27 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affluent entitled society, after he had patiently endured he received the promise, anxiety, avoid any more serious setbacks, be of good courage, be patient therefore brethren, be responsible and stay safe, be ye also patient stablish your hearts, bring backsliders back to your fold, Christ is our enabler, come to the end of our rope, confusion and havoc of Covid 19, embrace your love and compassion, faithful believers, Friday chant, gives us our second wind, go with him twain, hath long patience, he shall strengthen thine heart, he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly, he that is slow to wrath, humbleness of mind, in Christ's economy patience is a must, in your patience posses ye your souls, introduce a whole new flock, is of great understanding, joy, living the good life, long-suffering, LOVE, omnipotent help, our emergency strength, patience is born of trials and tribulations, peace, Rest in the Lord, shall mount up with wings like eagles, shall renew their strength, show them the error of their ways, sinful world, tender mercies, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, the example we set, the fruit of Spirit is love, there shall not a hair of your head perish, they shall run and not be weary, they that wait upon the Lord, unto the coming of the Lord, wait pateintly on the Lord, wait patiently for him, wait patiently I say on the Lord, wake up and smell the coffee, walk and not faint, whosever shall compel thee to go a mile, ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake
Galatians 5:22. But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering…
And then there was a big collective sigh…with a mumbling of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! I couldn’t go on for one more day like this nuh!’ Ah friends, we always think we can’t go on, that we’ve come to the end of our rope, because our capacity for stress and strain is ever so low these days in our affluent, entitled society. But in truth, when the heifer dust really hits the fan, we discover that there’s another gear we can put our lives into; that’s the one where Christ Jesus reigns. Glory be!
Yes, if we needed to go on one, or even two more days, He would have enabled us to do it, because He is our enabler, the pent up or emergency strength that gives us our second wind. As Bruh David so assuredly writes in Psalm 138: ‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.’ (Ps. 138:7)
Wow! What a most definitive promise my people! That’s exactly what I was saying; the Lord will always give us the strength to go on, even though we think we don’t have it. And when Jesus says in His spiel on LOVING your enemies: ‘And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain (two).’ (Matt. 5:41) How do you think we will get the strength to do that eh? He will provide it because we are doing whatever it is in His name, as His agent and ambassador!
Ah friends, despite having the Lord God Almighty in our corner, these days we give up much too easily. That’s because we have become too soft and lazy, living the good life with all the wonderful amenities our society provides. We don’t have to struggle much for anything nowadays, for almost everything is right at our fingertips, which means our patience level has also declined, we want everything so quickly, sometimes even like yesterday. But in Christ’s economy friends, waiting, that’s patience, is a must!
And the first thing we need to know is that patience doesn’t come overnight or easily. It is born of trials and tribulations. So, if you are thinking about acquiring patience, just be sure that you will endure problems, because that’s the only way to acquire it. And it’s ever so important in a believer’s life because it is listed as one of the fruit of the Spirit. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering…’ (Gal. 5:22) Yes, that’s patience. It’s only a nice word for long-suffering. (smile)
Now let’s look at a few scriptures that try to teach us about patience nuh. And we’ll begin with this one from Jesus, that we seldom pay attention to. It’s when He is talking about the end times. He says to the disciples: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:17-19) That means we need to have patience and wait until whenever the Lord decides to do His thing. But in the waiting, we won’t be harmed.
Meanwhile Hebrews tells us this about Abraham. ‘And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.’ (Heb. 6:15) And we all know that the Lord called Abraham out from among his family to go out to an unknown land, and promised him a son from his own loins, but it all took a long time with much wandering and frustration, but Abraham kept the faith and eventually received all that the Lord had promised Him.
Meanwhile we have this amazing but oh so truthful verse from Bruh David out of Psalm 37 that says it loud and clear. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.’ (Ps. 37:7) And Bruh David, like Abraham, was another man of God, promised great things, anointed king in his teens, but had to endure a lot of hardship and learn patience before he received the promise.
We can never leave out this awesome verse from Isaiah either. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) And Bruh Paul adds a few scriptures of his own too. First off, he tells Timothy: ‘Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering (patience), for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.’ (1 Tim. 1:16)
Yes friends, Bruh Paul endured a lot of hardship for Christ, so that the Gentile believers, including us, could learn from him. Then to the church of Rome, he declared (steups!!!) ‘But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:25) Then to the Colossians on the subject of Christian virtues, he strongly advised: ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved bowels of mercies (tender mercies), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.’ (Col. 3:12)
And it’s obvious the wisest man ever must have had something to say on patience, because he didn’t get to be the wisest and richest overnight. (smile) Listen to Cousin Sol. ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29) And you can count on Cousin Sol to hit the nail on the head.
And we’ll end with a timely word from James. ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (has come near).’ (James 5:7-8) We can never go wrong with those words of wisdom my faithful brethren! Living for Christ does take a lot of patience, waiting, perseverance and long-suffering! But we can all do it, because He enables us with His awesome strength and power.
Now, let’s end as we always do on a Friday, by going to God in prayer, through our Friday Chant. As one voice: ‘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. Also, 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!’
And I must remind us, that the answers to our prayers will only be as positive to the extent that we keep our promises. Much LOVE!
…wait (patiently) on the Lord…be of good courage…and he shall strengthen thine heart…wait (patiently)…I say, on the Lord… (Ps. 27:14)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
26 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, all ye that hope in the Lord, be of good courage, be thou my strong rock, bow down thine ear to me, curse, deliver me in thy righteousness, deliver me speedily, despising the shame, end the pity party, endured the cross, faith, favour, fight the good fight, for a house of defense to save me, for the joy that was set before him, for thy name's sake lead and guide me, good friends, guaranteed to win the war, He died in our place, he shall strengthen your heart, heartfelt desire, I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy, In thee O Lord do I put my trust, is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, Jesus is our example, King of Kings, let me never be ashamed, looking unto Jesus, Lord of Lords, LOVE, negative word, O love the Lord all ye his saints, oh how great is thy goodness, our carnal mind, our flesh isn't helping matters, plentifully rewardeth the proud doer, propser, sad droopy look, sel-contorl, self-discipline, set my feet in a large room, share the blessings, shut me up into the hand of the enemy, so that we could have a good life, succeed, the author and finisher of our faith, the Lord preserveth the faithful, the purposes of God's Word, the sands of time, them that fear thee, thou hast known my soul in adversities, Thursday Blessings, we have Jesus, win the victory, with Christ in us and we in Him
Psalm 31:23. O LOVE the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth (fully repays) the proud doer.
