17 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd, barbecues, because they fainted, billion dollar questions, bounden duty, But when he saw the multitudes, circumspection, commandment, compassion, craziness, crucifixion, deceitful, deity, detriment, dierctionless sons of man, encourage, energy, enthusiasm, fellowship, flees, Friday chant, friends, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, Gentiles, get a foothold in our souls, get too carried away, going astray, Guide, He was moved with compassion, hired hand, hireling, I am the good shepherd, I lay down my life, I lay down my life for the sheep, Jesus Christ, joy, laughing all the way to the bank, lost, LOVE, moderation, my neck of the woods, obedient to the Father's will, on the agenda, one fold, one shepherd, outside activities, personal danger, pleasure, pompous, power, privilege, proper guidance, proud, purpose, relaxation, rest, resurrection, revenous, sacrificed, scatters the sheep, shepherd, sinful world, stumblingblock, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the enemy, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, the right perspective, the weekend's up to bat, warm weekend, weary, weekend
Matthew 9:36. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Ah Friends, it’s Friday, and it’s supposed to be another glorious day in my neck of the woods, so you can imagine the craziness that’s going to take place this weekend if the weather stays fairly warm. All the barbecues and everything that smacks of summer will be out in full swing.
You can already hear the working populace crying out with joy. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes, and the weekend’s up to bat! The ribs will be a braising and the beer a flowing! The talk will be plentiful and the laughter hearty and loud! Thank God at last for a warm weekend yes!’
Ah mih breddren, those of you down south, who have warm weather and plentiful sunshine all year round, wouldn’t understand what a nice, warm weekend means to us northerners nuh. But most aspects of our lives are built around the weather. In winter we do certain things because it’s too cold outside. Then in spring and summer we do other things because it’s warm out side.
Anyway, I believe that this is the first truly warm weekend of the year, so for sure, a lot of outside activities will be on the agenda. But just to help us not get too carried away and keep the right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant. And I surely don’t have to tell us with much enthusiasm and energy, because those will come naturally at this time of year. (smile)
So let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, a dash of moderation and circumspection are definitely needed as we get into this weekend. Otherwise we’re going to allow the enemy to get a foothold in our souls, for he is out there ravenous and deceitful as ever, looking for any way to cause us to fall.
And that is exactly what was happening in Jesus’ time, when our Bit was written. ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’
Yeh Friends, Jesus is still moved with compassion today because so many sheep are still going astray, being lost in this sinful world without any proper guidance. He wants to be, longs to be their guide and shepherd, that’s His bounden duty and purpose.
That’s why He declared during His earthly sojourn: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that’s exactly what He did later on Friends; He sacrificed His holy and sinless life for the lost and directionless sons of man. How wonderful!
Then Jesus went on to further explain: ‘But he that is a hireling (hired man), and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling (hired hand) fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.’ (John 10:12-13)
And that’s a proven fact my brethren, as the scholars remind us. ’10:12. A hireling (a servant for pay) will flee in time of personal danger, because he is working for money, and neither owns nor LOVES the sheep.’
But thankfully, Jesus is ever so different! And He proudly proclaims it: ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” (John 10:14)
Oh Friends, the billion dollar questions here are (1) does Jesus know you as a sheep of His flock, and (2) do you know Him as your good shepherd? I certainly do hope so, for our very lives, both earthly and eternal depend very much on those distinctions.
And Jesus continues with His monologue on the shepherd and the sheep. ‘As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.
Therefore doth my Father LOVE me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.’ (John 10:15-18)
Oh Friends what a beautiful passage of scripture. It says so much in those few words. Jesus is about to lay down His life for the sheep of His flock, and He is so obedient to the Father’s will, that the Father has no choice but to LOVE Him. Plus He’s going to bring another flock, the Gentiles into the equation, and make it all ONE big flock, with ONE shepherd. How glorious a promise!
And as the scholars say: ‘10:17-18. Jesus does more than predict His crucifixion and resurrection, He also shows that He has the power to lay down His life and take it again, once more asserting His deity.’
And sadly my people, that has been a major stumbling block for mankind, right from Jesus’ first days on earth, up to the present time. Men have doubted His deity from day one, and continue to do so, sadly to their own detriment. But the smart few, like us, who have embraced Him in all the splendour and power of His deity are laughing all the way to the bank; figuratively of course. (smile)
On second thought, heaven might have been a better comparison. (smile) Anyway Friends, let’s not be proud and pompous at being a chosen member of Jesus’ flock, for that has never been His intention.
Let’s do like Him, have compassion for those who are still lost, and try our very best to encourage them to come to Him, to become members of His flock too, for that’s what He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…oh what a joy, pleasure and privilege it is…to be a member Jesus’ one, worldwide flock…nothing else can compare to it…
04 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a job, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, a roof over your head, aches and pains, alive and kicking, appreciate our blessedness, bask in the glow, because of mine enemies, believing, bloodletting, bonday, clothes on your back, complacent attitudes, confidence, confuesed, deterioration of our society, dismantle, earthly sojourn, enemies in our society, energy, evil clutches, evil ungodly world, faith, fall for any nonsense, fellow believers in Christ, fight to keep what we have, figuratively, find grace in thy sight, food on your table, freedom to worship, freedoms, friends, frothing at the mouth, give their eye teeth, God never declines our requests, God's children, God's Word, grace, gracious, guidance, health issues, heavenly Father, homlessness, I am blessed, I will give thee rest, If I have found grace in thy sight, introspective, lead me in a plain path, Lenten season, let our voices be loudly heard, literally, lost, LOVE, loving, magnanimous god, Moses, my presecnce shall go with thee, no turning back, nourish, O Lord, omnipotent, our heavenly Father, petitions, petty inconveniences, pilgrim's journey, plowing straight ahead, poverty, Praise the Lord, Scrip-Bit family, serious action, short attention span, show me now thy way, smile, smug, stamina, stand up strong and steadfast, starvation, stay on the straight and narrow path, strength, take it for granted, take roots in our hearts, Teach me thy way O Lord, tell the world, tenaciously, that I may know thee, the body of Christ, the Father's way, the middle of the week, the providence of God, this nation is thy people, trying times, water, Wednesday, wisdom, without faith it is impossible to please God, wrongs
Psalm 27:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.
Aye mih Scrip-Bit family, it’s another beautiful day on God’s great earth! And all His children declared a loud and thankful ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes Friends, this is the day we call Wednesday, the middle of the workweek. And once we’ve gotten there, there’s no turning back, just plowing straight ahead with the providence of God!
