20 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a form of lust, a new commandment I give unto you, anger, as far as the east is from the west, as I have loved you, be obedient to His commandments, bless the LOrd o my soul, by this shall all men know that ye are my disiciples, challenges of the world, change our heart's direction, Christ is the answer, crowns thee with loving-kindness, debauchery, disciples, disobedience, endure to the end, faith, followers of Christ, forget not all his benefits, forgives all thine iniquities, from everlasting to everlasting, God remembers that we are dust, God understands our constitution, greed, halfway home, hands on the plough, hate, he knows our frame, heals all thy diseases, his righteousness, holy spirit, idol worship, if you love me, jealousy, Jesus Christ, judgement, keep his anger for ever, keep my commandments, LOVE, LOVE one another, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, negative things, not turning back, only fools follow Satan, redeems thy life from destruction, repent, righteousness., salvation, satisfies thy mouth with good things, tender mercies, thank God, the breath of life, the death of Christ, the importance of love, the Lord is merciful and gracious, the Lord pities them that fear him, the mercy of the Lord, this is the message ye heard from the beginning, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unto children's children, wisdom
John 14:15. If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.
Then it was Wednesday; the middle day of our work week, where we endeavour to catch our second wind, and with a flourish, drive on towards the finish line on Friday! And I know that’s much easier said than done, but as disciples of Christ, we need to rise above the mundane challenges of the world, for that’s why we’re imbued with his Holy Spirit and all the other benefits we reap when we become a child of God and joint heir with Christ. And I believe we need a bit of reawakening and remembrance from the Word to encourage us; namely Bruh David’s words from Psalm 103 – Bless the Lord’s Holy Character.
So please pray with me: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103: 1-5)
Ah friends, those are words and sentiments we should never forget, but always have first place in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, for it’s through the Lord’s grace and mercy that we have all the good things and benefits we enjoy. And let’s remember those things don’t come for free; they have been bought with an enormous price, the death of Christ Jesus! So we cannot afford to take them for granted, but are expected, as followers of Christ to be obedient to His will and His commandments.
Remember His words: ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) It’s as simple as that my fellow believers. If we truly LOVE Jesus, then we will keep His commandments. Unfortunately though, it seems that a lot of us don’t truly LOVE him, for we are not keeping His commandments, otherwise, our world would not be in the shambles and total chaos that it’s currently in. And the sad thing is that our world is lacking only one thing; that’s LOVE! And Jesus told us several times about the importance of LOVE in discipleship, as well as in life on a whole.
Listen up to these instances. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35). Then later on He reiterates: ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’ (John 15:12) And even after that, Jesus still tries to implant the immense value of LOVE into our puny, stubborn minds, when He again says: ‘These things I command you, that ye LOVE one another.’ (John 15:17)
And even John makes it plain in his fist epistle that LOVE should be first place in our hearts, when he writes: ‘For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning; that ye should LOVE one another.’ (1 John 3:11) But we are obviously not following Christ’s commandment because LOVE is the thing most lacking in our churches and our world as a whole. It’s so sad that the negative things like hate, anger, greed, jealousy, debauchery, etc. etc. are the ruling emotions in our world, with true LOVE running a pitiful last. And even when we do talk about LOVE, it’s merely a form of lust or expediency and not true brotherly LOVE.
Yet, despite al of our disobedience and idol worship, and putting God anywhere but first place in our lives, we still arrogantly expect to reap the many wonderful benefits His LOVE provides. And that’s bold facedness at its zenith! And I guess we should continue with these verses of Psalm 103, which make things a lot plainer.
‘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 ( lovingkindness). 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 (lovingkindness) toward them that fear (reverence) 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 our frame (understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:6-14)
Oh friends, Bruh David is trying to show us the many benevolent attributes of our great God, as well as the greatness of His mercy by not punishing us according to our sins, but instead removing them as far as the east is from the west, and also the greatness of His compassion on un us, as a father pitieth his children.
Then he continues: ‘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 (it is not remembered). But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (reverence) him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.’ (Ps. 103:15-18)
Yes my fellow saints, the Lord’s a wonderful God, but in the long run it’s to those who reverence Him and keep His commandments. We won’t be rewarded for our blatant disobedience and sinfulness, although we will be forgiven if we repent and change the direction of our hearts. So all the sinful nonsense we’re carrying on with in this world, will only bring us hellfire and damnation, and eventual separation from Almighty God. But for those of us who choose to do our best to follow Christ, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail.
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 if we endure right down to the end, then it’s been promised that that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, see you there! Much LOVE!
…only fools knowingly follow Satan…when it’s obvious…that Christ is the Answer…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new commandment I give unto you, a rainy Tuesaday, a reverential fear of God, as I have loved you, Bible, blasphemers, by this shall all men know that ye are my disiciples, cannot kill the soul, christianity, dissensions, divide and conquer, divisions, faith, fear him which can destroy both body and soul, fear of God's wrath, fear them not whick kill the body, god, God's displeasure, God's love is tronger than His wrath, hurry, if ye have love one to another, in god's eyes, in the last days perilous times shall come, infighting, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ her Lord, life is all about love, LOVE, LOVE one another, Love thy neighbour as thyself, lovers of their own selves, my neck of the woods, petty jealousies, proud, rumbling thunder, share His love with the world, that ye also love one another, the beloved of God, the church's one foundation, the power of love, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind, worry
John 13:34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.
Oh boy, it’s a rainy Tuesday morning in my neck of the woods! And like it means serious business too, because the thunder’s been rumbling in a very intimidating manner! But there’s no need to worry, because it all comes from our great God, who made the heavens and the earth and still owns and controls it! And if He chooses to grit His teeth and cause the earth to shake with rumbling thunder every once in a while to show His displeasure with our sinful, ungodly life style, then who’s to say Him nay eh? (smile) Nobody whatsoever, because He’s the Boss, and the Boss can do whatever He so desires!