Come now mih bredrin, why that sad, droopy look this bright and sunny Thursday morning eh? Oh, I know that it’s not always easy to put on a bright and smiley face when things aren’t going right, but we have to make the effort, and at least not allow those sad times to last too long. Remember we have Jesus, who died in our place so that we could have a good life and do all that we need to do through His amazing strength. And yes, the evil world is fighting a strong fight against us, and our carnal mind, our flesh isn’t helping matters either.
But again, let’s not forget that we have Jesus, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings in our corner, and with Him beside us we can fight every enemy and win the victory! All praise and glory to His Holy name my brethren! Life isn’t easy, but with Christ in us, and we in Him, we are well prepared, have all we need to fight the good fight. And though we might lose a few battles here and there, we are guaranteed to win the war with Jesus, our esteemed Leader in our camp!
So now it’s time to end the pity party and return to the safe, secure and happy pavilion of our great and wonderful God by reminding ourselves of why we first believed and continue believing. Let’s do that by declaring (yeah!!!) these marvellous words of Bruh David from Psalm 31.
‘In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust (I take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock (rock of refuge), for a house of defense (fortress) to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily (secretly) for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.’ (Ps. 31:1-5)
Ah friends, remember when you said similar words to the God of your forefathers and accepted His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? Well nothing has really changed, just a li’l trial and tribulation occurring along our pilgrim’s journey to heaven. And remember again, that with Jesus dwelling in us, through His awesome Holy Spirit, we can deal with anything that comes against us.
Yuh know, even Jesus had it rough. On His human side, He too was tempted, rejected, betrayed, and suffered loads of inhumane treatment on our behalf, but He didn’t turn away His face from Calvary. And so too, we ought not to turn away from doing His work. Like Him, we too need to rest sometimes, but the idea of stopping or giving up should never occur to us, because He is our example, and He didn’t give up even when it came to giving His sinless life so unselfishly for us.
Thus, the least we can do is put up with a li’l suffering on His behalf. We need to follow in His footsteps, as the scriptures advise. ‘Looking unto Jesus, the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb.12:2)
Oh mih people, what a mighty example our Lord and Saviour set us! For the joy of our salvation and the rewards He would receive from the Father, He willingly accepted the sufferation of the cross. Likewise, for the rewards of heaven that we have been promised, we ought to stand strong and bear whatever burdens we need to bear down here. So let’s not look at the course, but at the finish line, that’s heaven, as Jesus did, and we’ll not notice the trials and tribulations along the way as much. Remember, Jesus has already blazed the trail, cleared the path to heaven, so we don’t need to do anymore clearing, just follow in the footsteps He left in the sands of time.
Therefore, we can say like Bruh David did: ‘I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities (troubles). And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy (given me over to the enemy): thou hast set my feet in a large room (a wide place).’ (Ps. 31:7-8)
Yes, my fellow saints, in these evil and turbulent times, life will not be sweet and easy, and we will have to put out a lot of effort to keep things under control, but with the Lord God Jehovah occupying a special place in our lives, being Number ONE to us, we don’t have to worry about accomplishing our earthly tasks.
Hear Bruh David tell it again nuh: ‘Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear (reverence) thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret (place) of thy presence from the pride (plots) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues…. O LOVE the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth (fully repays) the proud doer.’ (Ps. 31:19-20, 23)
Oh friends, I hope all of that has reminded us of what we signed up for with Jesus, and all the promises we have to enjoy at the end of the road. It certainly brightened my outlook, because I was one of those with the sad, droopy looks before I began writing this Bit. But that’s one of the purposes of God’s Word; to brighten our outlook when times get rough. So let’s never forget when times look dim, we need to get into the Word and reenergize ourselves.
And how can we ever forget the many blessings that the Lord has bestowed on us to do His earthly work eh? So, let’s spell out in loud and sincere voice, what we call our Thursday Blessings. Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having declared all that, we now have to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! That’s His heartfelt desire! Much LOVE!
…be of good courage…and he shall strengthen your heart…all ye that hope in the Lord… (Ps. 31:24)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
25 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a man's enemies are the men of his own house, a roof over our heads, climate change, do evil with both hands, economic sufferartion, endure to the end, faithfulness, fraud, gone out of style, halfway home, hands on the plough, her that lieth in your bosom, I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, in limbo, keep the doors of thy mouth, lavish living, lol around and do nothing, looking forward to, LOVE, loyalty, mid-week blues day, my God will hear me, no longer have a heart for God, no man's land, not looking back, now shall be their perplexity, out for blood, pandemic, put ye not confidence in a guide, putting bread on our tables, sharper than a thorn hedge, so glad to be alive, still flowing through me, strife and war, thank God, the best of them is as a brier, the breath of life, the dark abyss of depravity, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the good man is perished, the judge asketh for a reward, the moral sins of Israel, the most upright, the poor get poorer, the prince asketh for gifts, the rich get richer, the son dishonoureth the father, the wide and winding path to destruction, there is none upright, through Jesus Christ the Son, thy visitation cometh, to God the Father be the glory, too few have too much, too many have too little, trust ye not in a friend, we all get our comeuppance, Wednesday Wail, weeping and gnashing of teeth, white collar crime, wine women and song
Micah 7:7. Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Oh my, it’s the mid-week blues day…Wednesday! Yes, only two days of the working week have gone by, and there are two more still left to go, which leaves you in a sort of no man’s land, in limbo, not knowing whether to be happy that half the week’s gone, or sad that there’s still another half to go. Thus the blues day of Wednesday!