It’s obvious that I woke up late. (smile) I went to bed late too. But unfortunately, these days the ole bod doesn’t have the stamina and energy to go to bed late and get up early, so please learn to put up with the varying times that the Bit arrives. (smile) Once I’m alive and kicking, it will get there, I just can’t promise that it will be very early.
Anyway, for whatever reason the Lord has, I woke up with my right knee aching this morning, so I’m sort of limping around until it decides to play right. And that’s one of the things I detest about my aches and pains; their inconsistency. I’ll be fine for a while, then out of the blue, for no apparent reason, various parts of my anatomy will start to act up.
But yuh know what my brethren? Our God is so wonderful that He also caused me to wake up singing the chorus to the reggae song, ‘I am blessed.’ Yes Friends, ‘I, I am blessed! I want to tell the world, that I, I am blessed!’
Yes family, if you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, food on your table, have a decent job to go to, and can also read this, then you are indeed blessed. So please sing the chorus with me. ‘I, I am blessed! I want to tell the world that I, I am blessed!’
One more time, more enthusiastically and gratefully than the first. ‘We, we are blessed! Let’s tell the world that we, we are blessed!’ And again: ‘We, we are blessed! Let’s tell the world that God’s children are blessed!’
Oh my people, we are so blessed that we don’t truly recognize it and take it all for granted. But at least three quarters of the world, consumed by starvation, poverty, joblessness, homelessness and health issues, would gladly give their eye-teeth (smile) for what we have.
Yet we walk around with smug, complacent attitudes, complaining about small, petty inconveniences. It’s high time we stop doing that Friends, and learn to truly appreciate our blessedness, especially in this Lenten season, where we are supposed to be introspective, looking inside to see what areas of our souls and lives we can clean up.
Thankfulness for the great gifts we have and the freedom to worship Almighty God without fear of persecution should be ranked at the top of our list. But we have to work hard and stay faithful if we want to keep those wonderful gifts in these very trying times.
We just can’t assume that we’ll always have them, because there are enemies in our society who are just dying, frothing at the mouth to take them away.
So while we can bask somewhat in the glow of our blessings, we just can’t sit around, as we have been doing, and allow this evil and ungodly world to take away, to dismantle our blessedness. We have to fight to keep what we have my brethren!
That means we have to stand up steadfast and strong; let our voices be loudly heard all over the land, about the wrongs that are being done. And more importantly, as the body of Christ, we need to take some serious action to stop the bloodletting and deterioration of our society.
Our freedoms won’t handed to us on a silver platter. They were won by fighting fiercely and tenaciously for them, and we’ll only keep them the same way.
Enough of me now though, time for our Bit: ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’
Oh Friends those are words and sentiments we can pray at the start of each and every day! They are that important because they take us to our heavenly Father to ask for His strength and guidance in our rough pilgrim’s journey. And that’s the only way we can handle our earthly sojourn with the strength and confidence we need.
If we don’t know the Father’s way, then we’ll get all confused and lost and fall for any nonsense that mankind proposes. And believe me, there is plenty nonsense in our world today just looking to grab us and keep us in bondage, both literally and figuratively. But when we look to the Father first and foremost, they will not be able to get us in their evil clutches.
And Friends, asking the Father for guidance is nothing new. Listen to Moses when the Lord appointed Him to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. ‘Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.’ (Ex.33:13)
A very reasonable request my people. And the Lord’s reply was: ‘My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’ (Ex.33:14)
Oh my brethren, when we ask God for guidance and His presence in our affairs, He NEVER declines our requests! But after asking for it, we still need to have the faith that He’s going to intervene and make it all right. For without true faith, we can’t come before Him with our petitions.
‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) So Friends, it’s not just simply asking, but also believing that our requests will be heard and worked upon by our omnipotent and magnanimous God.
And I think I’ll stop there for today, don’t want to give us too much to ponder on all at once, for I know our short attention spans. (smile) So my fellow believers in Christ, please, let’s truly consider the words we’ve heard today nuh, and let them take deep and serious roots in our hearts.
Let’s also water and nourish them so that they will grow and help us stay on the straight and narrow path that leads directly to our most gracious and LOVING heavenly Father, for that is truly wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…God’s children need to stop simply talking faith…and rather take action…act zealously and faithfully on God’s Word…
15 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, almighty god, Amazing grace, blessings, blind, Bruh David, can't be measured, confidence, consecrate his service to the Lord, courage, every man shall give as he is able, evil world, favour, for donkey's years, found, friends, generosity, givng traits, God in favour, God LOVES a cheerful giver, God's Law, good measure, greed, hit the nail on the head, immeasurable, Israel, Jehiel, joy, light of jesus, lost, loving kindness, material wealth, measured back to you, my new sight in Jesus, naked we came, naked we will go back, now I see, obedience, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, peace of mind, ponder, praise, pressed down, princes, principle, prosperous, running over, safe and narrow path, selfishness, share, share with others, St. Francis, strength, Sunday, testify, Thank you Father, thanksgiving, the house of God, the Lord thy God, the Lord's Day, to give is better than to receive, unmeasurable, what you sow you shall reap, worship, you can't plant peas and expect to reap corn
Deuteronomy 16:17. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
Well Friends, it’s the Lord’s Day! The week has ended, and the cycle begins again today as it has for so many generations, or as the old people would say, for donkey’s years. (smile) And no doubt the cycle will continue for many more generations until the Lord is ready to call us to judgment.
But in the meantime, we are supposed to appreciate and respect it, and give oblation to out great and wonderful God every Sunday, by gathering in His sanctuary, or wherever possible, and honouring Him with praise, worship and thanksgiving.
I went to my little church, St. Francis down the street and we sang and worshipped and praised God and gave Him an awesome amount of thanks for His goodness and LOVING-kindness to us. A new member of the fold, a little girl was also baptized this morning and I trust that she will grow up to do Jesus’ will as we promised on her behalf today.
I do hope that all of us who are able, will go, are going, or have already gone to church and offered up our thanks and praise to Almighty God, and will in return receive strength, courage and confidence to face this evil world, bathed in the brilliant and beautiful light of Jesus!
Ah Friends, when we discover that light of Jesus, when our eyes are truly opened to the wonder of His glory… ohhh… such a joy fills our hearts and our lives are so improved that we wonder how come we hadn’t made that discovery or decision before.
As one of the prayers I found at the back of my Mother’s Bible so aptly details. ‘Amazing grace – how sweet the sound – that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see. Thank You Father for my new sight in Jesus. Amen.’
