07 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's lips enter into contention, a fool's mouth is his destruction, a talebearer revealeth secrets, death and life are in the power of the tongue, endure to the end, get a business, gossip factories, halfway home, he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth matters, his lips are the snare of his soul, his mouth calleth for strokes, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of thy mouth, looking straight ahead, LOVE, lying more than to speak righteousness, meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips, not turning back, o thou deceitful tongue, our words can either make or break us, plead thy cause with thy neightbour himself, so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue, stop minding other people's business, thank God, that which is good to the use of edifying, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the north wind driveth away rain, the words of a talebearer are as wounds, they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof, thou lovest evil more than good, thou shalt not bear false witness, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail
Proverbs 18:21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Brother! Is it really Wednesday already? The days sure are moving quickly. And it’s already the 7th of June. If we don’t look sharp and pay attention to our business the year will finish and we would not have done anything worthwhile. As 3 Canal rightly said: ‘If you don’t have a business, then you’d better get a business and stop minding other people’s business.’ And is that ever the truth in these times of social media and plenty minding of other people’s business. Minding other people’s business has now become big business where some of us are making big money for tattling on others, calling them entertainment shows, but in actual fact are just gossip factories.
And it’s sad, but somewhat amusing that everybody has an opinion on everything, even when we don’t know a blooming thing about anything! But I guess that’s life in these supposed modern times. And as usual we’ve forgotten one of the Ten Commandments; ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.’ (Ex. 20:16) But false witness is exceedingly popular and rampant in these last days. And there are many other scriptures about gossiping and slander and false witness. Let’s check out a few of them nuh.
Cousin Sol is amongst the forefront of those who warn against the deadly virus. Listen to him from Proverbs 18: ‘A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes (blows). A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. The words of a talebearer (gossip or slanderer) are as wounds (tasty morsels), and they go down into the innermost parts (chambers) of the belly.’ (Prov. 18:6-8)
Yes friends, our mouths get us into plenty trouble, especially when we carry news and we’re not sure if it’s true or not. The words of a gossip might be tasty morsels to some who are hearing it, but to the one whom it’s about, it’s like an internal wound; it hurts them, especially if it’s not true. And unfortunately, that’s what our world seems to be about in these turbulent and vitriolic times.
Then in Proverbs 20, Cousin Sol tells us that ‘He that goeth about as a talebearer (gossip) revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not (don’t associate) with him that flattereth with his lips.’ (Prov. 20:19) And is that ever wise advice, for whoever gossips to you about someone else, will also gossip about you to someone else. And unfortunately, very few of us seem able to keep a secret nowadays, what with the way our mouths are constantly running with no real thought to what we’re saying.
That’s why Cousin Sol also wrote: ‘A talebearer (gossip) revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth matters.’ (Prov. 11:13) Now how many of us around right now are of a faithful spirit eh? Not too many, for we all like to blather and prattle about what we know, as well as what we don’t know. And listen to this one from the man of Proverbs. ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from trouble.’ (Prov. 21:23) And isn’t that the glorious truth! And how I wish that many many more of us would pay attention to that scripture and put it into practice. Our world and lives would be so much the better for it.
And Cousin Sol apparently wasn’t joking when he wrote about gossips and slanderers for here is some more of his infinite wisdom on the subject. ‘Debate (plead) thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not (don’t disclose) a secret to another. Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away (the evil report that follows your gossiping doesn’t go away.)’ (Prov. 25:9-10) Yes my people, let’s not reveal the secrets of others, for those things usually get back to the owners of the secrets and they can really put us to shame by bad-mouthing us to others.
And furthermore, according to Cousin Sol: ‘A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul (club), and a sword, and a sharp arrow.’ (Prov. 25:18) Yuh see friends, gossip and false witness are very dangerous things, that can cause untold damage to both the victim and the one who spreads it. That’s why Cousin Sol further says: ‘The north wind driveth away (brings forth) rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.’ (Prov. 25:23)
And I like this commentary on that verse. ‘Proverbs 25:23, the verse that specifically uses the word backbiting, paints a vivid picture of how people respond to a gossip. Just as a cold north wind brings rain, so a tongue given to backbiting will bring angry looks from the victims of the gossip.’ And sometimes it will bring more than angry looks according to the nature of the gossip.
That brings us to these words from Bruh David found in Psalm 52. ‘The tongue deviseth mischiefs (delights in evil); like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou LOVEST evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou LOVEST all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him.’ (Ps. 52:2-6)
In other words, as this commentary describes the passage. ‘3 You love evil more than good, you call black white. 4 You love malicious gossip, you foul-mouth. 5 God will tear you limb from limb, sweep you up and throw you out, Pull you up by the roots from the land of life. 6 Good people will watch and worship.’ That’s some of what we have to look forward to if we continue being gossips and false witnesses.
And what’s the solution to all of those warnings and promises, you ask? Listen to what Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus. ‘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) Oh my people that’s the way it should be. Instead of gossiping about others, we can talk words of kindness and truth to those we meet, LOVE them, by speaking words that will build them up rather than break them down.
For remember that Cousin Sol again has the answer: (smile) ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21) Yuh better believe it my people, those of us who LOVE to indulge our tongues will most certainly bear the consequences of our words. So please, let’s stop and think before we talk nuh. That’s wisdom for the ages. Now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail letting the whole world know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus.
As one voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we endure right down to the very end with Jesus, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s use that as incentive to endure all the way with Jesus nuh! Much LOVE!
…the words we speak…can either make or break us…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
17 May 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: beware of what you ask for, calamity all around the globe, climate change, endure to the end, for the wages of sin is death, get down on our knees and pray, God gives us the anoining to face problems, halfway home, hand on the plough, his sweat were like great drops of blood, Jesus devoted Himself to prayer, Jesus spake a parable unto them to this end, keep on praying and not lose heart, looking straight ahead, LOVE, men ought to pray and not faint, not turning back, our God can do anything, pray without ceasing, prayer is our biggest privilege, prayer is our most powerful weapon, reduction of pollution, tampered with God's weather system, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the cup of sufferation, the dangers of polluting our atmosphere, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, you use it or lose it
Luke 18:1. He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought to pray and not faint.