So it’s a two in one session; some heavenly blessings and some heavenly displeasure. Please, let’s be wise and pay some serious attention to the displeasure aspect, because we would not like to feel even one iota of His godly wrath, which can immediately destroy us, both body and soul. As Jesus warns the disciples and by extension, all other followers: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28)
And what does that mean? Listen to this commentary. ‘Jesus’s command, Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul (v 28), informs His disciples of the extent of the danger that they will face for following Him. Earthly rulers and mobs will kill the bodily lives of Christ’s followers for the sake of extending or preserving their earthly power.’ So we don’t need to truly fear them, for they can only kill our bodies. But God Almighty can destroy us completely.
Therefore we ought to have both a reverential fear or awe of Him, as well as a real fear of the power He possesses and can unleash at a moment’s notice if His displeasure is stirred up. But we don’t need to fear God’s wrath if we live the godly and LOVING life that He expects of His followers. Remember that although His wrath is lethal, His LOVE is even more powerful, and once we’re living in LOVE with Him and each other, there’s nothing to fear.
Jesus said it very simply but with the utmost confidence and sincerity when He answered the question posed by the facetious Pharisee lawyer: ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36- 40)
Yes friends, in God’s kingdom, everything swings on the power of LOVE! Can you imagine a world that is just filled with LOVE? Unfortunately though, most of us cannot conjure such a divine situation because we have become hard, cynical and too accustomed to a world where the negative things like hate, anger, strife and the rest of them are rampant and overwhelming.
And it’s ONLY LOVE, the LOVE of believers in Christ Jesus that will ever make a difference in this hateful and ungodly world. And Jesus harped on the necessity for LOVE amongst His believers. Listen to this directive. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Oh my fellow believers, Jesus could not have been any clearer or more explicit. The attribute that’s supposed to set us apart from the heathen and let others know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ is LOVE for each other. But can we truthfully say that LOVE exists today amongst the supposed disciples of Christ in any serious and sincere amount? I doubt it. Not when there are so many divisions, dissensions, denominations, cliques, petty jealousies, infighting and outright evil doings in the body of Christ, in His church.
That thread of true LOVE in Christ’s church is sadly missing. No wonder the heathen don’t consider us disciples, but rather hypocrites, since we don’t even show the most basic aspect of Christ’s nature, LOVE, to each other and to the world in general. It hurts the heart when you think of the awesome power, the great difference Christ’s church could make in this world if it came together as one, instead of being broken up into many weak and powerless pieces, acknowledging the wisdom of Satan’s scheme, to divide and conquer.
And when we sing that famous hymn ‘The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is his new creation by water and the Word,’ we’re making a mockery of it because so many people today are trying to lay their own foundation in the church of Christ, unlike what Bruh Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians: ‘For other foundation can no man lay that that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor, 3:11) Oh my people, the only foundation that’s supposed to be in Christ’s church is Christ Himself! We need to build on that, not on anything else. Otherwise it would not be truly of Christ.
But, unfortunately, our world had become just like Bruh Paul warned Timothy long ago . ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-2) And he goes on to name a long list of other sinful and ungodly deeds that mankind would be guilty of. And there’s no doubt that all those things are very blatant and rampant in our world right now.
And the only antidote for what’s ailing our world is true LOVE and LOVING actions amongst those who profess belief in Christ Jesus. It’s a simple but not an easy answer, but with God’s help we can turn things around if we seriously try. However, that’s where the problem lies, we don’t want to seriously try because it will take too much effort and sacrifice. But that’s another sermon for another day!
Right now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that claim, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…life is all about LOVE…LOVE for God…for ourselves…and for our fellow human beings…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a moral virtue, a new commandment I give unto you, a new flock of believers, a word to the wise is sufficient, abstain, as I have loved you, asceticism, backsliders, begun a good work in you, behave like Jesus, being confident of this very thing, Bible, binge, but of power love and a sound mind, by this shall all men know, christianity, courteous, error of their ways, faith, faithful believers, fly without any reservations, follow me, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, free and easy, Friday chant, from glory to glory, gentleness, god, going to the extremes, good examples., hasty decisions, if any man will come after me, indulgence, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kind, let him deny himself, let your moderation be known unto all men, like leggo beasts, LOVE, LOVE one another, moderation, omnipotent help, perform it until the day of jesus, reasonableness, self-control, simmering unrest, sinful world, take up his cross daily, temperance, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the throne of grace, the weekend, tolerant, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, ye are my disciples
Philippians 4:5a. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.
And the end of the month of May, could not fall on a better day…Friday! Thus all the glorious shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and another summer weekend is in the offing!’ We get all worked up about our weekends, especially the summer ones, because we can get out there and go where we want, and do whatever we want without the restrictions of the winter weather. We’re free and easy! But please, let’s not go wild and behave like leggo beasts, for that’s exactly how the enemy, his satanic majesty, wants us to behave; to forget God’s warnings, His rules and regulations and just fly without any reservations.
And once in a while, it is good to fly without reservations, although there is usually a price to pay when we do that. (smile) In the meanwhile, let’s remember these most memorable and oh so important words of Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Now the most important aspect of that statement in this case is the ‘sound or disciplined mind.’ Yes friends, that means we have self-control, which is also a fruit of the Spirit, wherefore we don’t go around flying off the handle or making hasty decisions, and going to the extremes.
In other words, like Jeeves says, we need a modicum of circumspection or moderation in all things. Now, what does moderation in all things mean? And we have a couple of commentaries based on the meaning the world has of it. The first says: “Everything in moderation,” goes the old line, meaning don’t binge, and don’t abstain, but do take it easy on the bad stuff. Between the two poles of asceticism and indulgence, moderation is about never giving up or fully giving in.’
The second one gets more philosophical. (smile) ‘According to Craiutu, Aristotle considered moderation a moral virtue and Plato, in “The Republic”, described moderation as the harmony between reason, spirit, and desire. “It’s the disposition of the soul where reason, spirit, and desire are in agreement,” says Craiutu. “It’s more than just temperance.’ And strangely enough Bruh Paul wrote about it to the Philippians: ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.’ (Phil. 4:5a) Now what’s this moderation business in the Christian life you ask? Is it the same as in the world? Yes and no.