Yes my people, when we truly discover Jesus, our eyes gain a new sight, like our 20-20 vision is restored, and we can see everything in greater detail.
And today we’ll go back to our old Bit that deals with giving. One of the basic laws of God’s kingdom. ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’
Oh Friends, that is ever so true, and unfortunately there is really no word or words to truly impress that principle as mightily on our hearts as we need to have it imprinted. And it’s just another offshoot of God’s basic law of what you sow, you will reap.
As the old people would say, you can’t plant peas and expect to reap corn. The same way Friends, you can’t not give, not be generous and expect to receive, or have generosity and favour continually fall on you.
How did Jesus say it? ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom (the fold in a garment used as a pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured back to you again,’ (Luke 6:38)
Oh lordy, lordy Miss Clordy! (smile) Friends Jesus hit the nail on the head right there. Whatever measure you use to give, it will be used in giving back to you. So if you use a small cup to give, then whoever is giving back to you will also measure their giving with a small cup. But if you use a big bucket, then a big bucket will used to give back to you!
And yuh see how Jesus specifically enumerated that it will be pressed down, shaken together and running over! Mama Mia! My people how can we not understand that principle when it’s spelled out so loud and clear eh? Is the greed and selfishness of the world so engrained in our hearts, minds and souls that we can’t bring ourselves to follow God’s law, be obedient to His will.
I surely hope not, for remember, though we pile up lots of earthly possessions, we can’t take ANY of it with us, for naked we came and naked we will go back to where we came from. And besides it all belongs to God, and He’s blessed us with whatever we have so that we can share with others, be a blessing to the less fortunate.
And remember too that we can’t give grudgingly, or because we are compelled to give, because God LOVES a cheerful giver. Ah mih people, I can personally testify to the authenticity of that principle; give and it will be given back to you, because I’ve seen it happen so often in my life.
And if you want to be prosperous, not only in material wealth but also in peace of mind and soul, then I implore you to start thinking along those lines, for your situation will never improve until you stop thinking simply and solely about what you have, and begin considering what you have that you can share with others.
Now here is some scripture that admirably upholds the principle. This comes from way back when, when Bruh David wanted to raise funds to build God’s temple. After stating the purpose of his fundraising and what he personally had given (1 Chr.29:1-5a) he continues: ‘And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?
Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly, and gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred talents of iron.
And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect (loyal) heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.’ (1 Chr.29:5b-9)
Oh Friends, I won’t even add anything to that, just leave it fresh in our brains so that we can ponder our own giving traits and see if they fall into line with God’s.
Till tomorrow then, God in favour, please walk the safe and narrow path that leads to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for that is eternal wisdom. Much LOVE!
…to give is better than to receive…because the joy we get from giving is unmeasurable…immeasurable…and any other words that mean can’t be measured… (smile
06 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accomplish the work of Jesus, bottom line, capital city, caring, Carnival, Christian, Christian beliefs, circumspection, coconut water, compassion, cruel governments, cutting costs, don't give a damn, Esplanade, fat fannies, floundering, Friday chant, friends, generous help, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, homelessness, hunger, Jesus, Jesus began to teach them, Jesus Christ, Jesus was moved with compassion, joy, Last Lap, Library, light under a bushel, lost, market, May the Lord be with him, modus operandi, poverty, pray ye thereofre, profits, salt, saving grace, Scarborough, stuffed our faces, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the harvest is truly plenteous, the labourers are few, the Lord of the harvest, the poor are getting poorer, the rich are getting richer, the wisdom of heaven, they were as sheep not having a shepherd, tourists, ungodly world, unsaved, unwashed
Mark 6:34. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude), and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
Aye mih Friends, is Friday, the Friday before Carnival Friday…! And you know the standard response to that:
‘Oh TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Work soon finish for this week, then is party time on the weekend! Mama Yo! Next weekend is Carnival, so we playing mas from now till then! Thank God for Fridays yes!’
And you better believe that statement of playing mas from now to next week, because that’s what many people are going to do; party every night from now till Last Lap, when Carnival finishes, two Tuesdays from now. That’s the standard modus operandi from way back when. And I can tell you from personal experience that it’s a very interesting situation. Hn, Hn!
Anyway, we all know that’s not the godly way to carry on, so let’s chant our simple Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that’s the approach we ought to use towards the weekend! So please let’s rein in our ungodly lustful appetites and have some circumspection re our behaviour, for that’s what the Lord desires of us.
And as per the lateness of today’s Bit, I really can’t be blamed, that lies at the duchess’ door. Just as I was about to start writing it this morning she woke up and asked if I was ready to go to the market. Now I had promised to take her, but didn’t really expect her to get up so early, so when she surprised me, I had no choice but to keep my promise. (smile)
Would you believe that we’ve been here for over a week and this is the first time we were going into town? Hn! We left home around 9 o’clock to go into the bustling capital city of Scarborough. And believe me, it was truly bustling today, it being Friday and a big tourist ship had recently docked in the port.
We encountered a traffic jam just outside of town, which slowly wended its way down to Wilson Road where I turned to go into the market. Now to me that’s the new market, although it’s been there for many years.
When I talk about the market, I mean the old one up town. Obviously there was no parking anywhere close by and I drove around until I found a spot behind the Library, to me the new Library, because my Library was uptown too, near to the old market. (smile)
Anyway, we walked around the market, looking for my half-brother Hamer, who sells in there, and whom we had been unsuccessful in contacting, but apparently he wasn’t there today. So we just continued walking around buying stuff, half of which we had never intended to buy, but once we saw it, decided we needed it.
An hour or so later, after having a coconut water, we finally exited the market, loaded down with several bags. It was now a bit of a jam to get out of the city, but we stopped at the Esplanade to check out my sister’s-in- law flower shop.
Thankfully, we found her there, and there was much joy in the reunion, though it was somewhat reduced when we learned that my brother was in the U.S preparing to undergo surgery for some vein problems in his legs. May the Good Lord be with him, and cause the surgery to be successful.
We visited for a while, then when we were leaving, we asked her about a good place to eat, and she pointed to a place, Jattan’s, just over the street. We walked over there and stuffed our faces, then left for home, where we arrived around one o’clock, and obviously the ole fella had to rest from such exhausting activity. (smile)
I even managed to talk the duchess into lying down, which she usually doesn’t do during the day. Next thing yuh know, we’re both fast asleep, and I’m getting up after three, and the duchess just woke at four. And that’s why the Bit is so late.