Now what’s happening weatherwise eh? Last Wednesday I said that that would be three consecutive days of bright sunshine, and this Wednesday, we’re still counting. (smile) As the old folks would say, beware of what you ask for, for when you get it, you’ll realize that it was not all it was cracked up to be. And so many steady days of sunshine without even a drop of heavenly blessing is definitely not good. Just note the heat and lack of rain that caused the wildfires out in Alberta, that by the way, are still burning. It’s never good to have too much or too little of anything…well, except where sin is concerned – a little is always good. (smile)
But since we’ve tampered with God’s finely tuned and balanced weather systems with all the pollution we’ve released into the atmosphere and the water, there’s not much we can do about it, except to pray. Some of us are making a rather belated effort to try and clean things up, but climate change didn’t happen overnight, it took some time to get to this stage where we’re feeling the dastardly effects.
And it’s not that we weren’t warned about the dangers of polluting our atmosphere and water a long time ago, but in the usual high-handed, arrogant manner of mankind, we, or rather those in power and those whose wealth would be affected by any reduction of the pollution, refused to believe that negative stuff could happen if we continued our stubborn, greedy activities.
Now we’re paying the price for it. And would you believe that there’s a sizeable portion of our population that still don’t believe that climate change is a reality at all, much less a worsening one. And as always, it’s mainly those in a position of power and wealth, who stand to lose the most if cleaner methods of production were instigated. That means, no real improvement can be implemented if those who have the power to make a difference don’t agree to do so. So what do we do eh?
As I said before, pray. That’s our most powerful weapon. And all of us pray to some God or other, and we claim to believe in prayer, so it’s time for us to shut up and put up! It’s time for us to unite, despite our faith, get down on our knees and pray that the negative and very difficult situations that are already causing calamity all around the globe, would be changed, or at least slowed down or halted by the blessed hand of our powerful and merciful God. Individually, we also need to do whatever we can to lessen pollution. It might just be a small deed like not throwing plastic in the water or the land fill, but each individual act when put together can make some significant difference.
Although, who knows if we stop all our polluting that our weather systems and the chunk we’ve taken out of our protective ozone layer would return to its original state? Maybe we’ve already gone too far, and we now have to grin and bear the calamitous effects that are coming our way. However, some of us do believe in the God who created the universe and all therein, that’s the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom we believe can do anything He so desires. And how do we communicate with this magnificent Deity, through the medium of prayer, which is basically talking to Him, expressing our desires and listening to Him as He answers our prayers.
And there’s no more telling duty or requirement in all faiths than to pray. In the Christiaan faith, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God, made that very clear when He advised His followers thus. ‘He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought to pray and not faint.’ (Luke 18:1) That’s mankind ought to keep on praying and not lose heart or give up, for prayer is the most important privilege we have, and we must use it.
And being the honourable kind of man He was, He didn’t give advice and not keep it Himself, like the scribes and Pharisees did. While down here on earth, though being God, a member of the Holy Trinity, He always made time to pray to the Father in heaven, so that He could know the Father’s will, and have His human spirit be replenished to enable Him to fulfill His destiny. And there’s no better example of that than on the night before His crucifixion, when He was filled with anguish and torment over the upcoming ‘sufferation’. He repaired to the Garden of Gethsemane and devoted Himself to prayer.
Three times He cried out to His Father asking if the cup of ‘sufferation’ could be removed, ending each time with the statement, ‘not my will but thine be done.’ (Matt. 26:39) But He received no answer whatsoever. That’s because He knew, as well as the Father did, that there was no other way to forgive the abominable sins of man righteously and justly without Him paying the high, dehumanizing price it required. The Bible, God’s Word says: ‘For the wages of sin is death.’ (Rom. 6:23)
That means for sin to be considered paid for, death has to occur. And not any ordinary human being, but someone who was sinless. And since Jesus was the only sinless person available, the awful task fell to Him. And though the Father did not answer Jesus’ prayer, the gospel of Luke tells us that in his time of agony, that ‘He prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was like it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.’ (Luke 22:43-44)
So, the Father did not leave Him completely hopeless; He strengthened Him so that He could perform the necessary task. And that’s how He often is with us too. We might want to get away from something, but in His will or plan for us, He believes it necessary for us to go through the trial, so instead He gives us the grace, the strength, the anointing to face the problem. And we should also note what Jesus said to the disciples in the Garden when He found them sleeping instead of praying. ‘What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ (Matt. 26:40-41)
And that’s the gospel truth my people, our spirit is willing to keep us praying, but our flesh is weak and doesn’t want to do it. That’s why Bruh Paul in all his missives advised his readers to pray. To the Thessalonians he wrote: ‘Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:17-18)
Meanwhile to the Ephesians at the end of his treatise on putting on the armour of God (Eph. 6:10-17) he exhorted them: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph. 6:18) So although one puts on the protective armour of God, prayer is still essential to making it work.
Oh my fellow saints, please, let’s understand that the Christian life is based on prayer, and it’s to our benefit, not God’s, to have a good prayer life. Now, for those of who know and understand that and try to implement it, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And the beauty of it all friends, is that if we endure right down to the very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious that we can ever ask or imagine! Let’s therefore use that as encouragement and inspiration to stick with Jesus right to the very end nuh! Much LOVE!
…prayer is our biggest privilege…and like most things…if we don’t use it…we lose it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
01 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a God-given solution, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, confounded their language, endure to the end, flex their manly muscles, freedom of choice, giveth wisdom unto the wise, glad to be alive, God's endless compassion grace and mercy, he knoweth what is in the darkness, He revelaeth the deep secret things, hidden gme, hypocrisy, I am halfway home, in Christ alone is there hope for the future, knowledge to them that know understanding, looking straight ahead, LOVE, my hands are on the plough, neither hid that shall not be known, not looking back, proclaimed upon the housetops, raise our passion for Christ, removeth kings and setteth up kings, shall be heard in the light, spoken in the ear in closets, stubborn stiff-necked people, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the darkness hideth not from thee, the light dwelleth with him, the Lord changeth the times and seasons, the Lord gives power to get wealth, the tower of babel, there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, there's nowhere to run nor hide from God, this is the day the Lord has made, to a glorious future with Jesus, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, whatever is spoken in darkness, whither shall I flee from thy presence, whither shall I go from thy spirit, wisdom and might are the Lord's
Luke 12:2. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed: neither hid, that shall not be known.