Here are a couple more commentaries on the Christian explanation of ‘moderation.’ The first tells us: ‘Let your moderation be known unto all men. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. In any case, Paul’s idea is that don’t be so strict and extreme about the letter of the law; be fair minded, reasonable, and gentle.’ And the second says: ‘This characteristic of the Christian (moderation) must be a conspicuous one; that is, Christians must be well-known for their gentle, kind, courteous and tolerant ways with others. Put another way, behave as Jesus would because this was one thing Jesus was known for.’ Amen!
And that’s basically all that moderation means: behave like Jesus! And yes, you claim that’s not so easy to do, because He was the Son of God, deity, sinless and strong, but we have His power, His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, which gives us the ability to behave in a decent manner…remember the spirit of power, of LOVE, and of a sound or disciplined mind. No, we will never be perfect, but we don’t have to behave like the world behaves. And if we’re seriously intent on behaving like Christ, let’s not forget this scripture that Bruh Paul writes to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6)
Yes my brethren, once the Lord has begun a good work in us, meaning making us like Jesus, raising us from glory to glory, He won’t stop until He takes us home, or Jesus returns. So we don’t have to be overly worried about behaving like Jesus if we’re serious about living the Christian life…which in fact is not easy, but very worthwhile. The whole thing boils down to the true state of our hearts, and how much we truly LOVE Jesus and want to serve Him the best way we can. And I believe that if we remember and meditate on these words of His, our lives will become fuller and more satisfactory.
And it’s all about discipleship. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Then there are these most telling words. ‘A new commandment I give unto you. That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) Oh my fellow saints, I do believe that if we ponder and think on those words of Jesus, we will come to a positive realization in and of our Christian walk.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking help to live up to our responsibilities in these trying and troubled times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And I’d be seriously amiss if I didn’t point out that one of the requirements for getting divine help is setting a good Christian example. Nuff said! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Dec 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as I have loved you, bring glad tidings of good things, compassion, forgive us, give Jack his jacket, God's plan of salvation, God's unmerited favour, Happy New Year, heal our land, how beautiful are the feet, humble ourselves, Jehovah Rapha, Jim his gym boots, kindness, LOVE, LOVE one another, mass confusion, Merry Christmas, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, of them that preach the gospel of peace, office parties, our embittered and embattled world, peace, promised to hear and answer our prayers, reconcile us back to Himself, shopping, sincere repentance, the God who heals, turn from our evil ways, wise guidance
John 13:34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.
And then it was the Monday of Christmas week, and I hope that we are all excited to go to work this morning to meet and greet our friends and co-workers with a ‘Merry Christmas and a ‘Happy New Year!’ Yes my people, if the Monday before the birth of Christ can’t get us enthused about work, then I don’t know what will, especially when a lot of us don’t do much at this time of year anyway. (smile) What with the shopping, office parties and what not.
But please, I implore us to take a moment every so often and remember the real reason for this Christmas celebratory season, which is unequivocally the birth of Christ, some two thousand years ago. Without that incarnate birth of the Son of God, there would be no holidays and/or celebrations now. So, as the old people would say, let’s give jack his jacket and Jim his gym boots. Yes, let’s give Jesus the recognition He so appropriately deserves, by remembering Him in our hearts and souls and sharing the miraculous and marvellous story of His birth with others.
Let them know that Jesus’ birth was the first step in God’s plan of salvation, in His plan to bring us woeful sinners who had gone astray from Him, back into His fold. To redeem us, to make us righteous, to reconcile us back to Himself, so that we could be rightly called the children of God, and eventually enjoy eternal life in His company! Now nothing could be better than receiving God’s unmerited grace and favour my faithful brethren!
And we who believe, are supposed to be His disciples, His ambassadors and spread His Word all over the earth. As he said in the Great Commission He assigned to us: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always.’ (Matt. 28:19-20) Now that is our basic assignment as believers.
And I just LOVE how Bruh Paul explains the spreading of Christ’s gospel, as he talks about righteousness by faith in Christ to the church at Rome. Quoting the prophet Joel (Joel 2:32), he writes: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.’ (Rom. 10:13-15)
And it’s ever so interesting how Bruh Paul uses his vast knowledge of the Old Testament scripture to make his New Testament points. In that last verse he quoted Isaiah 52:7 and Nahum 1:15. Now not everybody needs to be a preacher, but every believer needs to know and grow in the scriptures so that they can share their faith with others. For how can you truly share what you don’t know about eh? Neither do we have to breathe down people’s necks with the scriptures, but the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us when an opportunity arises for us to witness in Christ’s name.
And there’s no better season to witness than at Christmas time, when everyone is joyful and receptive to good tidings. But friends, you know the best witness ever? Our everyday lifestyle. If we model it on that of Christ, then we won’t have to do any shouting from the rooftops, but others will just see the difference in us and want to live the life we’re living.
And that’s just what I want us to go out and do this Monday morning, and all through this Christmas week: live a life that’s reflective of Christ; one filled with LOVE, kindness, compassion, mercy, goodness, gentleness and peace, while getting in some scriptures edgewise, as the Holy Spirit directs us! I don’t think we can do a better job of reminding the world of the reason for this holiday season than to live a rich and full life based on Jesus’ teachings.
So, this Christmas season, let’s be the salt of the earth and light of the world as He desires. Not forgetting this most important directive: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Oh my fellow saints, it’s remarkable that because of the birth of Christ, this is the season when even the unbelievers show LOVE and caring to each other, so why can’t we do the same eh? And I’ll leave us to ponder for a moment on that thought. Selah. Now, let’s go to God in heartfelt prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, it’s time to get our hearts and our motives right with God showing the world the LOVE of Christ! Much LOVE!