‘And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude), and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.’ And like Jesus did, I’m expecting you all, in your Christian belief, to have compassion on me. (smile)
Ah Friends, as we’ve been saying for the last few days, compassion is one of the biggest things, if not the biggest thing, that we’re lacking in this cruel, evil, ungodly world. We don’t seem to care a whole lot about people again. Just look at the hunger, poverty and homelessness that surrounds us, in a world where there is more than enough for everyone! Steups!
But as the old adage goes, the rich are indeed getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer. And unfortunately, the rich don’t seem to give a damn about the poor! Just look at how they are throwing people out of work every day, to improve their bottom line, their profits.
No one’s thinking about increasing productivity to increase profits, just cutting costs, which means cutting employees. Ah Lord eh! But they still expect those people to exist, to eke out some low level of subsistence and to buy their products.
Chuh! The cruel governments are also making it harder for unemployed people to receive Unemployment Insurance by increasing the time line for qualifying for it. What evil jerks!
That’s why Friends, as a society, we have to very seriously think about turning back to our godly roots, finding Jesus and putting Him back at the forefront of our lives where He belongs. For He is the only one who seems to have compassion for the lost and floundering.
Listen to this heart-moving scripture nuh. ‘But when he (Jesus) saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’ (Matt.9:36) And isn’t that the gospel truth my Friends! We’re all running around like chickens with our heads cut off, like dumb sheep without a guiding, caring and compassionate shepherd. And the best shepherd there is, is none other than Jesus!
Hear the scripture continue: ‘Then saith he (Jesus) unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into the harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-38)
Oh my brethren, Jesus is talking about the great amount of unwashed, unsaved, ungodly in our society, and we, His true and faithful followers, are the ones expected to go in and help reap the harvest of souls that’s there ready for harvesting. So please let’s do what’s expected of us nuh. And the first thing we have to do in reaping the harvest is show care and compassion to the unfortunate and needy ones.
So again, I plead with us to get up off our fat, complacent fannies and do some serious reaping of the harvest as is expected of us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That’s what it means to be a true follower of Christ, a true Christian.
So let’s throw off the bushels, the shades from our lights, so that they can shine brightly in a darkened world, and increase the salt in our souls so that we can successfully accomplish the work that Jesus has called us to do. That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…Jesus died to save us…now we need to tell others about His saving grace…
22 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fight to the death, a fresh cold, a high priest, after the order of Melchizedek, an intense longing for god, ascended into heaven, atone for our sins, breakthrough, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, cast not away your confidence, courage, cure a simple cold, disregard the darkness, don't give up, done the will of god, endurance, eternal life, eternal separation from God, faith, feel miserable, feeling, fight against them that fight against me, fighting tooth and nail, future, God's plans for us are all for good, God's promises, God's promises stand firm, God's ways are higher than ours, going down to the wire, gospel truth, hang in there, hope, hope thou in God, I am thy salvation, I shall yet praise him, jehovah god, Jesus is the answer, joy, keep hoping in God, lie down and rest, lost, malaise in my spirit, Mars, negative circumstances, obedience, omnipotence, One Year Book of Bible promises, patience, perseverance, Plead my cause, put a man on the moon, receive the promise, recompense of reward, rely on God's immutable Word, reward, run its course, salvation, Salvation belongeth unto the Lord, salvation comes from God, Selah, selfless acts, shed blood, sinful souls, stand in faith, stand up for mine help, stop those who pursue me, Thank you Jesus, the author of eternal salvation, the darkest hour is the one before the dawn, the help of his countenance, the right medication, the sons of Korah, them's the breaks, thursday morning, thy blessing is upon thy people, times of questioning, trial, trust, trust God, ungodly world, unsaved, Venus, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me
Psalm 3:8. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Aye mih people, is Thursday morning, another chilly one, and the ole fella fighting this cold tooth and nail! (smile) We going down to the wire with it, we not giving up! It’s a fight to the death!
Oh I know that it has to run its course, but while it’s doing its thing, I’m also doing my own, trying not to let it make me feel too terrible, because you know that nothing in this world makes you feel as miserable as a simple fresh cold.
Ah Lord eh! We can put man on the moon and voyage out to Venus and Mars, but we can’t cure a simple cold! Steups! But I guess them’s the breaks! And believe me, it was difficult to get up this morning, although I wasn’t sleeping. But a certain malaise in my spirit just said lie down and rest. (smile)
And I did for a short while. But knowing that the Bit had to go out, I eventually forced myself out of the bed. And I believe I have the right medication for whatever is ailing us this morning, in the words of The One Year Book of Promises, with writings from Ruth Harms Calkin.
This passage is titled ‘God’s Promises,’ and it says: ‘With increasing joy I am discovering that God’s promises do not suddenly disappear when our courage fails and our fears become overwhelming. Feeling or no feeling, when God gives a promise that speaks directly to our need, it stands firm regardless of negative circumstances.
There may be times of questioning, and we may not understand God’s timing, but His promise remains certain during our deepest trial. If we consistently rely on His immutable Word, we can disregard the darkness.
Oswald Chambers says, “Are you in the dark right now regarding your circumstances? Then listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you are in the light.” God waits for us to trust Him when trusting seems the most difficult thing to do.’
Ah Friends, the cruel, evil and ungodly world that we’re currently living in, is certainly making it hard for us to trust God and rely on His promises. But if we want to succeed, we have to truly stand in faith on His word, even though we may seem completely surrounded by darkness.
And as the Bible promise for that passage so truthfully declares: ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance, perseverance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36)
Yes mih breddren, the one thing we CAN’T DO, is GIVE UP! And it’s when life seems the darkest that we need to hold on to God’s promises the strongest. For as the saying goes; the darkest hour is the one just before the dawn. And that’s no lie! We experience the roughest times just before we experience our breakthrough.
So please, let’s hang in there with Jehovah God, for He knows what He’s doing. His thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours that we don’t, and can’t always understand what He’s about. In His omnipotence He created us, and still controls the universe, and sincerely promised that all His plans for us were all for good, for peace, with hope for a bright future. (Jer.29:11)
And as our Bit so wisely and rightly declares: ‘Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.’ And of that my people, there is absolutely no doubt! That’s why so many people of great faith in the Bible declared it.
Now let’s look at a few more of those scripture passages that declare salvation comes from God, as we’ve been doing for the last few days. And we’ll begin with words of Bruh David, who called out to God so often and so seriously in his writings. Listen to how he begins Psalm 35 – A prayer for rescue from enemies.
‘Plead my cause (contend for me), O Lord, with them that strive (contend) with me: fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler (a small shield), and stand up for mine help.
Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me (stop those who pursue me): say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.’ (Ps.35:1-3)
And we all know the turbulent and tumultuous life that Bruh David lived, but he never forgot or gave up on the God of his fathers, who faithfully saved him from his enemies whenever he cried out for help.
Now hear the author of Hebrews, whom I can’t help but think is Bruh Paul, with all the similarities of speech and mannerisms.
‘Though he (Jesus) were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. Called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.’ (Heb.5:8-10)
And isn’t that the gospel truth Friends! Jesus died, rose from the grave and ascended into heaven so that we could have eternal salvation! Without those wonderful, selfless acts of His, there would be no general salvation. Many of us would stay lost and unsaved.
So let’s give Him a big shout of praise and thanks for saving our sinful souls from eternal separation from Almighty God, the worst fate that can befall a human being.
And all God’s people declared a loud and heartfelt: ‘Thank You Jesus! Thank You ever so much for sacrificing Your holy, sinless life on the cross, so that Your shed blood, precious as it was, could pay for, atone for our abominable sins. We praise You, bless and glorify Your holy name! Amen.’
And now Friends, we’ll end with this well known verse from Psalm 42 – An intense longing for God – a contemplation from the sons of Korah.
And it simply says: ‘Why art thou cast (bowed) down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps.42:5)
Yes my people, I implore us to keep hoping in God, though our souls might not feel like doing it, for regardless of what anyone else says, only from Him is true salvation and eternal life possible. Much LOVE!
…to EVERY problem in our lives…Jesus IS the answer…
21 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a son of Abraham, almighty god, another chilly morning, awesome Deity, be saved, become more important than God's work, Bruh David, come to seek and save, encouraging, enthusiastic, eternity, fit for the kingdom of god, friends, God's direction, God's work, gospel truth, Gramps Schuller, halfway home, he is become my salvation, Hour of Power, human frailty, I am Eager, I will exalt him, idols, Jesus, Jonah, Living Deity, looking back, lost, loving kindness, make the most of today, make the most of yourself, mercy, Moses, move forward, my father's God, neck of the woods, no turning back, omnipotent, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, peace, pledged to change his evil ways, Possibility Thinking, protective wings, put His hand to the plough, repented, restful. rejuvenating weekend, sacrifice, salvation, Salvation belongeth unto the Lord, salvation is of the Lord, Selah, stand strong and steadfast, that which is lost, the giver of salvation, the good shepherd, the lesser things of life, the Lord is my light and salvation, the Lord is my strength and song, the Lord is the strength of my life, the Lord spake unto the fish, the Most High, the Son of man, the voice of thanksgiving, there will never be another now, thy blessing is upon thy people, turn to Jesus, under the weather, vanities, wandering, Wednesday, whom shall I fear, Zaccheus
Psalm 3:8. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Well Friends, it’s another chilly morning (-12 C) in my neck of the woods. It’s also Wednesday, which means we are halfway home to the restful and rejuvenating weekend, so please hang in there, stand strong and steadfast in faith, for there’s no turning back.
As Jesus stated so straightforwardly: ‘No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9:22) So we’ve got to move forward, not allow the lesser things of life to become more important than God’s work.
And I am a perfect example of that right now, because this morning I’m somewhat under the weather, I seem to be getting a cold. I’m surprised that it’s taken this long to affect me, for the duchess has had it badly for the past week, and I’ve also been around a few other people who are fighting it.
And believe me, there’s nothing I would like better than to have remained in my nice warm bed and sleep it off. But the Bit, God’s work, has to take priority over my runny nose, my sneezing, my aching body and my general human frailty. (smile)
And to help us get going this Wednesday morning, here’s a poem from my favourite Devotional, the Hour of Power by Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller). I just LOVE the way he writes, with such a positive, enthusiastic and encouraging spin. This one’s titled: ‘I AM EAGER.’
Please pray it with me. ‘Lord, you’ve put the whole world together and you’ve put me in the middle of it because you want to say something to me and through me today. May your beautiful peace fall gently, softly, sweetly, and beautifully upon my mind –now.
I am ready to listen and eager to move ahead, today, with “Possibility Thinking.” Amen. There will never be another now – I’ll make the most of today. There will never be another me – I’ll make the most of myself.’
Oh Friends, I do hope that has brought some eagerness for life and God’s direction into our souls today! And as the last part so rightly declares, ‘there will never be another now.’ So please let’s make the most of today, for that’s all we have.
And now we’ll turn to our Bit, which has been running for a few days, but that’s because it’s a rather important and substantial part of our Christian faith. ‘Salvation belongeth to the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.’
Ah mih people, those words just ring out loudly with gospel truth! For salvation comes from no other but Almighty God, who also blesses His people with all their earthly needs when they truly and sincerely seek Him. What an awesome Deity He is my brethren!
And here are a few scripture passages to prove the point. Listen to Moses, from the earliest times, declare it in his song. ‘The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation (praise him); my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’ (Ex.15:2)
Moses couldn’t put it any simpler and clearer than that Friends! And besides, who would know about God and His ways better than him, since he had so much dealings and experience with the Most High.
Now hear another man of great faith and experience with God, Bruh David, tell it like it is in this popular verse from Psalm 27. ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps.27:1)
And the answer to that my people, is NOBODY! For remember that our God is omnipotent and the only true and living Deity in the entire universe! So there’s no need to be afraid of anybody or anything, once we’re safely ensconced under His protective wings.
Meanwhile, Jonah, after coming to his senses in the belly of the fish, wisely declares: ‘They that observe lying vanities (worthless idols) forsake their own mercy (LOVING-kindness).
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon dry land.’ (Jon,28-10)
Yes Friends, salvation is truly from the Lord! Once Jonah acknowledged that, the Lord saved him out of the fish’s belly. And that’s basically what salvation is; saving us.
And we’ll close with these fateful words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to Zaccheus, after He had lunched at his place, and Zaccheus repented and pledged to change his evil ways.