And what shall we say this cold and sunny Wednesday morning, the first day of February in this watershed year of 2023 eh? What else but ‘This is the day the Lord has made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) Nothing else but thanks and glory to our heavenly Father will do, because He’s the One who created us and keeps us alive until He is ready to take us home. All we do and have flow from Him and His endless compassion, grace and mercy.
Remember yesterday we saw where Cousin Sol reminded us that keeping God’s commandments is a big factor in our health, peace and longevity. (Prov. 3:2) And Moses warned the Israelites in the wilderness thus, re getting too big for their britches after becoming prosperous in the Promised Land. ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 14:8) But we all know that the Israelites didn’t listen, for they were a stubborn, stiff-necked people, and they paid dearly for their rebellious ways.
And the same thing goes for us today; we’re stiff-necked and stubborn and are paying dearly for our rebellious ways with all the tragedy and disaster currently engulfing our world. It amazes me though, that we try every man-made solution to solve our problems without any success, but refuse to try the ONLY thing that will work for us, that’s a God-given solution. Just take a ‘Selah’ moment and think about it nuh. Our world is both literally and figuratively falling down around us, and we can’t seem to find a way to stop it.
But yuh think anybody amongst the powers that be are really concerned about turning to God for a solution? No sir! They are all looking for manmade solutions, in other words, tripping over each other looking for dictatorial powers. That’s the latest plum in the political sphere; to be a dictator and rule as you see fit. And one of those desires is to remove God from our society. Which is possibly the biggest pipe dream that mankind has ever had.
Remember the tower of Babel? That’s where after the Flood, mankind decided to build a city and a tower reaching up to heaven, and to make a name for themselves. But the Lord nipped the idea in the bud, by coming down and confounding their language, which at that time was all one, so that they could no longer understand each other, then scattered them all over the earth. (Gen.11:1-9) So friends, whatever might happen in these upcoming dark and evil times, Almighty God WILL NEVER allow His Holy Name to be removed from the earth! Let’s all get that straight.
And while we’re doing that, let’s remember the words of the prophet Daniel when the Lord revealed the secret of the Babylonian king’s vision. ‘Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up (raises up) kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know (have) understanding. He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.’ (Dan. 2:20-22)
Oh my people, the Creator of this world is in total control of it all! Please believe that. He might allow all sorts of unfair and unjust stuff to happen but that’s all a part of His plan to bring the world to justice. So don’t for one moment think that the foolish men who are trying to seize power are really running things. The Lord’s just allowing them to flex their manly muscles until He is ready to raise them up or tear them down.
And it’s strange that we talk so much about the omnipotence, omniscience and omni-presence of our great God, but it’s really only talk. We don’t truly believe it, otherwise we wouldn’t be still trying to hide and plot and do the evil things we do, foolishly believing that God doesn’t know or see all that we try to hide in the darkness.
That reminds us of Bruh David’s famous words in Psalm 139: ‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? or wither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover (fall on me); even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.’ (Ps. 139:7-12)
Yes friends, there is absolutely NOWHERE, we can run to or hide from the Lord, be it in the earth, the heavens, or the seas! So why don’t we just stop fooling ourselves eh and simply and wisely become obedient to His holy will? It’s really the easiest and simplest solution to all our worries and woes. And please remember also what Jesus said about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and the trying to hide stuff in dark places. He strongly warned: ‘Beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed: neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light: and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets (inner rooms) shall be proclaimed upon the house tops.’ (Luke 12:1b-3)
And yuh know what my brethren, that doesn’t necessarily mean that our secrets and evil deeds will only be revealed in heaven, but a lot of them will also be brought to light right down here on earth. So, I really don’t know why we are still trying to do stuff in secret and hope that they won’t get out. Just look at the number of whistle-blowers we have nowadays, just letting out secrets, some of them hidden for a long time, but nonetheless, they are eventually seeing the light of day. But the Lord in His wisdom, gave us free will, (Hn!) so all I can ask of us is to use that freedom to be wise and sincerely make Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, for without Him, like the proverbial snowball in the fires of hell, we don’t stand a single, solitary chance of making it on our own. End of Sermon!
Now for those of us who believe that, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And let’s not forget this li’l hidden gem. If we endure right down to the end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, let’s use that as fuel to raise our passion for Christ nuh! Much LOVE!
…in Christ alone…is there any worthwhile future…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
04 May 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a state of spiritual perception, April showers bring May flowers, believing ye shall receive it, bow to the Father's will, climate change, confess your faults one to another, endure to the end, for God's greater good, fraught with all kinds of pitfalls, halfway home, hands on the plough, he shall guide thy paths, hits the nail on the head, if ye abide in me and my words abide in you, in all thy ways acknowledge him, is any among you afflicted let him pray, is any merry, lest ye fall into temptation, let him sing psalms, looking straight ahead, LOVE, not turning back, not what I will but what thou wilt, pray for one another, pray without ceasing, raise our maturity level, resist the enemy's wiles and schemes, right living, sufferation, take this cup away from me, the future will be even more glorious, the prayer of faith shall save the sick, this is the confidence that we have in Him, to a glorious future with Jesus, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, watch ye and pray, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer
Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Oh, it’s been a very persistent drizzle; right from yesterday afternoon, through the night…and believe it or not, (smile) it’s still happening in my neighbourhood! So, this middle day of the week, Wednesday is wet and cloudy. It’s the kind of day we expected in April, you know, April showers that bring May flowers. But it hasn’t worked out that way. It’s May, and we still haven’t seen any flowers. What’s with that eh? But after a somewhat colder than normal April, the trees are now venturing to bud.
And we’re laying it all at the feet of climate change. Now isn’t it strange that we always find something or someone else to blame for our problems rather than the usual cause, that’s ourselves? For sure! We don’t like to accept blame, even when it’s staring us full in the face. And our society is daily getting worse in that respect. But I’m not going to go any further into that topic, because it’s one fraught with all kinds of pitfalls. (smile) But rather, I’m going to revisit our Bit of yesterday, the reassuring and uplifting words of Jesus on prayer. ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt. 21:22)
And why is that you ask? Simply because some of the scriptures I had planned to share yesterday never got shared, and I believe they are important enough for us to consider on the subject of prayer. And the first scripture we want to address is this one that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion, when His heart was heavy and His spirit pretty low. ‘And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.’ (Mark 14:36)
Yes friends, we need to note there, that although Jesus would have liked to be spared the ‘sufferation’ of the cross, He was willing to bow to the Father’s will. We saw the same thing with Bruh Paul yesterday, when the Lord refused to remove the thorn from his flesh because it showed the Lord’s power more in his weakness. And that’s the same thing we must understand. God will not always answer our prayers, the way we want them, when our problems serve for His greater good. You can see that instead of taking away the ‘sufferation’ of the cross, He gave Jesus the wherewithal to handle it, and likewise with Bruh Paul, He gave him the strength to handle whatever was the annoying thorn in his flesh.