Ah mih people, we can be so trifling and petty! Instead of thanking the Lord for another day on His beautiful earth with His many blessings, and that we at least have a job to go to, unlike so many others in these troubled and trying times. Although we may not like or appreciate our job, the hard, cold fact of the matter is that it takes care of our basic necessities, putting bread on our tables and a roof over our heads. But no, too many of us would rather lol around and do nothing all day. How could we ever get any satisfaction from constantly doing nothing eh? Especially when you don’t even have the funds, or the wherewithal to do fun nothings! (smile)
In our rush to achieve material things and earthly power, our society has reached such immoral and evil heights that we no longer have a heart for God nor each other. It recalls the prophet Micah’s lament over the moral sins of Israel way back when. In his despair, he laments: ‘The good (loyal, faithful) man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
That they may do evil with both hands earnestly (successfully), the prince asketh (asks for gifts), and the judge asketh for a reward (bribe); and the great man he uttereth his mischievous (evil) desire: so they wrap it up (scheme together). The best of them is as a brier (thorny or prickly plant): the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation (punishment) cometh; now shall be their perplexity.’ (Mic. 7:2-4)
And if we are truthful friends, we will admit that’s a very good and accurate description of our current society! Things like loyalty and faithfulness have gone out of style. Some of our young people don’t even know the meaning of those words, having never encountered the situations and behaviour to which they refer. Too many of us are just out for blood, just out to get whatever we can from whomever we can, and be it family, friend, or foe, it doesn’t matter in the least. We just want whatever we think should be coming to us. Even the best of us is sharp and prickly like a thorn bush, which isn’t a good recommendation!
And we have gone so far along the wide and winding path to destruction, like Israel did, that Micah’s advice and warning now stands us in good stead, just like it did Israel. It’s so sad when he warns: ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.’ (Mic. 7:5-6)
Yes friends, it’s all true! You can’t be too careful, because nowadays everyone seems to have some nefarious scheme up their sleeves. And if you can’t trust your lifelong friend, or your wife, who can you trust then eh? In actual fact NOBODY! And we are seeing an increase in family quarrels and sibling rivalry, as well as increased litigation over petty and unimportant stuff. Fraud, or as we so nicely label it, ‘white collar crime’ is so rampant that we can’t keep up with it, even if we dared to try.
And the sad part is that all these fraudsters are doing with the money they get by fraudulent means is spending it wastefully on lavish living. You can only own and enjoy so many, houses, cars, boats, yachts and planes, as well as indulge in only so much wine, women and song. Your body will eventually give out, if your funds don’t depart first. But friends, there is good news… yes good advice from Micah. Despite all the immorality and evil around him, he unabashedly declares: ‘Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.’ (Mic. 7:7)
And that my brethren is the only hope for our society. If we don’t turn to the God of our forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob very soon, like right now, our society will keep plunging into the dark abyss of depravity and sin, and will eventually become of no account, or extinct, like so many other immoral and depraved ones that have gone before. That’s the long and short of the story my people! Without our turning back to Jehovah God, and allowing His Son Jesus Christ to come into our hearts and show us the way to the Father, we’re done, like dinner.
Are the blinkers put over our eyes by Satan so strong that we can’t see the gradual, but ever quickening demise of our society, even the earth we inhabit? When have we ever experienced so many disastrous natural disasters all at once eh? Right now, we have wildfires burning all over the world. Many are suffering from drought and famine, while many more are suffering from excessive rainfall and floods. And we also have volcanoes going off all over the world like crazy. But we are fighting over climate change, instead of seriously dealing with it.
Look at the pandemic that’s so suddenly hit us and doesn’t seem like it’s going away any time soon because we can’t agree on what it is and how to handle it. And I won’t even mention the widespread strife and many wars that are currently taking place in so many divided places around the globe. And if you want to, you can also consider the enormous state of poverty and economic suffering that currently exists in a world that has enough for everybody, because a few have too much, while many have too little.
And it’s so cruel and heartbreaking to see that even in this time of pandemic that the rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer. And what really hurts is that the rich have no conscience, they go around boasting about their increase in material wealth, while they keep the poor in economic sufferation! But as Micah said so long ago: ‘the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation (punishment) cometh; now shall be their perplexity.’ Yes people, we all shall get our comeuppance sooner or later, and if we don’t repent and turn away from our evil deeds now, there will soon be much weeping and gnashing of teeth. End of Sermon.
Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to make a difference, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And though it’s difficult under our current circumstances, please, let’s never forget that if we endure to the very end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…to God the Father be the glory…through Jesus Christ the Son…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
24 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a God of justice, a personal relationship with jesus, according to the multitude of his mercies, alive and kicking, be of good courage, every tongue that rise against thee, glory hallelujah, God assures us the victory, God is on the throne, God's abiding love, God's never late, great is thy faithfulness, he shall strengthen thine heart, his compassions fail not, hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I had fainted, I will be an enemy to your enemies, I will oppose those who oppose you, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, in God'seyes, in the land of the living, it is good that a man, It is of the Lord's mercies, Jesus Christ lives and owns the future, keep us on an even keel, LOVE, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, share His love with the world, spiritual blessings, the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, the Lord is my portion, the Lord will not cast off for ever, the straight and narrow path, therefore have I hope, they are new every morning, this I recall to mind, this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, thou shalt condemn, though he cause grief, to see the goodness of the Lord, to the soul that seeketh him, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unless I, wait in faith on the Lord, we are not consumed, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, yet will he have compassion
Lamentations 3:21. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
Yes friends, it’s Tuesday; another beautiful summer day in the life! And it’s not only the day itself that’s beautiful and encouraging, but also all the other unseen things like the many spiritual blessings which have been bestowed on us. As the Good Book reminds and reassures us: ‘This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:21-23)
Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! Imagine that nuh: Everyday He makes us brand new mercies and compassions! And why is that eh? I guess because He LOVES and cares for us so much. Remember we are His creation, and He doesn’t want to lose even one of us to the enemy, so that’s one way to keep us on an even keel, along the road to righteousness, that difficult, but oh so rewarding, straight and narrow path.