…only the birth of Jesus… could bring peace and tidings of good things…to our embittered and embattled world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
16 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grain of mustard seed, advocating on our behalf, burst my bubble, I am meek and lowly in heart, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, insight of Jesus to discern fruitful opportunities from difficulties, Jesus did it all for our benefit, live for Jesus, LOVE one another, our attitude, our friend Anselm, our lazy day Saturday, positive thinking is more than a tagline, reality intruded, rise again on the last day, sitting at the father's right hand, the difference between obstacles and opportunities, things which are impossible with men are possible with God, your positive mindset includes Jesus
Luke 18:27. The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
And then it was Saturday – our lazy day! And boy oh boy, did I ever feel like being lazy all day! And in keeping with that feeling, though I was already late waking up, I nevertheless lay there in bed, awake, thinking all sorts of delicious lazy thoughts. But then, as always, reality intruded, it burst my lazy bubble; the Lord’s work needed to be done, and I needed to get my lazy self, up and about to do it! Ah brother, no rest for the wicked nor the righteous! And I muttered an insincere: ‘Thank you for the reminder, Lord!’ (smile)
So, as we do on Saturdays, let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better.’ Yes, that’s quite true. We can’t just talk positive thinking, but like everything else we must put it into action for it to bear fruit. And when we do that, it not only makes us better, but also rubs off on those we encounter.
But let me make one proviso here: positive thinking as the world proposes can’t make miraculous changes to your life. Oh yes, it will help you some, but the real test comes when your positive mindset includes Jesus! Oh glory be mih people! When Jesus is actively in our lives, miracles happen all around us all the time, we become doers of seemingly impossible stuff, because as He said. ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.’ (Luke 18:27) And once you believe that, even if your faith is only as big as a small grain of mustard seed, you too can move mountains, do miracles, (Matt. 17:20)
So, it’s not simply positive thinking we need to improve our lives and situations, but more importantly strong belief in Jesus and the fact that all things are possible through and with Him. As Bruh Paul said so confidently to the Philippians: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phill. 4:13) And that’s the glorious truth my faithful brethren! We can do anything that Jesus wants us to do, because He empowers us to do whatever He desires of us!
That brings us to this next quote that’s in a similar vein to the first one. It tells us that ‘An attitude of positive expectation is the mark of the superior personality.’ Now in the world that might be true to a certain extent, but as we just saw, mere positive thinking doesn’t move mountains, it’s only when Jesus is involved in that positive mindset that things truly begin to happen.
And then, with Jesus, we never have issues of superiority, for as He says, ‘I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble)’ (Matt. 11:29) That means we don’t think we’re better than anybody else, so we wouldn’t say we have a superior personality, but possibly more wisdom, we’re wiser than most because we have the good sense to choose Jesus above all the foolish, perishable trappings of the world.
Now, isn’t it just wonderful to have Jesus in our lives? It certainly is, for it enables us more than the unbelievers to handle the next quote, which says: ‘What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity.’ Yes friends, our attitude towards life in general and our individual circumstances in particular is what sets us apart from the unsuccessful throng, or multitude. As the quote so truly specifies: ‘Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity.’
And do we ever know about that. For though simple opportunities may seem to abound, every one of them will present some difficulty at some stage of the game. It very seldom ever runs smoothly all the way through. And it’s only when we have the belly and backbone that comes from knowing Jesus that we can fight through those difficulties and not give up.
Likewise, in most difficult situations there is usually an excellent opportunity for us to get hold of and pursue to a successful end. But there again, we need the perspicacity, the insight, the shrewdness inspired by our walk with Jesus to discern those fruitful opportunities within those difficult situations, and purposefully go after them. Oh, what would we do without Jesus eh? I don’t know nuh. (smile)
And all of it culminates in this last quote which advises us to: ‘Cultivate an optimistic mind, use your imagination, always consider alternatives, and dare to believe that you can make possible what others think is impossible.’ Now all of that is obviously good advice, whether or not you believe in Jesus. But the crowning glory of it all is that when you sincerely believe in Jesus, then you can indeed make those things that others think impossible, possible, because ALL things are possible to and through Him!
And please don’t think that Jesus isn’t all for positive thinking and optimism, because He is. He is the most positive thinker and greatest optimist that ever lived! Just check out these facts about Him nuh. Who else would think that His dying, His shed blood could pay for all the sins of mankind eh, from beginning to end? He had to be a powerful positive thinker and optimist.
And likewise, who else but a major optimist and positive thinker would think to only leave a dozen, mostly uneducated men to evangelize the world eh? And that’s exactly what Jesus did. And look at how far we’ve come in doing that. Most of the known world now know about Jesus, and the number of those who don’t Him are getting fewer each day with the marvellous advances we’ve recently had in communication technology. And neither should we forget that in Jesus’ vocabulary and kingdom, the words ‘quit, give up, and can’t do it’ don’t exist…and never will!
Now, let’s go out into the cruel, evil and ungodly world and just live for Him, because He not only died for us, to wash and make us clean from our abominable sins, but He also rose for us, so that we too could rise again on the last day and be with Him in heaven, where He is right now, sitting at the Father’s right hand, advocating on our behalf!
Oh my fellow saints, all that Jesus has done, and is still doing, is strictly for our benefit. So please, let’s remember that nuh, and show some gratitude by sincerely living for Him! Much LOVE!
…if there’s only one word and/or thought that should guide our lives…it’s JESUS…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
20 May 2022
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, and in his word do I hope, bring backsliders back to your fold, burning like a raging fire in our bellies, but there is forgiveness with thee, Covid-19 virus, Friday chant, get down on our knees, give thanks for the days of the Lord, He keeps all of His promises, hell right here on earth, I had fainted, I wait for the Lord, in the land of the living, introduce a new flock, let our faith rise up to heaben, let thine ears be be attentive to my voice, Lord hear my voice, LOVE one another, more than they that watch for the morning, my soul doth wait, our God is faithful, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the joy of the Lord, the word constantly bubbling in our souls, this is my comfort in my affliction, thy word hath quickened me, to see the goodness of the Lord, trusting faith, unless I had believed, waiting on God is hard, wake up and smell the coffee
Psalm 130:5. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Oh friends, at last, at long last we can shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And this week of work is almost ended.’ So, with the end finally in sight, what are we going to do now eh? Party and party…and party? No! We need to get down on our knees, and let our faith rise up to heaven; give thanks for the days the Lord’s taken us through, the many struggles we’ve come through victoriously this past week, all because of His awesome grace and mercy.