So please don’t be dismayed if we ask for relief in some way and the Lord provides it in a different way. Remember, whatever we ask for, must be in line with the Lord’s will, and there will be times, when we truly believe we need genuine relief from problems, but facing those problems will accentuate His glory and raise our maturity level, so He might just give us the strength to face them, instead of removing them completely.
Then there is this very interesting and true statement from Jesus to the disciples, after He came and found them sleeping, instead of watching and praying with Him. He said to them: ‘Watch ye and pray, lest ye fall into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:38) And that’s the indisputable truth my people! Our flesh is easily ruled by our sinful nature, and we need to be in a state of spiritual perception to be able to resist the wiles and evil schemes which the enemy constantly throws at us.
And the best way to do that is through prayer. For when we are praying, temptation cannot overcome us. Now listen to Jesus again to the disciples after telling them that He was the vine and they the branches. (John 15:5) ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.’ (John 15:8) And that relates directly to the fact that we ask for whatever in Jesus’ name, because it’s only through His work on the cross and His name, that we have access to the Father. So only if we are His true agents and ambassadors, living His Word, will using His name work.
And these words of James, Jesus’ brother, on the topic of prayer, really tell us how important it is in the believer’s life. He says: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:13-16)
Yes my fellow saints, prayer should be our number ONE response to everything! As Bruh Paul said to the Thessalonians: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (2 Thess. 5:17) The Lord our God ought to be the first person we tell about any problem. Then He will direct us to the best road to take. As Cousin Sol so wisely and rightly says in Proverbs. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
Truer words were never spoken or written my friends! That’s why we can turn to the first epistle of John to read and hopefully learn these most valuable lessons. ‘Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.’ (1 John 3:21-22)
Now the scholars give us a very good warning about those passages of scripture. ‘We have confidence toward God if our lives are in line with the standard of Christian living set forth by John in the earlier passages. John is not saying that whether a person is right or wrong is simply a matter of how he subjectively feels about himself. That is why John has given so many indicators and commands for Christians to take note of and assess themselves by. And one of the great results of a life lived in purity before God is a life where there is effective prayer. Right living is an important part of successful praying.’
And that hits the nail right on the head my brethren! Prayer is non-functional unless we are living right. In other words, right living determines the successfulness of our prayers! And for those of us who are endeavouring to live right, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And the corollary to that is this: if we endure to the very end, then the future will be even more glorious and marvellous than we can ever ask or imagine! Now doesn’t that give us good reason to endure right down to the very end? It surely does! Much LOVE!
…and this is the confidence that we have in him…that if we ask anything…according to his will…he heareth us… (1 John 5:14)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
20 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a choice slice of salvation, and beside me there is no God, anointed, be in cahoots with, bring America to its knees, calamity, Cyrus the Persian king, doing God's work, fear ye not, firecrackers, fireworks, flowing through me, forgiveness, from the rising of the sun, God is not the author of sin, grab hold of conviction, I am halfway home, I am the first, I am the last, I form the light and create darkness, I kill make alive, I make peace and create evil, I wound and I heal, I'm so glad to be alive, inauguration of the U.S. President, Jesus is our advocate, looking straight ahead, moral evil, my hands are fixed securely on the plough, neither be afraid, neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand, no pardon in heaven, not looking back, our own evil and selfish desires, parting of the Red Sea, physical evil, repentance, satisfy our whims and fancies, thank God, the breath of life, the day of their calamity is at hand, the Lord he is God, the Lord's will, the power to pardon, their foot shall slide in due time, there is no god with me, there is none else beside him, time longer than twine, to a glorious future with Jesus, to me belongeth vengeance, unfolding as it should, unpleasant consequences, Wednesday Wail, whtever best suits His ultimate purpose, ye are even my witnesses
Deuteronomy 32:39: See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with (beside) me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
Well today’s the big day, the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden! Wonder if there’ll be fireworks like a couple of weeks ago at the Capitol Building, or just some minor firecrackers pretending to be fireworks? (smile)
Let’s hope it will be the latter because this time the powers that be are ready for the assault, if there’s one, and it will have much more unpleasant consequences than the previous upheaval.
Be assured of one thing though, the Lord’s will is unfolding as it ought to in His universe. He will allow whatever best suits His ultimate purpose. And there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.
As I’ve been saying ever since, the Lord allowed Trump to be President so He could bring a disobedient and ungodly America to its knees, and Donald has definitely done a marvellous job at that. It’s just left to be seen now, if the Lord is satisfied, or He wants America to bow even further.
And it’s sad to see so many supposedly godly people involved in the Trump shenanigans over the last four years. It was also surprising to see the rioters a couple weeks ago claiming that they were doing God’s work by breaking into and ransacking the Capitol Building. Hn! How often we claim to be doing God’s work when it’s our own evil and selfish desires we’re perpetrating eh.
I see now too that a whole lotta them want to fire Franklin Graham, Billy’s Son, because he appeared to be in cahoots with Donald. But remember friends, God sees all, and knows all, and time longer than twine, so the consequences for our wrongdoing might not come right away, but come they will.
As the Lord said long, long ago: ‘To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.’ (Deut. 32:35) In the meantime we had better grab hold of conviction, repentance, forgiveness, and a choice slice of salvation. (smile)
I don’t know why we insist on doubting that the Lord God Jehovah is the One and Only True, Living God nuh, He’s said it so often in His indisputable word. Let’s get a few examples nuh.
This first one comes when Moses warned the people of Israel against idolatry as they came out of bondage in Egypt. ‘Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightiest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.’ (Deut. 4:35) And they had seen firsthand the mighty works of God, especially the parting of the Red Sea for them to get away from the Egyptian army.