And don’t forget that it was during an especially rough time in his life that the prophet Jeremiah wrote these lamentations. And that’s one of the basic purposes of the word; to give us courage and reassurance, to help us get through the hard times with the hope and faith that those rough times too must pass, because our omnipotent God is on the throne and will not allow them to overcome us. Instead, He will cause us to overcome whatever comes against us.
That’s why the prophet Isaiah so assuredly stated: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) Wow! What a powerful reassuring scripture my brethren!
And I found this interesting commentary by one Heather Adams on the biblestudy tools.com website. She says: ‘Life presents us with many challenges, but thankfully encouragement can be found literally at our fingertips. Reading God’s Word might not change circumstances in the moment, but our strength can be renewed and our attitude can be adjusted while we walk through a trial. God made a powerful declaration and promise here. He was reminding His people of His might and sovereignty, as well as His abiding LOVE for them.
The idea actually echoes an assurance the Lord gave the young nation of Israel: “…I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you” (Exodus 23:22). Though it evokes images from an older age, this verse has meaning for us today in our struggles, whether small and large. Simply put, God was stating that anyone who is seeking to do evil against believers will fail. Though for a time it may seem that we are defeated in a situation, God assures us the victory.’
And we do have the victory, because our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ lives and owns the future! He’s given us the victory through His death on the cross at Calvary, His resurrection and ascension back to heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father advocating on our behalf! Glory be mih bredrin! And once again I have to declare, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! But like so many other things in this world, regardless of how much someone might rave about it, you can only know the reality, the true experience by undergoing it yourself.
That’s why, with Jesus, you can only truly know him by accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour, inviting Him into your heart and asking Him to take away your sin, your pain and sorrow. This is a personal relationship; an individual thing, and the numerous witnesses to His wonderful relationship only adds strength, encouragement and flavour, that’s salt (smile) to the abundant light He brings to it. So, life is indeed worth living when you live for Jesus!
But like every wonderful advertisement, it does come with some caveats, with some conditions attached. (smile) And I just want to list one important condition here, that of waiting on the Lord, as so well said by Jeremiah during his rough spell. He rightly declares: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord… For the Lord will not cast off for ever. But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.’ (Lam. 3:24-26, 31-32)
Yes friends, though the Lord may allow us to go through rough times, for whatever reason, and they are usually good ones, though we may not think so at the time, He will eventually bring us out of those trials, and much stronger and wiser too. That’s because in the overall scheme of things, His LOVE, His mercies and compassions will eventually outweigh everything else! That’s’ why He also sent His One Son Jesus, to die on the cross to pay our sin debt in full and reconcile us back to Him! It’s all about the Lord’s LOVE, forgiveness, mercy and compassion friends. And we’d be oh so foolish not to accept it.
But like another great man of God, Bruh David advised. ‘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) Oh my fellow saints, you won’t find truer words than those anywhere. We must expect to see the goodness of God in this life, because that’s why Jesus said He came, so that we could have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
However, at the same time, we need to live by faith and wait, wait patiently, quietly and expectantly on the Lord’s timing, since He does everything in His own time. He’s the Boss and therefore that’s His prerogative. And believe me, He does use that prerogative, (smile) as so many of us have found out. But He’s NEVER LATE! That I can personally testify to, though His timing usually drives me crazy. (smile)
So, all in all, our God is great! There’s none other like Him! He’s wonderful, merciful, LOVING, and compassionate, but because He is also just, that’s a God of justice, He doesn’t put up with foolishness. That means, when you come to Him, you have to be serious. Oh, He does have a sense of humour, but He doesn’t take pleasure in fools! And having sang the praises of our wonderful God, let’s go home now declaring (steupsss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra that contains even more of His praises. (smile)
Altogether now: ‘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!’
Now it’s our bounden duty to go out and share that wonderful LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know His amazing person! Much LOVE!
…today looks like a smiley kind of day…and why not eh…God is on the throne…and we are alive and kicking…Glory Hallelujah…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
23 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joy that transcends our circumstances, a merciful forgiving gracious God, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, be a good witness for Christ, calm in the midst of the storm, come up higher, do better for Jesus, entails sacrifices, evil machinations, forgetting oneself to do His will, God has no pleasure in fools, heirs of God, human nature tends to evil and ungodliness, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, joint-heirs with Christ, keep your promises to God, leads to destruction, living in a Christ-like manner, LOVE, make a living, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no conflicts of interest, our major weapon, show them your awesome grace and mercy, show this evil world, spinning our tops in mud, spiritual warfare, the beauty of living and working for Christ, the God who heals, the Spirit itself beareth witness, the Spirit of adoption, the spirit of bondage, the straight and narrow path, the tools of Christ, the wide and winding road, they are the sons of God, we cry Abba Father, we have not received
Romans 8:14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Come on mih bredrin, it’s Monday, time to get out into the world and make a living! (smile) Oh, and please don’t forget, that simultaneously, meaning at the same time, we need to be a good witness for Christ and exemplify the lifestyle He desires us to live. And no, there are no conflicts of interest between the two; that’s between making a living and being a good example of a Christian lifestyle. They both can co-exist, otherwise Jesus would not have asked us to do it.