Yes friends, the proper start to the weekend is to say ‘Thank You Jesus! Without Your divine help I don’t know how I would have made it through this past week! And please keep on holding my hand as I run this earthly race! So I give You thanks, from the very bottom of my heart!’ Oh yes, before we do anything else, it’s of the utmost importance to give Him thanks and praise and ask for His continued blessing as we go through this hell right here on earth.
We should be saying like the psalmist does in Psalm 130. ‘Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark (take note of) iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared (reverenced with awe). I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.’ (Ps. 130:1-5)
Ah mih people, what words of wisdom! Words that should be our mantra, always filling our hearts with the joy and faithfulness that is only found in Almighty God! As we said yesterday, waiting on God is probably one of the hardest things to do, but is certainly the most important, and we can’t do so without hope and faith; knowing that He’s a faithful God, who keeps all of His promises, a situation that all of us have experienced at some time or other.
And I like how the psalmist continues showing his confidence in the God of his forefathers. ‘My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say more than they that watch for the morning.’ (Ps. 130:6) Oh my brethren, yuh see the intensity with which he waits and watches for his God – even more than those whose job it is to watch for the morning. Glory be! Do we have that kind of intensity of watching and waiting for our great God? It doesn’t seem so, else so many of us wouldn’t be as miserable, despondent and hopeless as we are.
Let’s remember Bruh David’s memorable words on the subject in Psalm 27: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith) I say on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:13-14) And we all know that most of Bruh David’s warnings and encouragement didn’t come from hearsay, but from real life experiences. So, he knew exactly what he was talking about when he made those seemingly difficult recommendations. And if the Lord did it for Bruh David, He will also do it for us, if we stop and wait in faith on Him.
But there’s something else that we must pay serious attention to if we desire to wait in faith on the Lord. And what’s that you ask? The psalmist said it in the second half of our Bit: ‘and in his word do I hope.’ Yes my fellow saints, without the Lord’s Word in our soul, burning like a raging fire in our bellies, it’s not possible to get that hope and the ability to wait. That means we need to read and meditate on the Lord’s Word as much as possible. It needs to be our Number One Priority! For it’s only through the Word constantly bubbling in our souls and spirits can we ever receive the joy of the Lord and the faith, strength and perseverance needed to wait patiently on His sure timing.
And these marvellous words from Psalm 119, reminds us of the importance of the Word. The psalmist writes: ‘Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me (given me life). The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined (turned aside) from thy law. I remembered thy judgements of old, O Lord: and have comforted myself.’ (Ps. 119:49-52)
Oh my, my, my faithful brethren! Yuh see the power inherent in the Lord’s Word! It gives us a rejuvenated faith, comfort and truth and helps us to wait on the Lord with a good and faithful attitude. And since we know the Word, and have faith, trust and hope in it, let’s do what we advised right at the beginning of today’s message nuh, that’s give thanks and ask for continued help. So as one strong and confident but humble voice, let’s go to God in prayer, through our Friday Chant.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now my people, it behooves us to go out and behave like the faithful believers we claim, or promised to be. Much LOVE!
…waiting isn’t easy…but with Jesus percolating in our souls…we can surely do it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Dec 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a name which is above every other name, a type of depression, All I want is you, all things are become new, became obedient unto death, call in the heavy rollers, Dr. Charles Stanley, endure to the end, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, guiding light, he humbled himself, he is a new creature, he that followeth me, I am the light of the world, I don't want nobody, if any man be in Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, Jesus keeps us calm, lack of sunlight, leave all the consequences to Him, losing interest in once enjoyed activities, LOVE one another, low energy, my burden is light, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my whole life has changed, my yoke is easy, obedience, obey God, old things are passed away, practice what you preach, praise his holy name, problems with sleep, rewards attached to obedience, sad, Seasonal Affective disorder, seasonal bouts of depression, shall have the light of life, shall not walk in darkness, Since I met you Jesus, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the debilitating ways of the world, the number one rule, to a glorious future with Jesus, to tell my troubles to, to the glory of God the Father, Wednesday Wail
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Well it’s another dark, cloudy, damp winter’s day…just like the past few have been. No wonder so many people are depressed and sad, for that’s what miserable weather can do to you if you don’t have Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. But when you have Yeshua, as your Guiding Light, even the worse weather won’t get you down. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) probably one of the enemy’s new tools, won’t disturb your calm soul. (smile)
And some of you might be wondering what’s SAD? ‘It is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same time every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Some of the common symptoms include having low energy, losing interest in activities you once enjoyed, having problems with sleep and feeling sluggish or agitated.’
It’s also been associated with the lack of sunlight during the winter months, and one of the treatments is having bright artificial light engulfing you. But when the LIGHT of the world dwells within you, in the form of the Holy Spirit, then you ought not to suffer from those seasonal bouts of depression, because Jesus constantly shines His light in your life and provides enough motivation for you to get on with His earthly tasks. The world tries to drive us crazy with all its busyness and complicated living, but Jesus keeps us calm and unshackled from the annoying and debilitating ways of the world.
Remember His fabulous claim: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12). Now that was no spurious or boastful claim, but the awesome truth! For when Jesus comes into your life, you become a new person. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be on Christ, he is a new creature (creation); old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17)
And that’s just the way it is my brethren! You can’t come sincerely to Jesus and not have serious changes in your life, because accepting Jesus, automatically means making some changes, giving up some of the ungodly ways of the world, though not necessarily all at once, but over time. Remember Jesus is not a hard task master, for as He says: ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:30)
So He doesn’t expect you to change all at once, and will probably deal with you, one problem at a time, but deal with you He will. (smile) But in a LOVING and fatherly manner, unless you get stubborn and irascible. Then He can, and won’t be afraid to call in the heavy rollers to deal with your intransigence.