Then Moses in his departure song, declared (yeah!) unto them. ‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with (beside) me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.’ (Deut. 32:39)
That’s so plain and straightforward my people! There is NO God beside Yahweh! The false gods are impotent. Only Jehovah can kill and make alive, can wound and heal! And even though He sometimes uses our enemies to bring us down, those same enemies will eventually reap their just reward through His ultimate vengeance.
But hundreds of years later, the prophet Isaiah still had to turn around and warn the Israelites: ‘Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me (who can proclaim it, then let him declare it), since I appointed the ancient people and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them show unto them.
Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God (Rock); I know not any.’ (Is. 44:6-8)
Mamacita! If that isn’t telling it like it is, then I don’t know what is nuh! Oh friends, even Cyrus, the Persian king who was so powerful, owed his power and conquests to God. He was even called ‘anointed’ (Is. 45:1) the only place in scripture where a Gentile is so designated.
And later on He says to Cyrus, through Isaiah: ‘I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me. That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west (to its setting), that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil (calamity): I the Lord do all these things.’ (Is. 55:5-7)
Let’s get one thing straight though, as the scholars explain: ‘The phrase I…create evil refers to physical evil or calamity rather than moral evil. God is no way pictured in Scripture as the author of sin.’ In fact friends, sin is His biggest nemesis! He hates it with a passion!
Please my brethren, let us realize nuh that our God is wonderful; LOVING, gracious merciful, forgiving and all those good things, but He is also holy, righteous and a just judge, which means He can’t allow sin to just proliferate with no consequences.
He had the power to just pardon all sin with a wave of His hand, (like Trump seems to think he can do (smile) but that would not have satisfied the justice of His judge-like character. He has to balance both sides of His character. So to make it all not only right, but seen as right, He sacrificed His Son to pay for the sins of the whole world, thereby satisfying both aspects of His character.
So He is not just a doting grandfather sitting in heaven just to satisfy our whims and fancies, He also has a righteous job as a judge to perform. That means, just like we pay for our wrongs here on earth against our society, we will eventually have to pay for those against God, if we have not received His Son, Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, and thus have those wrongs forgiven in the court of heaven.
It is therefore necessary for each individual to make their own peace with God. No one else can do it for you. Now, for those of us who have already done that, let’s go home declaring (awright!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our very enviable position in Christ.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we need to remember that if we endure until the very end, that the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…pardon will only be granted in heaven…if Jesus is our advocate…
30 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ;ust, another brand new day in the life, ask, asking and receiving, Beautiful Things Happen, changing circumstances, consume it in your pleasures, deeply treasured, desire to have, divine blessing, doing His wll, encounter Christ, God's will for us, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, I will both, in God's economy, incomparable benefit, indisputable truth, it shall be given unto you, it shall be opened, joyfully accept them, kill, knock, lay me down in peace and sleep, looking straight ahead, LOVE, makest me dwell in safety, manipulation and comparison, manna, more than in the time, more than we can ask or imagine, my heart is full of joy, new mercies and compassions, not looking back, obeying the Word of God, perfect human beings, productively use them, prompt us to panic, prompt us to pray, Ruth Harms Calkin, seek, shelved for worry, tears flowing like a river, thank God, the benefit of His holy name, the breath of life, the gospel truth, the long and short of the story, the most powerful weapon, their corn and wine increased, thou hast put gladness in my heart, to a glorious future with Christ, tragedy and shock, unfortunate circumstances, Wednesday Wail, ye ask amiss, ye ask and receive not, ye shall find, your whispered secrets
Psalm 4:7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased.
Well it’s another brand new day in the life my friends and fellow believers. And yes, like always, it’s filled with all the new mercies and compassions that our Lord God has promised! What a divine blessing and incomparable benefit! But we have to joyfully accept them and then productively use them, for them to be of any real benefit to us. So let’s hope, like the manna the Lord fed the Israelites with so long ago in the wilderness, we have gathered up our mercies and compassions for this day and have put them to work to the benefit of His holy name and will. For that’s the main purpose of our lives on this planet Earth; doing His Will while obeying His Word.
And that’s all I have to say this morning! (smile) But our friend Ruth Harms Calkin has something wonderful to share with us; it’s a poem called ‘Beautiful Things Happen,’ and it’s taken from our One Year Book of Bible Promises. So please pray with me: ‘O God such beautiful things happen when I meet You day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance.
I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To Your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’
Now isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! The Lord does more for us in one single, solitary day than we could ever do for ourselves in a whole lifetime! But all those things don’t just come automatically; we have to seek Him and meet and greet and reverence and worship and enjoy His friendship,LOVE, grace and mercy that He gives so freely to those who ask for and receive it. Remember friends, in God’s economy, asking and receiving are very important. Remember these crucial words of Jesus: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ (Matt. 7:7)
And his brother James follows that up with these immortal words: ‘Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not.’ (James 4:2) Yes friends, we try to do all those things in our own strength, but the true answer to life is going to our heavenly Father and asking Him for whatever we desire. And James spells out the problem even further: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).’ (James 4:3)
And isn’t that the indisputable truth? It certainly is, because when we do ask, we too often ask for unimportant things, lustful things of the world, things that don’t pair up with God’s will for us. And we have this interesting explanation on the subject from the website www.ibelieve.com/faith: ‘Tragedy and shock often prompt us to panic, when it should prompt us to pray. The most powerful weapon we’ve been given to wield often gets shelved for worry, manipulation, and comparison.’ And that’s another indisputable truth! In times of trouble, instead of turning to God with the most powerful tool in the universe, prayer, we unwisely try to manipulate and work things out on our own.
So the long and short of the story is that we must not only ask, but ask for the right things. And I’m chuckling here because I went off on a tangent there. It wasn’t my intention to talk about all that asking stuff, but it just seemed right and important to mention at this time.
Anyway, getting back to our poem: ‘Beautiful Things Happen.’ Beautiful things do happen when we surrender our all to God and come humbly and confidently to Him each and every day to renew our fellowship with Him. And though our circumstances might be somewhat rough and difficult, like they are right now, when we encounter Christ, right where we are, though the tears may be flowing like a river from our eyes, because of those unfortunate circumstances, our hearts will be overflowing with joy because we know that our great and wonderful God is ALWAYS near and will ALWAYS look after us once we place our lives in His mighty and oh so compassionate hands.