And yes, they don’t, or won’t always co-exist comfortably, but we have the tools of Christ to make them run together as smoothly as possible. (smile) That’s the beauty of living and working for Jesus; we can do things that the unbelievers can’t do! Remember, we have that most encouraging and authoritative scripture, that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)
Yes friends, that means that whatever Christ needs us to do on His behalf, or in His name, He can, and will enable us to do it! That’s why we can be in the world and not be a part of it; sanctified, or set apart for Christ’s sole purpose. Not fazed or frazzled by all the evil machinations and spiritual warfare that’s going on around us. And we can do that because once we accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, we become the adopted children of God, co-heirs to the kingdom of heaven with Christ, who then also becomes our big brother. Glory be mih people!
And hear this great affirming scripture nuh: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.’ (Rom. 8:14-17)
Oh my people, what a wonderful life we come into when we come to Christ in all sincerity and truth. We get Almighty God as our God and Father; Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, our Advocate, our High Priest and Big Brother, plus the Holy Spirit that dwells within us to lead, guide and comfort us, also becomes our close family! Wow! Nothing can be better than that my fellow saints! So please tell me why so many people are turning away from Jesus eh, if they have all of that to look forward to?
I don’t know for sure nuh, but I can venture a few reasons. First off, our natural human nature tends to evil and ungodliness, and the pull of the evil and ungodly world these days is very strong. Plus the fact that Jesus desires us to travel on the straight and narrow path which entails sacrifices and forgetting oneself to do His will. ‘Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me (be my disciple), let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.’ (Matt. 16:24)
On the other hand though, the ungodly world offers a do as you like, wide and winding path filled with all kinds of worldly pleasures, but which unfortunately ends in destruction. And let’s not forget this last, but very important reason: we, as followers of and believers in Jesus don’t set a very good example for others to follow. Too many of us supposed Christians behave just like the world, and ofttimes, even worse than the world!
We don’t show ourselves as the salt of the earth or the light of the world, as Jesus desires us to be. So what incentive does the unbeliever have to come to Jesus eh, if we behave in an unchristian manner? None whatsoever. And to tell the truth friends, our major weapon against the enemy is the example that we set, by living in a Christ-like manner. We can spout all the scripture we want, and don’t live it, then folks won’t turn to Christ. Remember actions speak louder than words.
Consequently, it’s only when they see us gentle, LOVING, giving and kind, calm in the midst of storm and filled with a joy that transcends our circumstances, will they know that we have something ever so valuable that they don’t have and want to come to know Jesus. And until we show that Christ-like behaviour on a much wider scale, we’re just spinning our tops in mud!
So what’s it to be eh friends? Are we going to come up higher, sincerely try and do better for Jesus? I certainly hope so. And there’s no better time to begin than right now. That means immediately taking our problems to the Lord in prayer, what we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one strong 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!’
Remember though my fellow saints, that it all means nothing, unless we keep our promises. Much LOVE!
…don’t make a promise to God and not keep it…for He has no pleasure in fools…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
22 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ask and it shall be given to you, be careful for nothing, come unto me all ye that labour, delight thyself also in the Lord, enter in to his gates with thanksgiving, give thanks, He came to me when I needed Him, He gave me wealth untold, he shall give thee the desires of thine heart, He's only a prayer away, his mercy is everlasting, his truth endureth to all generations, hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name, I asked the Lord, I count all my blessings each day, I only had to pray, I thank the Lord for everything, I will comfort you, I will give you rest, I'll lift your cares away, if we ask anything according to His will, in everything by prayer and supplication, Jimmy Duncan, Johnny Lange, LOVE, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, praiseworthy, righteous, soulful gospel touch, takes your breath away, that your joy may be full, the great invitation, The Lord is good, this is the confidence that we have in Him, when things weren't going my way
Psalm 37:4. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Oh my fellow believers, it’s Sunday! That means it’s time to come together, once more, to worship Christ in all sincerity and truth! Oh yeah! Nothing can be better, more beautiful or righteous and praiseworthy than that! And as always, we begin our worship with a song of praise and thanksgiving. Today’s song is a Christian contemporary song written in the last century by a couple of American Hit songwriters. It’s titled ‘I asked the Lord.’
And what’s interesting about this song is that the writers, Jimmy Duncan, 1927-2011, and Johnny Lange 1905-2006, both had a hand in writing some non-gospel hit songs. Duncan wrote the famous country/western hit ‘My Special Angel’ for Bobby Helms in the late fifties, and Lange wrote the gimmicky song ‘Mule Train,’ made popular by Frankie Laine in 1949. You folks of the younger generation won’t know those songs, but they are classics from your parents’ days. (smile)
And we are indeed thankful that Duncan and Lange collaborated to give us this wonderful Christian song. I hadn’t heard it in a long time, until a couple of days ago, when someone sent it to me through a WhatsApp video. And I just knew that we had to sing it today because it’s so beautiful and applicable to our lives in these trying and troubled times. Now some people sing it slow, but we’re going to put a medium tempo with a solid, soulful gospel touch to it today.
So let’s sing: ‘I asked the Lord to comfort me When things weren’t going my way; And He said to me, “I will comfort you And I’ll lift your cares away.” I asked the Lord to walk with me, when darkness was all that I knew; And He said to me “Never be afraid, and I will see you through.” I didn’t ask for riches, but He gave me wealth untold, The moon and the stars, the sun in the sky, and He gave me eyes to behold.
I thank the Lord for everything, and I count all my blessings each day; For He came to me when I needed Him, I only had to pray. And He will come to you, if you ask Him to, For He’s only a prayer away. I thank the Lord for everything, and I count all my blessings each day; For He came to me when I needed Him, I only had to pray. And He will come to you, if you ask Him to, For He’s only a prayer away.’