Yuh know friends, when we live for, or claim to live for Jesus, there’s one overriding factor that’s necessary in all our doings, and that’s OBEDIENCE! Like with any organization, you can’t be a true member and not pay obedience to its leader, and its aims and goals. The same holds true for being a part of Christ’s body, His church. Obedience is the Number One Rule!
And it’s not only something that Jesus asks of us, but something He also practiced. He’s not a leader, like the hypocrite Pharisees and them, who don’t practice what they preach. And the Good Book supports that truth by telling us: ‘And (Jesus) being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:8)
Yes friends, Jesus didn’t want to go to the cross, like nobody really wants to, but because the Father asked, and that was the only way to justly save our sinful souls, He acquiesced to the Father’s wish. And that’s what we need to do as serious and sincere followers of Christ; acquiesce to His every wish, even when it seems difficult or impossible, because He never asks us to do something unless He gives us the wherewithal to do it. That’s the extent of His faithfulness.
Wow! And the good thing about doing Jesus’ will is that there are also rewards attached to them. Just like we read in the Good Book about Jesus’ rewards for being obedient to the Father. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11)
Ah mih people, likewise our obedience to Christ’s wishes will bring rewards, both here on earth and eternally. So, it’s ever so important that we obey if we want to be a solid rock of His church. And I believe the words of this old, reworked pop song, personify exactly what we’ve been talking about, and what it means to become a member of Jesus’ team.
It says: ‘Since I met you Jesus, my whole life has changed… And everybody tells me that I’m not the same. Since I met you Jesus, I’m a happy man…I’m going to do my best to please you, In every way I can. I don’t need nobody to tell my troubles to…No, No, No. All I need is Jesus, He makes my life brand new. Oh, since I met you Jesus, all I want is you. Yes, since I met you Jesus, all I want is you.’ Now that’s what meeting Jesus is all about my people!
And for those of us who have already met Him and are happy in His employ, and are doing our best to please Him in every way we can, then let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. So, as one sincere, powerful and confident 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 yuh better believe my fellow saints, that if we endure until the end, that the promised future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask of imagine! Wow! Praise His holy Name! Much LOVE!
…the best way to live this life…obey God and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
05 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grateful heart, all things are possible with Jesus, aspires to inspire us, Cleanse your hands, create in me a clean heart, divisive enemy, draw nigh to God, faith conquers fear every time, fervently, fight tooth and nail, get the victory, give thanks, he shall lift you up, humble yourselves in the sight of God, LOVE one another, measurment, one thing or another, our Lord God Jehovah, pre-eruption lava, purify your hearts, renew a right spirit within me, repentance, reward someone, seething like magma, thanksgiving, the biggest room in the the world, the enemy never makes it easy, the first step that leads to control, the gospel truth, the Lord looketh on the heart, violence and war, we can do all things with Christ's help, with a pure heart, ye doubleminded, ye sinners
Psalm 51:10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.
Ah friends, it’s so true that if it isn’t one thing, then it’s another, and when one thing happens, another soon follows it. Steups! I already got up late then I had some computer problems…possibly because I didn’t know what I was doing. (smile) But the enemy never makes it easy, he’s always trying to get in a word edgewise or a toehold somewhere. But don’t worry, we going to drive the ole fool right outa town because after all these years of going to and fro about the earth, he still hasn’t learned the gospel truth that faith conquers fear and anxiety each and every time!
And though the sunny Saturday has opened somewhat on the rough side, we going to bring it right into line with God’s Word and get the victory He has so faithfully promised. Glory Hallelujah! So let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week as he aspires to inspire us for tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.’ Now if that isn’t the awesome truth, I don’t know what is nuh!
Oh my people, our world is in such a mess, such a state of uproar and dissension, of strife, resentment, anger and hatred, like we’ve never seen it before that there is a whole lotta room for improvement. And the sad part is that what we’re seeing is only the half of it, because a whole lot more negative emotions are quietly seething below the surface and could break out any day, any time now in full blown violence and war.
And that helps us segue right into the next quote. ‘Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can’t measure something, you can’t understand it. If you can’t understand it, you can’t control it. If you can’t control it, you can’t improve it.’ Now that applies so perfectly to our world that it’s not funny. We can’t measure the amount of unrest, dissension, distrust and division that’s currently running riot in our world, so how can we control it eh?
In fact, it seems that things are daily getting more out of control. The worldwide unhappiness that’s been seething like the magma (molten rock and gas) of a boiling volcano for so long, is now rising in a groundswell of public outcry and indignation! The volcano that’s our world is bubbling and boiling, with pre-eruption lava already flowing down the sides, and who knows when the whole thing is going to erupt eh? That brings us to this next quote: ‘Don’t say it cannot be done, rather say, you don’t know how to do it yet.’
Ah friends, a lot of us are saying that our world cannot be saved, because we don’t how to fix it. But we believers ought never to say that because we know that with Christ ALL THINGS are possible, and we can do ALL THINGS through Him, who strengthens us! Mamacita! What a blessing and Saviour He is to us! The logic here now is simply this: if all things are possible with Christ, and He gives us strength to do all things, then the solution to our worldwide problem is to turn en masse, like one big, full body to Christ, with repentance and thanksgiving!
But the enemy doesn’t want that, that’s why he’s fighting tooth and nail to keep the volcano bubbling and boiling hoping that it would erupt and turn things in his negative, warlike favour. That’s not going to happen though, because Christ’s army of saints are going to stand strong in Christ and fight tooth and nail to defeat the divisive enemy! Glory be!
Now listen to this next quote: ‘If you can’t reward then you should thank.’ And that makes sense. If you can’t reward someone for what they’ve done, then the next best thing is to thank them. Hopefully they’ll understand. Although the way our society is greedy and selfish nowadays, many won’t. Instead they’ll clamour for a tangible reward. But there’s one person who will never do that, who will be ever grateful for just our thanks. That’s our Lord God Jehovah!