Yes friends, our God deeply LOVES and treasures each of His creation. He made NOTHING that He doesn’t LOVE! Remember the remarkable words the Good Book says about the creation? ‘And God saw that it was good…’ (Gen. 1:25) And yes, our sins have disappointed Him greatly, but He still LOVES us so much that He sent His Only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us so that we could be saved from hell fire and eternal damnation! But we need to come to Him! I can’t declare (yeahhh!) how important that is my people. The onus is now on us to accept God’s grace and mercy!
Now listen to these most reassuring words of Bruh David from Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God, which are the Bible Promises for our Poem and also our Bit. ‘There may be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps. 4:6-8)
Mama Mia! Oh mih people, yuh read them marvellous words of Bruh David! Brother! What could be better than that eh? NOTHING really! When you fellowship and commune with the Lord during the day, you can sleep like a baby at nights, without any worries or real concerns, because He makes those who trust and sincerely believe in Him to sleep in peace! Glory Be!
Yes, the ole fella’s excited! And if you aren’t excited after reading all that we’ve said today, then ah sorry for yuh yes! And then yuh wonder why life treating yuh so rough and tough. Chuh! It’s simply because yuh not putting enough trust and faith in the Lord God Almighty and living the way He desires you to. And He knows you won’t be perfect, because He’s never made any perfect human beings. But He does require us to come to Him and commune with Him on a regular basis, so that He can give us the desires of our hearts. And not the lustful, ungodly desires, but the true and godly ones! (smile)
Ah mih people, there’s so much more useful scripture I wanted to quote, but time and space have run out. Maybe tomorrow we can continue, God willing. But now let’s go home declaring (awright!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
All together now in strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we need to remember, that if we do endure until the end, our future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Give our wonderful God some much deserved praise my people!Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
08 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a swollen head, a white blanket, Blessed be the Lord God, calm and peaceful sensation, doeht wondrous things, glory hallelujah, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, hate evil, his hands formed the dry land, I know that the Lord is great, let the earth rejoice, let us sing unto the Lord, looking straight ahead, make a joyful noise, mankind gets involved, new fallen snow, no need for God, not looking back, one true God, our Lord is above all gods, potent enemies, preserveth the souls of his saints, romanticizing snow, stand steadfast and strong, the breath of life, The God of Israel, the Lord's creations, the only living God, the vanity of idols, the work of men's hands, things turn ugly, to a glorious future with Jesus, too big for his breeches, truth, Wednesday Wail, white like snow, written indelibly in our hearts, ye that love the Lord
Psalm 135:5. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
Aye friends, outside white like snow! (smile) Yeh, I saw it fluttering down like crazy when I went to bed around 3. a.m. And the nice, clean, whiteness never stops amazing me. Oh, I definitely don’t want to go trudging or driving through it, but if you like nature and enjoy the Lord’s creations, then you can’t help but admire the calm and peaceful sensation brought on by new fallen snow, covering everything in a beautiful white blanket! I have to laugh though; the ole fella philosophizing on and romanticizing snow, one of our most potent enemies!
But that’s how it is, for our God never made anything bad or not for some useful purpose, it’s only when mankind gets involved that things turn ugly. (smile) And if you claim to LOVE God, then you ought to LOVE, or at least appreciate what He’s made. That’s why the psalmist could sincerely proclaim the greatness of the Lord and the vanity of idols. ‘For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that he did in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.’ (Ps.135:5-6) And isn’t that the awesome truth!
Then the psalmist goes on to list some of the amazing and awe inspiring things the Lord has done. (Ps.135:7-12) Then he makes these ever so important statements re idols. ‘The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.’ (Ps.135:15-18) More indisputable truth friends! The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the ONLY LIVING GOD! No ifs and buts about that! He is the ONLY ONE who walks and talks and communicates with His creation!
No wonder another psalmist could truthfully and enthusiastically declare: ‘O come let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all Gods. In his hand (possession) are the deep places of the earth; the strength (heights) of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.’ (Ps.95:1-5)
And yet another psalmist proudly proclaims: ‘The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles (coastlands) be glad thereof…. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. Confounded be all they that (let all be put to shame who) serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods… For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.’ (Ps.97:1, 6-7, 9)
Oh my people, I don’t know why in these most dangerous and difficult times so many of us are turning away from the ONE TRUE GOD nuh, instead of feverishly running to embrace Him with all of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, since He is the ONLY ONE who can truly help us. But that’s the foolish and illogical way man’s mind operates these days. With his new found prowess and advancement in technological matters, He’s actually gotten a swollen head, gotten too big for his breeches, where he now thinks that he can do it all on his own, he has no more need for God. But that’s a fool’s wisdom my faithful brethren.
Instead, listen to the true wisdom of the psalmist. ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance (for the memory) of his holiness (holy name).’ (Ps.97:10-12) Now that is more like it!
And let me add some more fuel to our godly fire (smile) through the words of Cousin Sol from one of the two psalms he supposedly wrote; Psalms 72 and 127. ‘Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.’ (Ps.72:18-19) Ah mih people, how can we ever go wrong with such truth written indelibly in our hearts eh? No way Jose!
Now let’s go home telling the whole world, all the earth, of our enviable and most precious position in our Lord God, by declaring (ah Lord eh, wrong again) our Wednesday Wail in strong voice, with sincere hearts. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And beyond that, we know that if we stand steadfast and strong in Christ, our future will be even more glorious than we can ask or ever imagine! Much LOVE!
…the Lord God of Israel…He is the ONLY True God that exists…
13 Nov 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a martyr, a testimony, Abraham, but daily they increase, deadness of Sarah's womb, did not waver, emotionally, faith, faith in action, faith is the substance, fully convinced, getting better, God doesn't give us, god moves in mysterious ways, great faith in action, halfway home, hands on the plough, heart problems, I can do all things, lack of exercise, like a mountain goat, looking straight ahead, more than we can handle, not turning back, of things hoped for, of things not seen, our daily walk with God, party and shovel, separates the sheep from the goats, shortness of breath, shovelling snow, South Africa, spiritually, staggered not, strong in faith, stronger physically, Table Mountain, talk a good talk, thank God, the breath of life, the evidence, the father of our faith, the promise of God, through Christ who strengthens me, to a glorious future, unbelief, Wednesday Wail, with Jesus, wonders never cease
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Well, well, well, the old saying, ‘wonders never cease, but daily they increase,’ is certainly true. Yes friends, the ole fella had a wonder in his life yesterday; he actually shovelled the snow from his driveway! Glory be! It’s something I haven’t done for at least, five years, possibly more, but yesterday the Good Lord and I got out there and we shovelled like it was playtime! (smile) Obviously I didn’t go all gung ho, but simply took my time and did what I had to do. And it actually wasn’t too bad, reminded me of the days when I did it all the time; would just get out there, turn up my car stereo loud, and party and shovel!
