches and the righteousness of heaven. And though some of us know that deep down in our hearts, yet we insist on pushing Jesus aside to embrace the things of the world.
Now hear these words from Psalm 84, the rejoicing of a pilgrim to the temple in Jerusalem. ‘How amiable are thy tabernacles (lovely are thy dwellings) O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will still be praising thee. Selah…. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper (stand at the threshold) in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:1-4, 11-12)
Oh Friends, those are the sentiments of an earthly traveller hungering for God’s presence, and until we can all truthfully echo those same sentiments, we are not doing our best, we are not longing for Jesus as intensely as we should, and therefore we will not be as excellent as we ought to be.
Again my people, I ask us today to ponder, to consider the condition of our souls, and if there be any lack, any emptiness therein, please turn to Jesus and ask Him to LOVINGLY fill those empty spaces with His grace, LOVE and mercy, so that we can go out and do excellent things in His holy name. For that is the wisdom that comes from heaven on high! Much LOVE!
…I stretch forth my hands unto thee…my soul thirsteth after thee…as a thirsty land…Selah… (Ps.143:6)
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