Yes, He doesn’t want, or rather we can’t give him a reward, since everything in the world belongs to Him, but He does want to hear our thanks for all He’s done, is doing and has promised to do for us. That’s all He really desires from us. That’s why Bruh Paul repeatedly told us about the giving of thanks. ‘In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18) ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;’ (Eph. 5:20)
But yuh know my people, giving thanks is only possible when one thing is present. Our last quote tells it: ‘Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing… a grateful heart.’ Yes mih bredrin, only when we have a grateful heart is the giving of thanks truly possible! And that’s’ why our world is in such turmoil; there aren’t enough grateful hearts in it. That brings us to this most important point; a truly grateful heart can only be obtained through sincere communication and reverence with the Lord. That’s why there are so many scriptures about the heart in His Word.
Why yuh think Bruh David desired the Lord after he repented of his sin with Bathsheba – ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.’ (Ps. 51:10) Because when our hearts are of full of unrepentant sin, we can’t be truly grateful. And remember too what the Lord told Samuel when he sent him to anoint Bruh David as the next king of Israel and Samuel was looking at the outward appearances of Jesse’s sons. ‘For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7b)
And that’s why James, Christ’s brother warns us so passionately: ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:8, 10) Oh my people, I don’t think we can have a better scripture to ponder on this Saturday morning. So let’s do that nuh. Much LOVE!
…see that ye LOVE one another…with a pure heart…fervently… (1 Pet. 1:22)
28 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful entity, a new commandment, amabssadors, as I have loved you, at break-neck speed, brotherly LOVE, Burt Bacharach, but for everyone, by this, disciples of Jesus, epoxy, followers of Christ, glue, God's been placed on the back burner, greetings, Hal David, his death and resurrection accompliashed, hold our world together, honour, hurry, I give unto you, in god's eyes, increase more and more, Jackie DeShannon, Jesus Christ, justified, keep his commandments, LOVE, LOVE one another, love sweet love, made righteous, non-existent in our society, not just for some, on the cross at Calvary, our Comforter, our Lord and Saviour, pandemic, perfected, political strife, praise, provider, reconciled to God, reverence, room for improvement, sacrificed His sinless life, sanctified, shall all men know, share His love with the world, sincere hearts, strife filled, strong voice, taught of God to love, the beloved of God, the evil mire, the LOVE of God, the Son of God, Top o' the morn, topsy-turvy state, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, walk as Christ walked, what the world needs now, worry, ye are my disicples
John 13:34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.
Top o’ the morn my people! And wonderful greetings from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who’s also our Comforter and Provider! And He’s asked me to convey these most faithful and worthy assurances this Tuesday morning at the end of July 2020, when our world is in a most turbulent and unrighteous state. ‘Fear Not: For, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’
Wow! What reassuring sentiments from the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so that we could be reconciled to God, justified, sanctified, made righteous and all the other wonderful things His death and resurrection accomplished. Mama Mia! How can we not LOVE and honour, praise and reverence and sincerely worship such a mighty and faithful entity eh?
That brings me to these momentous words of His to all who believe in Him. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Oh my people, those words are ever so important on at least two levels. The first is that the attribute of LOVE, God’s highest, strongest and most pervasive attribute should also be very strong and pervasive amongst us. But then too, by us showing that wonderful thing called LOVE to each other, mankind will see and know that we are truly disciples of Jesus!
Yes friends, our showing LOVE to each other is the surest way to point out, to manifest to the world, that we are real and true ambassadors of the Son of God; the One who’s name is above every other in the universe, except the Father’s, and to whom every knee must bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of the Father.
Unfortunately though, that attribute of LOVE is not being displayed enough amongst the supposed followers of Christ, much less amongst those who deny Him. And that’s why our world is in such a divided, disunited, strife-filled and topsy-turvy state! The LOVE of God is almost non-existent in our current society. But then how can we expect it to be when God Himself doesn’t hold much sway in it. He’s been placed on the back burner, or simply kicked out of many of our lives and activities.
But the truth of the matter is that the LOVE of God is what’s so badly needed in our society to stop it from further crumbling and sinking right down into the evil mire that it’s currently headed towards at break-neck speed. But each of us supposed disciple must get up, get up NOW, and perform the actions of discipleship, particularly the showing of LOVE for each other if we’re to reclaim the world for our Lord and Saviour.
Listen to these most informative words of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians on the subject nuh. ‘But as touching (concerning) brotherly LOVE ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to LOVE one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more.’ (1 Thess. 4:9-10)
Yeh friends, we’ve all been taught by God to LOVE, and many of us are trying our best to do it, but in these most trying and uncertain times, we desperately need to ratchet up that effort so that our world won’t fall apart. It’s as Jackie DeShannon’s popular song of some fifty five years ago, written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, so rightly says:
‘What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE. No not just for some, But for everyone.’ It was appropriate then when we were in the throes of the Vietnam War, and it’s ever so appropriate now when we are in the throes of a pandemic clothed with serious political strife.
And John explains what the true test of knowledge, of discipleship is. ‘And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the LOVE of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought also to walk, even as he walked.’ (1 John 2:3-6)
Yes my people, the only way to know if we truly LOVE God and He is in us, is if are walking in His will, keeping His commandments, of which the most important is that we walk in LOVE! So please, let’s check our LOVE walk nuh, and see if it can hold up to close scrutiny. And whether it can or cannot, let’s do as Bruh Paul asks, and improve it, with God’s help obviously. We all have room for improvement, that’s for sure!
Now let’s; go home telling the world who and whose we are, as we declare (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And that’s what true discipleship is; trusting our friend Jesus and sharing His wonderful, amazing and unconditional LOVE with the world. So let’s show some true discipleship nuh! (smile) Much LOVE!