As the old people said again; after one time is two yes! Never thought I’d be back shovelling snow, but since we could not get anybody to do it for a reasonable price, it sort of fell back in my hands. Hope it doesn’t become the norm though, but who knows how the Lord will work there. And I guess that if He does have me do it, then it will mean that I am getting better and stronger physically, and hopefully emotionally and spiritually as well. (smile)
Ah mih people, our wonderful God does move in such mysterious ways, that you have to be on the lookout for anything. But having said that, we also must acknowledge that He doesn’t give us more than we can handle, or leave us to handle it all on our own. That’s why I wasn’t worried about shovelling the snow yesterday. He wouldn’t have allowed me to go out there if I couldn’t handle it, and then He was out there with me all the time, encouraging and advising.
That’s why we can use Bruh Paul’s words to the Philippians as a marvellous tool and yardstick for all of our endeavours. It’s a scripture we’re all familiar with, but do we ever really put it into serious action? ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ Yes my brethren, our ability to do what we need to do comes entirely from our God. No wonder I was able to go outside and shovel the snow without any ill effects yesterday. That certainly would not have been possible within the last three or four years because of my heart problems. But now that they seemed to have settled down, the whole world is my oyster! Yeah!
That reminds me of another recent incident which proves the truth of our Bit. That time a couple months ago when I was down in South Africa scrambling all over the top of Table Mountain like a mountain goat. (smile) A year ago, I certainly could not have done that without dropping like a swatted fly. But thanks to the strength of Christ, I was able to do that and so much more. Oh friends, I’m saying all this just to say that the Word of the Lord is true, but we need to not only have the faith, but even more importantly show it in our daily walk with the Lord. And you’ll notice that on many of the occasions Jesus healed people, He straightforwardly told them it was because of their faith.
One of the saddest aspects of Christianity these days is that we talk a good talk about faith, but we don’t walk it with the same enthusiasm and sincerity. But if we read Chapter 11 of Hebrews, that magnificent chapter on all the heroes of the Good Book, we’ll see that they ALL had to have great faith in action to accomplish whatever they did.
And hear how Bruh Paul says it in Romans of Abraham, the father of our faith, after the Lord promised him an heir in his old age. ‘And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb (90 years old): He staggered (wavered) not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith; giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was able to perform.’ (Rom. 4:19-21)
That’s the big difference between us and Abraham my people, he had great faith, he believed the things God promised even though they seemed impossible. That’s because ‘faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) And that’s what God is seeking from us all; strong faith and belief in His Word and His promises, especially when they seem impossible to us mere mortals. Even now, when it’s more medically possible than back then, we still would doubt that a hundred year old man and a ninety year old woman could reproduce. But if the Lord decrees it, it will happen!
And that’s why a lot of us believers, are in the tough situations we’re in, we don’t believe as strongly as we should in our God and His awesome promises. The level of our faith in action doesn’t truly reflect the faith we talk. And yes, I know it’s not always easy to walk the faith we talk, but do you think it was easy for me to go outside yesterday and shovel the double car driveway knowing all the heart problems I’ve recently experienced. No, it definitely wasn’t, but I had no other choice at the time, and decided to put my faith into action. Now don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t planning on being a martyr, (smile) at the first sense of unease, I was ready to drop shovel and get back inside to the warmth of house. Fortunately, that sense of unease never came, just a few moments of shortness of breath, more from lack of exercise than heart problems.
And I’m chuckling here at how the Lord manipulated me into making the snow shovelling a testimony, when I hadn’t intended to do that. But He knows best. So let’s go home now declaring (chuh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ.
All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ And if our faith is as strong as it ought to be, then we know for certain, that that future will be even more glorious than our puny minds can ask or even imagine! Much LOVE!
…faith in action…is what separates the sheep from the goats…
03 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rollicking ole time, abundance, anathema, and the life, as for me and my house, begins and ends with Jesus, broad is the way, but by me, choose you this day, enter ye in at the strait gate, go marching in, good and godly attitude, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, how good and how pleasant, I am the way, keeping our eyes, keeps the right road, led thee in right paths, looking straight ahead, LOVE, many wrong ways, narrow is the gate, no man cometh to the Father, not turning back, on worthwhile goals, one right way, outstrips the runner, ponder the path of thy feet, remove thy foot from evil, Sir Francis Bacon, speed, that leads to destruction, the breath of life, the Father's face, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the lame man, the only true and living God, the tortoise and the hare, the Truth, the way of wisdom, the way that leads to life, thy paths drop fatness, to a glorious future with Jesus, we will serve the Lord, Wednesday Wail, when the saints of Jesus, who takes the wrong road, whom ye will serve, wide is the gate, won't see heaven
John 14:6. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Oh how good and how pleasant it is to have only worked one day and yet reached the middle of the week! That’s what a lot of Canadians are saying or thinking this bright Wednesday morning. But many of them are still tired after a hectic weekend of Canada Day celebrations, so there is the trade off. (smile)
But hear these interesting and encouraging words of Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English Renaissance philosopher, lawyer, statesman and one time Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of the British Government. He reputedly said: ‘The lame man who keeps the right road outstrips the runner who takes a wrong one. Nay, it is obvious that the more active and swift the latter is the further he will go astray.’
Yeh friends, sticking to the right road is ever so important in these evil and ungodly times. And it’s obvious the more active and energetic we are, the more likely we are to go astray. It’s like the story of the tortoise and the hare. It doesn’t matter how fast you are, if you are on the wrong road you’ll end up going astray. As they say, slow, but sure is the best way to be.
But the word slow is anathema in today’s society, because we want everything quickly, we don’t want to have to wait for anything. Just check out the speed of the computers and cell phones and the other pieces of modern day equipment nuh; each version seeks to be faster than the other. But the problem is that too fast oftimes leads to also being wrong.