And is that ever the gospel truth my brethren! God is only a prayer away from us, and all we have to do is ask Him to come and He will gladly come, come running too! Oh friends, Jesus said it several times and several different ways. Let’s hear some of them nuh. This first one He says when He talks about not judging. ‘Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7-8)
And after He cursed the fig tree, He told the disciples: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt. 21:22) Then in John, when Jesus declares that He is the only way to the Father, He tells the disciples: ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:13-14) And when He talks about the vine and the branches, He states: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.’ (John 15:7)
Then this final scripture, when Jesus tells the disciples about going back to the Father and leaving them, and seeing their sorrow, He offers comforting words. ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy shall be full.’ (John 16:24) So you see friends, asking is a big part of our relationship with God. However, that asking is not to be frivolous and self-centred, but in the will of God. Hear John explain it in his first epistle. ‘And this is the confidence that we have in Him (Christ), that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.’ (1 John 5:14)
And remember too that Jesus said we should ask in His name, that means as His agents or ambassadors, to be able to do His work. God always wants to give us good things, but we must ask persistently, unselfishly and in faith. The important thing my brethren is that we get into God’s will, want what He wants. And when that happens then this wonderful verse from Psalm 37 will come into play. ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps. 37:4)
As one commentator says: ‘The key here is that the heart of the seeker is changed—when we delight in the Lord, God’s desires begin to become our own. When our desires match God’s, then our prayers are automatically aligned with His will.’ So, asking is good and right, but there are conditions.
A couple of other important scriptures can be derived from the song. Where it says: ‘And He said to me, “I will comfort you And I’ll lift your cares away.” That points right back 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 (humble and gentle): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Yes my fellow saints, there is no other place to find rest, comfort and succour than in the arms, or under the umbrella of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And I want to close with this other important attitude we can derive from the song, that of counting our blessings and giving thanks. Listen up to these wonderful scriptures on the subject. Bruh Paul to the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph. 5:20)
To the Philippians. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) And finally from the psalmist: ‘Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (Ps. 100:4-5)
That says it all my people! Much LOVE!
…when you consider the greatness of our God…it just takes your breath away
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
16 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving gracious God, divine help, Dr. Charles Stanley, God cannot lie, God is not man that he should lie, God is truth, grab the baton, hath he spoken and shall he not make it good, humble servants, I am the Lord I change not, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, Jehovah Rapha, keeping our promises, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither the son of man that he should repent, obey God, right motives of our hearts, show this evil world, sincere repentance, stubborn and unrepentant heart, take the bull by the horns, the God who heals, the Immutability of God, them's the breaks, thoughts of peace and not of evil, thy hardness and impenitent heart, to give you an expected end, turn from our evil ways, wise guidance and direction, ye sons of Jacob
Numbers 23:19a. God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent:
These weeks passing too quickly for me yes friends! We are already into the middle of August, and we just finish celebrating the 1st of August long holiday weekend. (smile) That means fall, or autumn is just around the corner. But them’s the breaks, time waits on no one, and we must therefore conclude that this Monday in the middle of August is another excellent opportunity for us to take the bull by the horns, grab the baton and run with it, put into motion, the amazing plan that our wonderful God has designed for us from time everlasting!
And yes, we have used a lot of clichés back there, but yuh know what, things become clichés because they are either the truth, or help us to understand the truth better. And the greatest truth in this universe is the Word of God found in His holy book, the Bible, our blueprint, our guide, our map for earthly living! So when we read in it, things like: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11)
We know, we are totally assured that we are hearing the honest to goodness truth., because it comes from the Word of our God. Our Creator has good plans for each one of us, plans He created us to fulfill. And you are even further empowered to believe His Word, when it says: ‘God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19)
What a confidence builder that verse is my brethren! Our God has no need to lie, because He is omnipotent, possesses the power and the ability to do whatever He says He is going to do! As Jesus said to His disciples, talking about a camel passing through the eye of a needle: ‘With men, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:26) And we need to remember that most salient fact my people. Nothing is too big or too small for our God to do! He can do anything and everything! Therefore, there’s no situation He cannot put us into or take us out of.
But I want to go back to that verse from Numbers about God not lying, because the scholars offer an interesting explanation of it. ‘23:19. The immutability (unchangeability) of God is stated. The word repent is parallel to lie and is coloured in tone by this very association. Here His repenting is related to falsehood. The concept of the truth of Yahweh is related to immutability (His unchanging nature). Since God is truth, He does not lie; in fact, He cannot lie: He is unchanging. God is utterly different from man. Something that comes far too easily for many men is impossible for Almighty God. He cannot lie (cf. Is. 31:2; 51:6,8; Jer. 4:28; Mal. 3:6).’
Oh friends, those are some good verses for you to look up, I just did, and they are all interesting, revolving around the Lord’s unchanging nature and the keeping of His word. But I will only spoon feed us the last one from Malachi, (smile) which we all ought to know anyway. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And we better had be thankful for that yes my people, because just like the Lord’s mercy and LOVE are overwhelming, so is His wrath, and you definitely don’t want to feel it.
And His wrath is not just vengeful anger, but as Romans 2:5-6 says: ‘But after thy hardness (stubborn) and impenitent (unrepentant) heart treasurest up (stores up) unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God (when His righteous judgement will be revealed); Who will render to every man according to his deeds.’ (Rom. 2:5-6)
So wrath is basically God’s justice for disobedience and thus rounds out His basic attributes of Mercy, LOVE and Justice, or as one commentator asserts: ‘A God who didn’t have wrath towards sin would not be a God of LOVE, because how could a God of LOVE allow sin to go unpunished?’ Good question that my people. And believe me, it will not! However, our ever-LOVING God, has also ‘provided a way of redemption; faith in the atoning blood of his Son.’
Anyway, it’s the start of our work week and many of us have fears, anxieties and concerns, re the state of our lives and our world, weighing heavily on our souls and spirits, so let’s take this opportunity to carry them to the throne of grace in prayer nuh. As one strong, confident but humble voice, let’s declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘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!’
And as always, the answer to our prayers depends on keeping our promises and the right motives of our hearts. Much LOVE!