…LOVE… the ONLY epoxy…the only glue…that can hold our world together…
15 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken heart, a contrite spirit, a fatted calf, a good read, allow the Holy Spirit to control us, attentive, be acceptable in thy sight, be sarcastic, belittle you, better is a dinner of herbs, blinding people's thoughts, born of God, break into your thoughts, courteous, cutoffs, defences, endure to the end, faith, glory hallelujah, grace, halfway home, hands on the plough, hatred, hope love, I'm not turning back, icy silences, informative, kind, knoweth god, let the words of my mouth, listening love, love covereth all sins, LOVE is of God, LOVE one another, love that listens, mercy, missing real life, monologues, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my redeemer, not opinionated, now for now decisions, O Lord my strength, objective, One Year Book of Bible promises, overconfidence, patient, Ruth Harms Calkin, shame you, show forth thy praise, sinful nature, stirreth up strifes, surface talk, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith, the best life possible, the breath of life, the greatest is love, the meditation of my heart, the most valuable attribute of God, the sacrifices of God, thou desirest not sacrifice, to a glorious future with Jesus, trite spiritual answers, turbulent times, turn you off, undivided attention, unselfish, We can do all things through Christ, Wednesday Wail, where love is, with the Lord's help
Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.
Well friends, Wednesday has opened bright and sparkling and promises to be a hot one, not like the last two days that have been comparatively cool. But it’s summer and that’s what we expect…until it gets too hot. (smile) And this morning we have something to share from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that will break down all the walls and barriers and impediments that we have built up around ourselves and those with whom we interact. It’s appropriately titled, ‘LISTENING LOVE!’
Yeh mih people, it’s LOVE that listens. So please pray with me: ‘Listening LOVE is one of the greatest gifts we can give our mates, our families, and our friends. Too often we settle for surface talk or icy silences, for monologues or cutoffs, for defences. What a difference when we follow the principles of Listening LOVE. Listening LOVE is courteous. It says… I will strive not to interrupt or outguess you. I will not finish your sentences or break into your thoughts. Listening LOVE is attentive. It says… I will give you my undivided attention. I will not turn you off or leave you isolated.
Listening LOVE is patient. It says… I will not rush you or insist on a right-now conclusion. Listening LOVE is kind. It says… I will not shame you with sarcastic retorts. I will not belittle you. Listening LOVE is objective. It says… I will try to be informative rather than opinionated. I will not attempt to think for you. Listening LOVE is unselfish. It says… I will guard against overconfidence and trite “spiritual” answers. Listening LOVE is prayerful. It says… I will pray for insight, for wisdom, and for gentle reactions.’
Oh my people, Listening LOVE is indeed difficult to practice when all the problems of the world are weighing us down! But please pray that there will be Listening LOVE between the duchess and I today, (smile) because I’ve already turned on the A/C after it was off for the last two days, and that’s usually a source of contention between us. But although practicing Listening LOVE is difficult, it is indeed possible, if we took our time and thought about our reactions before we engaged them. Unfortunately though, that’s also a difficult thing in this new and modern world of speed and now for now decision making.
And I guess that’s why Bruh David prayed this solemn prayer at the end of Psalm 19, which is our Bit and also the Bible Verse associated with today’s writing. ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’ Yes my brethren, it’s only with the Lord’s help that we can truly practice Listening LOVE! The world and the sinful nature that exists within us do not allow us to be patient, thoughtful, kind, courteous and all the other things that Listening LOVE requires.
I guess that’s why Cousin Sol also wisely proclaimed: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov. 12:19) And again why he later on declared (yeahhh!) ‘Better is a dinner of herbs (vegetables) where LOVE is, than a stalled ox (fatted calf) and hatred therewith.’ (Prov. 15:17) Oh my people, LOVE is such a wonderful thing! And it ought to be, since it’s the most valuable attribute of our magnanimous and magnificent God! ‘And now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.’ (1 Cor. 13:13)
But since the fall of man, when sin entered our lives, true LOVE seems to be so difficult for us to practice. And the great efforts of the fallen angel Lucifer, now his satanic majesty, against it doesn’t help us in the least. Satan hates LOVE because he knows that LOVE comes from God. and he doesn’t like it one bit when John says: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7)
But as true believers in Christ, that is exactly what we are called to do! All the greed and selfishness of the world should not be showing up in the sons and daughters of Almighty God. Sadly, however, it is showing up to a great extent because we are still too contaminated by the ways of the world and we are not seeking the righteousness of God as much as we ought to. And a very good example of how we ought to behave is given by Bruh David when the prophet Nathan eventually accosted him re his adultery with Bathsheba and the premeditated murder of her husband Uriah.
He prayed: ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51) Yeh friends, our sin nature is responsible for a lot of stuff. But please listen to these wise words from the scholars.
‘Sin nature: 51:5. When the word sin appears in the singular, it usually denotes the sin nature of humanity. This sin nature, which everyone possesses, influences us to sin and is the source of lust. It negatively affects people’s minds (Rom. 1:28). Illustration: The sin nature is partially responsible for blinding people’s thoughts and understanding, so that they cannot perceive spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). Although our sin nature continues to operate within us, it was judged when Christ died (Rom. 6:6-7).
Application: Until Christ returns, we must live in the strength of the new man, to overcome the sinful desires arising from the sin nature. We cannot eradicate our sin nature, but we can allow the Holy Spirit to control us so that we do not give in to temptation. (First Ref. Gen. 6:5; Primary Ref. Rom. 3; cf. Rom. 5:12).’
Ah friends, life can be somewhat difficult at times, but with Christ in us, and we in Him… Oh we can do any and all things through His most wonderful strength and grace and mercy. So please, let’s not fall or falter by anything evil that comes against us. And please read those scriptures the scholars outlined above, because they are so educational and uplifting, and do we ever need uplifting stuff in these turbulent times! Now let’s go home declaring (oh yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our serious, sincere and most excellent 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!’
And if we endure to the end, we WILL experience that glorious future with Christ! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t know Christ…you’re missing real life…the best life possible…
P.S. Sorry it’s late, but I had to go out the street and do some time sensitive stuff first. But it’s a good read. (smile) Much LOVE!
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