But friends, the important thing in this life is not speed, but keeping our eyes on worthwhile goals and getting to them steadily and with a good and godly attitude. And the long and short of this whole story of the way though people, is that it all begins and ends with Jesus! Yes friends, He said it to His disciples in simple but undisputable terms. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’
Oh my people, my people, it couldn’t be put any clearer and more straightforward than that! If you don’t follow the path that Jesus set, both literally and figuratively, you won’t see heaven or the Father’s face! And His way is not the broad and expansive way, but the straight and narrow one, as He says in Matthew.
‘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)
Yes precious people of Christ, there are only two options, two available paths to follow in this life; the broad and boundaryless way, that of the evil one, which leads to death and destruction, and the strait and narrow way with boundaries, that leads through Jesus to eternal life!
And as Joshua so famously informed the Israelites in his last speech: ‘choose you this day whom ye will serve; the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood (the Euphrates), or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell?’
Yeh friends, it’s a choice we all have to make. We’ve all got to bow to somebody, the question is whom shall we bow to? And I’d like to think that all of us will make the right choice, like Joshua did: ‘But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ And all of that can be found in Joshua 24:15.
Ah mih people, serving Almighty God, the ONLY TRUE AND LIVING GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the right way to go in these evil times. Hear how Bruh David put it so long ago nuh. ‘I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Psalm 16:8-11)
Mama Yo! What could be better than that eh mih people? Nothing really! And all of it still holds true to this day! Following the Lord, through Jesus Christ, does lead us on the path to eternal life, with fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore! As Bruh David says in a later psalm: ‘Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness (abundance).’ Oh how true that is, my faithful believers!
And it’s obvious that Cousin Sol must add his two cents worth: (smile) ‘I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened (hindered); and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble… Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’ (Prov.4:11-12; 26-27)
And with those awesome words of wisdom my brethren, let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes mih peeps, it will certainly be a rollicking ole time in heaven when the saints of Jesus go marching in! Much LOVE!
…there’s only ONE right way…but many wrong ones…
12 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, association with Jesus, cymbals, encouragement, every creature, every tongue shall confess, everything that breathes, excellent greatness, firmament of power, four and twenty elders, four beasts, gifts and joys of heaven, glad, glad to be alive, glory, grin and bear it, hands on the plough, honour, in heaven, in the face of adversity, in the Lord's time, Jesus christ is Lord, looking straight ahead, loves, not looking back, on earth, organs, people pray, power, praise, Praise ye the Lord, riches, sanctuary, shout Hallelujah, song of praise, stand strong and steadfast, stringed instruments, surgery postponed, the Big Day, the breath of life, the Good Book, the joyfulness of our hearts, the Lord is still in control, to the glory of the Father, Top o' the morn, under the sea, Wednesday Wail, worthy is the Lamb
Psalm 150:1. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power (mighty firmament or expanse).
Top o’ the morn my wonderful friends and Scrip-Bit family! It’s indeed a new day and are we ever grateful for having been allowed to see it. But fortunately or not, this IS NOT going to be the Big Day! Steups! Ah Lord eh, as the old people would say, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray,’ as well as, ‘while man plans, God laughs!’
Hn, hn, hn! I can only laugh yes! But the long and short of the story is that yesterday afternoon around two o’clock, while waiting for a call from the hospital to let me know what time to come in today, I got a call from them saying that they had been forced to postpone the surgery until next Wednesday because of some unspecified emergency. So I have another week to wait.
I’m laughing here wondering whether I’m really to do this surgery, because it’s the second time it’s been postponed right at the last minute. I don’t know how many of you remember that way back in March, I went in there to have it done, and after some tests they claimed that my heart was much better and I didn’t need the device, so they sent me home the next day without it. Then 8 months later, they called and said I needed it. Now this!
But not to worry friends, the ole fella is doing okay, I know that I just need to grin and bear it, for the Lord is still in control, so if He wants it done, it will be done…but just in His time! However, I am very grateful for all your prayers and words of encouragement that I’ve received, and please don’t stop praying, because I need the encouragement to stand strong and steadfast in the face of this adversity. (smile)
And I know that the Lord is glad -Chuh! like glad is my new misspelled word – because many people prayed, who might not have ordinarily done so, and we know that heaven is always overjoyed when people pray, so let’s keep it up nuh. And where do we go from here? I really don’t know nuh. But give me a minute or two, let me see where the Good book will guide us. Soon come!
And would you believe I opened that most memorable and worthy tome to the last page of the psalms, where I read from the last one: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power (mighty firmament or expanse).’
And is that ever the best thing we can do, especially when in doubt friends! The Lord our God LOVES to hear His praise being sung by His people, because that’s one of the reasons why He created us in the first place! When praise rises up to heaven, especially to just praise Him from the joyfulness of our hearts, there is great celebration in that majestic place! Glory to God!
Hear the psalmist continue nuh: ‘Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet (cornet): praise him with the psaltery (lute or lyre) and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!)’ (Ps.150:2-6)
Ah mih people, praise to our great God is not only becoming, but it’s expected! Hear what the scholars say: ‘As the final song of praise, it appropriately answers four key questions about praise. (1) Where should God be praised? Everywhere, from His sanctuary on earth to His heavenly creation (v.1). (2) Why should God be praised? For His powerful deeds on behalf of men and for His inherent greatness (v 2).
(3) How should God be praised? With every suitable instrument man can offer with His God-given creativity and artistry (vs.3-5). (4) Who should praise God? Everything that breathes (v.6). Though every verse of the psalm is cast in the form of a call to praise, the hymn is certainly prophetic of a day when every creature will in fact bow in praise to the Almighty God. (Phil.2:11; Rev.5:8-14).’
Yes my faithful brethren, EVERYTHING that moves in this God created universe, ought to praise God and give Him the glory He so deservedly desires! And it will happen one glorious day, as Bruh Paul tells the Philippians: ‘And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:11)
And John the Revelator describes how ‘the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb…And they sung a new song, …Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
And EVERY creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and ALL that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’ (Rev.5:8; 12-13).
Yes friends, if the Lord says it’s going to happen, then believe…it will happen…in His glorious and perfect time! Now let’s go home declaring our position in Christ to all and sundry by broadcasting our Wednesday Wail in strong voice, with sincere hearts (smile). Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday!
Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yeh mih people, let’s just keep fixating on that glorious future we’ll spend with Jesus till eternity! Glory Hallelujah indeed!
Much LOVE!…only by association with Jesus…can we enjoy…all the wonderful gifts and joys of heaven…
Previous Older Entries
SCRIP-BITS 