…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
13 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all will be right with your world, be responsible and stay safe, bring backsliders back to your fold, Christ's all-embracing yoke, come unto me all ye that labour, confusion and havoc of Covid 19, faintest not, Friday chant, Friday the 13th, God is the Boss, God runs things His way, He giveth power to the faint, horse of a different colour, I will give thee rest, imagine my crosses nuh, in accordance with His will, Jesus Christ, King of Kings, look me in mih eye, LOVE, mount up with wings as eagles, neither is weary, of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth, omnipotent help, our sinful world, salvation, shall renew their strength, show them the error of their ways, stand strong and steadfast, stronghold, tell me point blank, the Creator of the ends of the earth, the example your faithful believers set, the heavens are the work of thy hands, the Immutability of God, the Lord and Saviour, the One and Only Living God, the Prince of Peace, the same yesterday today and forever, the unchanging character of God, the work scene killing me, there is no searching of His understanding, they shall perish but thou shalt endure, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint, they that wait upon the Lord, this lost sinful and evil world, to them that no might he increaseth strength, trusting faith, wake up and smell the coffee, wax old like a garment, wise guidance, wreaking havoc on mih nerves
Hebrews 13:8. ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’
Friday, oh Friday! Is about time yuh reach here yes! Even if you are the supposed bad mind, evil, Friday the thirteenth, ah still glad yuh finally reach, because ah tired. This work scene killing me! Is over a year now I didn’t have to come down in this ugly city five days a week to do this frustrating work. But then a couple weeks ago, mih boss call and said is time to come back down here. Oh mih child, you wouldn’t know how that long drive, twice a day in jam up traffic, wreaking havoc on mih nerves and mih life in general nuh.
It took me ten years to get accustomed to driving downtown in the traffic every single day. But then it only took me a li’l more than a year to unlearn it. And you can imagine how bad it going to be when we come out of all the covid restrictions, and the traffic really start to hit it the road? It going to be real awful.
And to make matters worse, when I tell mih boss about how the downtown drive nerve wracking, yuh know what this boldfaced man look me in mih eye and tell me point blank. ‘I’m sorry my dear, if you can’t do the drive, then get a house closer to your work. And have no fear, if you don’t want the job, I have plenty others who are willing to take it for less pay!’ But imagine my crosses nuh! After I done slave for this imbecile man for so long, he have the nerve and bad manners to tell me such a thing!’
Yes friends, that’s life! As the old people would say, if life doesn’t get you one way, it will get you another. And that’s the gospel truth! This woman apparently didn’t get sick and had it fairly easy during the big covid lockdown, possibly working from home, so she got quite used to the situation. But then, when life struck, as it takes pleasure in doing, and she had to go back out to work, it was a horse of a different colour. Life does us that all the time friends: set you up one way, only to drag you down in another.
And it is our responsibility, ofttimes a difficult one, to not allow it to take us to the cleaners. It means we need to find a constant in our lives; something or someone that that doesn’t play terrible games like life does. And believe me people, the ONE and ONLY constant, unchangeable force in this world is the Lord God Almighty; He of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac! Yes friends, wisdom dictates that we tie ourselves, bind ourselves securely to the ONE and ONLY Living God, through His mighty Son, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, the Lord and Saviour of this lost, sinful and evil world!
And why is that you ask? Simple! Because He is the ONLY thing or person in this universe that does not change, and He is also trustworthy, therefore He can be depended on to look after our affairs in accordance with His will. And I know you don’t like that last part about accordance with His will, but we need to remember that Jehovah God is the Creator and Ruler of this universe; in other words, He is the BOSS, and like in the story above, what the Boss says, goes. (smile)
So, now that we have established that most important fact, that God runs things His way, (smile) let’s look at the immutability, the unchanging character of God, and see how it can greatly benefit us. Here are some scriptures from the Good Book, the Lord’s Holy Word, which let us know in no uncertain terms of His forever constant nature. The writer of Hebrews puts it very simply and clearly when He talks of ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Heb. 13:8)
But if that’s too simple for you, because mankind tends to think that only complicated things are worthwhile, then let’s consider the more complicated terms of Psalm 102. The psalmist confidently declares: ‘Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yes, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.’ (Ps. 102:25-27)
Now does that impact you more forcefully? I certainly hope so, because if you do not engage the Lord God Jehovah, through Jesus Christ, as your stronghold and salvation, then you are in for a very rough ride in this life and then eternal separation from the Creator at the end time. But here are some marvellous verses of scripture that you ought to seriously consider. It comes from the prophet Isaiah.
‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.’ (Is. 40:28-31)
Now that ought to capture you attention! (smile) But seriously friends, not only does the Lord not change, but He also gives power and strength to the weak and weary. And if you’re still not sure, then listen to this wonderful invitation from Jesus nuh. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt. 11:28) Now which other supposed god or idol offers that kind of invitation eh? None whatsoever. And even if they did, they could not fulfill it, because it’s only the Living God who has the power to do it!
And there are many other scriptures we can quote about God’s unchangeability, strength and magnanimous character, but time and space prevent us. So, we hope that what we’ve said will hit home to you, and help you to draw closer to Christ, because that’s where your bread is truly buttered. Now, let’s take our problems to God in prayer, another wonderful facet of being under His everlasting yoke of comfort, safety and rest.
As one strong and sincere voice, let’s declare 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, please my brethren, let’s remember, that God’s answer totally depends on the example we set…that is of faithful believers. Much LOVE!
…if you are living under Christ’s all-embracing yoke…you don’t have to worry about a thing…just do as He says…and all will be right with your world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
12 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, curse, divine protection, earthly pilgrimage, exalt the horn of his anointed, faith, favour, God will keep the feet of his saints, God's sustaining power, in the Lord God is the salvation of Israel, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, jehovah god, keep God uppermost in our lives, LOVE, my help cometh from the Lord, negative word, new compassions and mercies, praise and thanksgiving, share generously, sticking to God like white on rice, the Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade, the Lord shall preserve thy going out and coming in, the Lord shall preserve thy soul, Thursday Blessings, thy foot shall not stumble, unconditional LOVE, walk in thy way safely, warms the cockles of God's heart, which made heaven and earth
Psalm 121:2. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
Then it was Thursday! And though wet and cloudy, it is a brand new day with a whole array of new mercies, compassions, opportunities and our God’s gracious unconditional and everlasting LOVE! Wow mih people! What more can we ask eh? Nothing really! For with Jehovah God, we have everything we need, and will ever need! That’s why His children shout out loud, and grateful: ‘Thank You Father for your wonderful kindness to us, despite our not deserving it. We LOVE You and praise Your holy name! Amen!’