‘And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:9-10)
Yes Friends, ONLY our great God can save, can grant salvation to the lost! And that’s exactly what our Saviour came to earth to do! Let’s sincerely hope that He has found and saved us all, so that we can spend eternity with Him, wherever He might be, for that’s truly the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…are you lost…are you wandering aimlessly through life…then turn to Jesus and be saved…for He is the Good Shepherd…the Saviour of the lost and aimlessly wandering…He is the giver of salvation…
16 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a godless world, all things are possible to him that believes, awesome words, be it unto you as you desire, be made right with God, belief nurturing, believe, believing, blessing, bow our heads in prayer, burdens of sin, Calvary, Canaan, cast it to the dogs, consistent communication with God, daily tasks, devil-possessed, doubt not, earthly pilgrimage, evil company of Lucifer, faith, faith building, faithful, fall from the masters' table, father in heaven, forgiveness, full of belief, full of faith, function righteously, Gentiles, give you thanks, gone astray, grace, great faith, great is thy faith, have faith, have mercy on me, Holy Name of Jesus, if thou canst believe, inhabitants of heaven, insults, it is not right to take the children's bread, jehovah god, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus must be our number one priority, Jews, keep god first in all we do, lead and guide, live our faith, Lord help me, lost, LOVE, love God as we ought, mercy, Messiah, miraculous healing, no confusion, no reason to lie, our Lord and Saviour, peace, pilgrims, positive difference, praise Your Holy Name, promises, pronouncements, rewarded, righteousness., scavenging beasts, Scrip-Bit family, selflessly sacrificed, Sidon, sinless life, Son of David, spilled His blood, Spread God's Word, test our faith, the breath of life, the dogs eat the crumbs, the Good Book, the house of Israel, the lost sheep, the wide path that leads to death and destruction, Top o' the morn, truth, Tyre, understanding, vexed with a devil, what ever ye ask in prayer, what's the action for today, wisdom of the ages, worshipped, ye shall receive
Mark 9:23. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Well hello there my beautiful Scrip-Bit Family! Top o’ this Thursday autumn morn to you! What’s the action for today eh? Whatever it is, I do hope that it includes Jesus… in fact has Him at the top of our to do list!
Yes Friends, Jesus has to be our Number ONE priority in this sinful, godless world, otherwise we’ll certainly go astray, down that wide path that leads to death and destruction and the evil company of Lucifer. Now that is definitely not an acceptable option!
So let’s bow our heads in prayer for a moment, because it is only through consistent communication with our great and wonderful God, that we can find the peace, LOVE, mercy, grace, forgiveness and understanding necessary to endure this earthly pilgrimage.
Please pray with me: ‘Oh Father in heaven, today we praise your holy name and give you much sincere thanks for the breath of life that is within us. We know that that is definitely a blessing from you, for without you, there is no life at all.
We humbly ask that you lead and guide us today, as we go about our daily tasks, and help us to keep you first in all that we do, because you are the most important person in our lives. Blessed Father, please enable us to function righteously in a godless world, this current world that has unfortunately gone astray from you.
Help us to LOVE you as we ought, to SPREAD your Word, and to LIVE out the Faith we find there, in positive, difference making action. This we pray in the holy name of Jesus, your faithful Son, and our Lord and Saviour, who so selflessly sacrificed Himself, spilled His blood at Calvary, so that we could be made right with you. Amen!’
Yes mih people, without Jehovah God, we are nothing, since all that we are comes directly from Him! We therefore need to trust in Him, to have secure and sincere faith in His promises and pronouncements, otherwise we’ll be completely lost.
This leads to the awesome words of our Bit. ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’
Ah Friends, that word ‘believe,’ it’s a helluva word yes! (smile) It just encompasses so much stuff, that it can literally take you hours, perhaps even days, to sit down and ponder what it’s all about.
But for us, true believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ, there’s no confusion whatsoever about belief in Him, for he has already proven that He’s faithful in ALL aspects of His Word and promises, plus He sacrificed His sinless life for our sinful ones.
ALL the burdens of our sins were placed on Him, and we received His righteousness instead. What could produce more awesome faith building and belief nurturing than that eh mih breddren? Nothing really!
And we’ll continue looking at episodes of great faith in the Good Book, turning to one that again greatly impresses Jesus. Listen to the Good Book tell it: ‘Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts (region) of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts (region), and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil (demon-possessed).
But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought (urged) him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
But he answered and said, It is not meet (good, right) to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to the dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt (you desire). And her daughter was made whole (well) from that very hour.’ (Matt.15:21-28)
Yes my brethren, even though Jesus told her what amounted to insults, she still remained full of belief, full of faith!
The scholars explain it thus: ’15:26-28. By children the Lord means Jews, and by dogs, Gentiles. His attitude was intended to test the woman’s faith, which was rewarded by a miraculous healing. The term used for dogs (Gr. kuhariois) means little dogs (pets), not wild, scavenging beasts.
She replied that such dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ tables. She knew what could be hers, even as a Gentile, and thus became an illustration of millions of Gentiles who would later be blessed by Israel’s Messiah. Great is thy faith: Jesus again commends Gentile belief (cf.8:10).’
Oh Friends, if we all had such simple, but sure faith, what a wonderful place our world would be!
And we’ll end with one more pronouncement on the subject from Jesus, after He cursed the fig tree and it quickly withered away. ‘And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:20-22)
And Friends, if Jesus says it’s so, then it must be so, since He has no reason to lie!
Consequently, my fellow believers, that means we need to go out today, and everyday, boosted with faith in Jesus, so that we can do what is required of us, both as pilgrims in this world and future inhabitants of heaven. That’s the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…there’s no wise reason not to believe in Jesus… therefore there’s no reason whatsoever…not to keep on believing in Him…
13 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: advocates, ascended to heaven, ask and you shall receive, awesome God, belief, bless the Lord, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, cacophony, Christian, christianity, commandments, copacetic, covenant, crowns, diseases, disobedience, don't forget God's benefits, everlasting, faith, fear God, feeling lousy, flatfooted, forgiven, forgiveness, glory, glory hallelujah, God's bidding, God's LOVE, gracious, groggy, heals, holy spirit, hope in the Lord, horn of salvation, iniquities, Israel, Israel sinned, Jesus, judgement, justice, lightning, lightning flashing, living colour, lost, LOVE, loving kindness, lying beneath the covers, magnanimous, man is dust, man's days are as grass, merciful, mercy, Moses, oppressed, pay a price, positive faith, praise, Praise the Lord, rain pouring down, raised from the dead, rambling along, redeem, redemption, reverence, rewarded us per our sins, riddims of nature, righteousness., servant David, serve, sinful children, slow to anger, some semblance of sense, testimony, thanks, the children of Israel, the gods in heaven, Thor, throne in the heavens, thunder, thunder roaring, trappings of Christianity, vengeance, wallow in guilt, way of life, wisdom, witness, wonderful god, worship, youth is renewed like the eagles's
Psalm 106:48. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. (Hallelujah) Praise ye the Lord.’
Oh Friends, it seems like the gods in heaven were real angry earlier on this morning. Thor opened his window and was really pounding away on his drums with a vengeance (thunder)! I haven’t heard him that loud and ominous for a while now.
Meanwhile who ever is in charge of electricity, of light, wasn’t too thrilled with life either because they were shooting wild and dangerous bolts of lightning all over the place. And somebody left a water source open and heaven overflowed, with all the excess water falling ponderously to earth.
On earth too, things weren’t all that copacetic, because I got up when all that cacophony was happening, feeling okay, I must point out; in fact well rested. But unwisely I decided to lie down and enjoy the riddims of nature, for there’s nothing like lying under the covers when the thunder is roaring, the lightning flashing and the rain pouring down!
Obviously I fell asleep again, but when I woke up this time, about an hour later, was I ever feeling lousy. My back’s aching, I’m groggy like I haven’t slept in ages, and I’m moving around like an old, dotish man. (smile) I guess that’s what happens when the Lord awakens you to do His bidding, but you choose to ignore Him.
Yes Friends, as we keep preaching… sorry, teaching, we ignore God and His directives at our peril. But He’s such a wonderful Deity that once we sincerely ask for forgiveness, He’s only too pleased and willing to grant it. But then, just as importantly, we have to learn to accept that forgiveness and move on with our lives, like I’m doing here writing the Bit.
We shouldn’t stay and wallow in the guilt, as too many of us tend to do after we’ve been forgiven. We all know the scripture that says ask and you shall receive (Matt.7:7), and we’re very versed and experienced in the asking, (smile) but when it comes to the receiving, a lot of us stand flatfooted and lost.
But my people, like everything else in our Christian way of life, it’s all a matter of FAITH, of BELIEF! We believe that God made us and LOVES us and provides for us, and that Jesus died for us, was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven, where He now advocates on our behalf.
Now none of us have personally experienced that stuff, as the song asks, ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ And the answer is an emphatic No! We weren’t there in person, but through the witness, the testimony of others who were there, we accept and believe it through positive faith, that those things actually happened.
Likewise Friends, we have to accept ALL the trappings of Christianity by FAITH! We can’t accept some and refute or waiver on others. And if you don’t know where all of this is leading to, well neither do I. (smile) I guess it’s one of those mornings when I’m just rambling along in my aching, groggy state.
However, I have NO doubt whatsoever, that by the time I’m done, there will be some semblance of sense in the Bit. That’s because the Lord, through His Holy Spirit, will not allow me to write pure nonsense in His Name. Glory Hallelujah!
That’s why my brethren, we can speak the words of our Bit today, though written many moons ago, with the same conviction that the psalmist had when Israel sinned against God’s LOVE. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. (Hallelujah) Praise ye the Lord.’
Our God is indeed a mighty, powerful and awesome God! But with all of that, He is ever yet merciful and magnanimous to His sinful children. Listen to the psalmist proclaim it: ‘Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.’ (Ps.130:7-8)
Now hear Luke corroborate those statements. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation (Mighty Deliverer) for us in the house of his servant David.’ (Luke 1:68-69)
And in closing, let’s listen to the Lord’s servant, Bruh David, as he spells it out in spades, in living colour, from Psalm 103, Thanksgiving for God’s mercy.
‘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.
The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. 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 for ever. 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 (reverence) him. For he knoweth (understands) our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more (shall not remember it). But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (reverence) him, and his righteousness unto the children’s children;
To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all…. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps.103:2-19, 22)
Ah mih people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship eh! There is NO OTHER supposed deity like Him! That’s why we ought to be exceedingly thankful and grateful and give Him plenty, plenty, plenty, praise and thanks and glory!
For if you’ll notice, WE DON’T DESERVE ANY OF THOSE WONDERFUL THINGS HE’S SO LOVINGLY PROVIDED FOR US!
So today, please, let’s get our act together, remember His commandments and do them, so that He will be even more merciful towards us. That’s wisdom from everlasting to everlasting. Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…or else he will pay a terrible price…for his disobedience…
21 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: achieving reconciliation, Adam, alienated, angelic beings, ascension, atonement, bacchanal, blessings, borders, boundaries, bounden duty, Bruh Paul, celebrations, Christ's contention, clothed in righteousness, Colossians, come to seek and save, death, deceitful one, dilgently address, disobedience, divine means, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enemy, erect strongholds, evil, false step, fellowship, follow Jesus, free gift, Friday chant, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's holy throne, good news, gospel truth, Granny's advice, great commission, heavenly presence of God, heavenly rewards, heavenly wisdom, heretics, holy, holy spirit, humanity, implementation, in the future, inferiority, Jesus Christ, jesus name, Jesus' gospel, joyful shouting, judgement, justification, leggo-beast, let our hair down, lost, LOVE, made peace, malicious, Mardi gras, Mas in T&T, mythological figure, never go wrong, New Orleans, obedience, perfectly holy, poisonous fangs, proper relationship with Christ, protection, put a spoke in your wheel, reconciliation, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, resurrection, righteous, righteousness., Rio carnival, roaring lion, sacrificial death, salvation, sinners, sly, Son of man, standard warning, superiority, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the blood of his cross, things in heaven, things on earth, to live by, ultimate purpose, unaccepteable, wicked works, wisdom, words of caution
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
And then it was Friday…! That’s obvious with all the joyful shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Work soon over, and the partying start…! Thank God is Friday yes!’
And nowhere right now are the shouts louder and more joyous than in Rio for their carnival, New Orleans for their Mardi gras, and T&T for Mas… Bacchanal fuh so! As those bacchanalian celebrations are only another week away.
However Friends, despite your not liking to hear Granny’s words of caution, because you think it puts a spoke in your wheel, stops you from doing certain things, it is indeed necessary for your protection.
That’s because it’s at these kinds of ‘leggo-beast’ celebrations, where the evil, deceitful one is ever present, like a roaring lion, constantly on the lookout for someone to get his poisonous fangs into, and thus erect strongholds in our minds, souls and bodies. (1 Pet.5:8)
But since this is unacceptable in a believer’s life, we need to ensure that certain boundaries, certain borders are not crossed, are not invaded by the sly and malicious enemy. Thus Granny’s warning ought to be taken very seriously. ‘Sonny boy, please, ah beg yuh, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’
And that’s really a standard warning we should all live by, my people, especially in big celebratory times, when we let go and let our hair down.
And as always, to help us get the right perspective for using the weekend, let’s chant our Friday Chant with all sincerity. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, the weekend’s not only for partying, but also for rest and fellowship. Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ And this is definitely the last day for it. (smile)
So what scriptures do we have to share that support Christ’s contention that He came to save us? Let’s begin with Bruh Paul talking to the Colossians, re reconciliation in and through Christ.
‘And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in (on) earth, or things in heaven. And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight.’ (Col.1:20-22)
Now here are some thoughts from the scholars on those verses. ‘1:21. Reconciliation is the act whereby God, through Christ’s atonement, brings men who are at odds with Him back into a peaceful, proper relationship with Himself.’
‘1:22. In the body of his flesh through death (or, “by His fleshly body through death”). The Colossian heretics may have argued that Jesus’ humanity and death indicate His inferiority to the angelic beings in the universe. Paul turns the argument against them, showing that His death points to His superiority; for His death is the divine means of achieving reconciliation to God.
To present you holy… in his sight (or, “to bring you holy… into His presence”). This expresses the ultimate purpose of reconciliation: it is to eventually usher the believer, made perfectly holy, into the heavenly presence of God.’
Oh my brethren, we can NEVER GO WRONG, IF WE FOLLOW JESUS!
And finally, listen to Bruh Paul in his missive to the church at Rome, talking about sin through Adam, and salvation through Christ. ‘Therefore, as the offense of one (false step) judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so be the righteousness of one (righteous act) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.’ (Rom.5:18-19)
And that’s the gospel truth of all gospel truths, my fellow believers in Jesus Christ!
And the scholars have this to say re those two verses. ‘5:18-19. Paul’s reference to Adam shows that he understood Adam to have been a real person. Adam was not a mythological figure any more than Jesus was.’
Oh Friends, our Jesus was definitely not a mythological character, for it’s only through His sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension that we are now able to come before God’s holy throne clothed in righteousness.
And that’s the GOOD NEWS OF JESUS’ GOSPEL, which He asked us to go forth and share with all mankind, to all the corners of the earth, so that all the earth would hear it and have a chance for salvation. (Matt.28:19-20)
Please my fellow believers, let’s take that commission very seriously and diligently address ourselves to its implementation. For it’s not only our bounden duty, but also heavenly wisdom, and will bring us great heavenly rewards in the future too. Much LOVE!
… he who doesn’t know the Son…unfortunately…will NEVER KNOW the Father…
20 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: above freezing, Acts, Antioch, apostles, availed themselves, Barnabas, bear it alone, blessed day, Bruh Paul, busy lives, Christ's contention, cold temps, come to seek and save, come unto me, conformity, consider, David, descendants, disciples, disobeying warnings, earthly duty, easy yoke, exalted with His right hand, faith, fellow believers, first time in ages, flooding, forgiveness of sins, fraught with danger, gentle, give you rest, glory hallelujah, God of our fathers, God's help, God's promise, good news, great burden, great invitation, grin and bear it, hanged ona tree, heavy laden, heavy rains, high priest, Holy Ghost, humble, incarcerated, invitation, Israel, Jesse, Jesus Christ, Jesus is here to help, Jewish Council, judges, kings, Kish, labour, learn from me, lifted off your shoulders, light burden, live our faith, lost, LOVE, Love God, man after mine own heart, meditate, melting snow, obedience, obey god rather than men, ponder, preaching Christ crucified, precipitation, Prince and Saviour, raised up Jesus, repentance, rest for your souls, Saul, seed, set free, short reprieve, snowstorms, Son of man, Spread God's Word, testimony, Thank the Lord, the Good Book, trust, truth, truthful words, unpredictable weather, walking and talking with Jesus, warned, winter, wisdom, without fear, witnesses, world of darkness, yoke
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Oh Friends, at long last it seems we’ll be getting a short reprieve from the bitterly cold day time temperatures we’ve been having. Thank the Lord! Our temps are supposed to rise above the freezing mark, be on the plus side for the first time in what seems like ages.
But even that good news of a few days of warmer, no less cold temps, is fraught with danger, as there are warnings of heavy rainfall in the offing, and combined with melting snow, flooding is a serious possibility. Ah Lord eh! It seems that our weather no longer goes about its business smoothly and with some conformity to what we expect, but is just jumping here there and everywhere, as it pleases.
Just look at the recent terrible and highly abnormal snowstorms in the U.S, and the disastrous flooding over the pond in Britain, where some places have been under water since early December. Mama Mia! And we’ve already had our big ice storms and heavy snowfall, so all in all it has been a winter of much precipitation, and there’s still a few weeks of it left to endure.
And if, as it’s widely believed, that our actions are mostly to blame for the greatly fluctuating and unpredictable weather patterns, then all we can do right now is grin and bear it.
But I also have some great news my people; we don’t have to bear it alone, for Jesus is here to help us do so! In the first place, as He says in our Bit: ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ And we were definitely lost in a world of darkness before His coming.
But even after saving us there, He still holds out to us the Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
What truthful and highly appreciative words my brethren! And for all those who have not yet availed themselves of that wonderful invitation, I’d strongly advise that you do so as soon as possible, in fact right now, for when you do, you will truly feel as though a great burden has been lifted off your shoulders.
Anyway, let’s turn to the remainder of scriptures which supports Christ’s contention that He came to earth to save us, so that we can finish that topic today. And the first passage comes from Acts, where the apostles are again before the high priest and Jewish Council, for deliberately disobeying the warnings to stop preaching Christ crucified. This, after they had already been incarcerated, warned and set free.
‘Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of those things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.’ (Acts 5:29-32)
Oh Friends, that’s the testimony of Jesus’ disciples! It must have taken a lot of guts to get up before the Jewish rulers and speak so disdainfully of them, but they could not have denied the things they saw and experienced in the company of Jesus. And on their truth, we can base our faith without fear, and with awesome trust.
Now hear Bruh Paul, later on when Barnabas and himself were at Antioch. He’s talking about how Israel moved from being ruled by judges to kings. ‘And afterward they (the Israelites) desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of (for) forty years.
And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Of this man’s seed (descendants) hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus.’ (Acts 13:21-23)
Oh my fellow believers, there can be no doubt re that line of reasoning, for it’s all recorded right there in the Good Book!
And we’ll end there for today, since inclusion of the other scriptures will definitely make the Bit too long, and I do have a sincere appreciation for your busy lives. (smile)
But please, let’s ponder, consider and meditate upon all that we’ve said today, then with God’s help, let’s try to bring our lives into obedience with His will, for that’s wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!
…what’s our earthly duty…to LOVE Our God…LIVE Our Faith…and SPREAD His Holy Word…
P.S. On editing the Bit, I found it much shorter than I originally thought. Glory Hallelujah! (smile) Much LOVE my fellow believers in Christ! And please have a blessed day, walking and talking with our Saviour!
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