And there is nothing our heavenly Father likes more than to hear the thanks and praise of His children. It just warms the cockles of His heart and makes all His stalwart efforts for our care ever so worthwhile. That’s why it is ever so important to keep the Lord God uppermost in our minds, hearts and lives, for He is the source of all that we are. The psalmist hit the nail on the head when he wrote Psalm 121 so many years ago talking of God’s sustaining power.
Hear him declare: ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (mountains), from whence cometh my help.’ (Ps. 121:1) Now that doesn’t mean his help comes from the mountains, but his problems – the high hills are in his path, they cause him problems of all kinds, both on a normal physical journey, and on his earthly pilgrimage. That’s why he rightly answers: ‘My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.’ (Ps. 121:2)
And Bruh David happily concurs with that decision at the end of Psalm 124 – Praise for deliverance from enemies. He unequivocally states: ‘Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.’ (Ps. 124:8) Yes friends, you can’t get any more definitive that that! So why should we turn to any other source of help than the One which created us and our universe eh? No reason whatsoever!
The prophet Jeremiah says it best. ‘Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer. 3:23) And not only is God the salvation of Israel, but of all mankind! And until mankind recognizes that and takes it to heart, our world will be fraught with sin, evil and all the many negative things that are currently running rampant through it.
Now, listen as the psalmist continues his reasons for sticking like white on rice (smile) to the God of his forefathers. ‘He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (to slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.’ (Ps. 121:3-4) That’s security for you, my brethren! The God who created us and still watches over us doesn’t slumber or sleep. He is continually on the lookout for our safety and happiness! How can you beat that eh? You just can’t!
And another wise man, Cousin Sol tells us the same thing; that when we look to the God of Israel for our help, and abide by His dictates: ‘Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble…For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov. 3:23, 26)
And Hannah, the prophet Samuel’s mother, in her song of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for granting her a child despite her apparent barrenness, was even more decisive and confident, when she sang: ‘He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn (strength) of his anointed.’ (1 Sam. 2:9-10)
Now that’s what you call a strong praying woman, a woman of enormous faith in the Lord God of Israel. And so she should be after her sincere prayers for a child was positively answered by her God. But that’s where a lot of us fall down in these modern times. The Lord answers our prayers, maybe not as big or seemingly hard ones like Hannah’s, but He answers them nonetheless, but we don’t give Him the attention, respect and the praise that is His rightful due. We chalk it up to circumstance, chance or some such inept term. (smile)
I couldn’t find the right word there. But I’m sure you understand what I mean. For there’s nothing that happens in God’s universe that in His omniscience, He’s not aware of, and either allows or jumpstarts. Please understand that He’s aware of even the most minute things or aspects of our lives. Whatever happens in our lives is terribly important to Him. So please let’s stop thinking, and consequently believing, that His hand is not at work in ALL areas of our lives, because that will only mean we keep on deluding ourselves about the greatness and the everlasting care and concern of our wonderful God.
And to further cement the safety, security and protection inherent in our God, let’s listen to the rest of the psalmist’s confident acknowledgement. ‘The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (protect) thy soul. The Lord shall preserve (protect) thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’ (Ps. 121:5-8)
Ah friends, what more can I say about the greatness of our God eh? We all know that He’s omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present and chocked full of unconditional LOVE for His most magnificent creation, mankind. All’s left to talk about now is the many blessings that He so generously bestows on us, so that we can do His earthly work, a list of which can be found in what we call our Thursday Blessings.
So as one strong and sincere voice, let’s declare them: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And the upshot of all that, is we now need to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as He shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…when you walk with God…you walk in peace, safety and LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
10 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a time for every purpose under heaven, a time of peace, a time of war, a time to hate, a time to love, abolished death, according to his own purpose and grace, all things work together for good, banish them from memory, be patient, before the world began, brought life and immortality to life, calamity, called according to His purpose, called us with a holy calling, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, endure until the end, fall from our lips like honey, given us in Christ Jesus, God has a sovereign design behind everything, hath long patience, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, LOVE, no one can take that from me, not according to our works, not receive evil, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, receive good at God's hand, run with patience, share His love with the world, summertime, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, the early and latter rain, the virtue all the others need, through the gospel, to every thing there is a season, to them that love God, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra
Ecclesiastes 3:1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Summertime, summertime, summertime! Well, at long last, we are getting some serious summer weather! It’s been hot and humid for the last few days, and promises to be the same for the next few! I haven’t turned off my a/c in days now…and the duchess has not complained. Wow! That means it must be really hot…or she’s just showing true LOVE, by considering my feelings more than hers. (smile) Whatever the reason, I do appreciate it since it causes less disagreements.
That brings me to these awesome words of Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher. ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:’ (Eccl. 3:1) Yes friends, he’s telling us that Almighty God has a sovereign design behind all events of life.
This we can see, read and understand from that famous passage of Bruh Paul to the Romans, that we all like to quote but don’t truly believe, or at least act like we truly believe it. The scripture says: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) In the good times, those words fall from our lips like honey, but when the rough times show up, we banish them from our memory.
But as another wise man, Job said to his wife when calamity befell them: ‘What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)?’ (Job.2:10) Now that’s the dilemma that we believers face: expecting good, but knowing that calamity can and most likely will happen, but nonetheless not blaming God, and believing that He will eventually work everything out for out good in the end. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially in these unprecedented times we are currently experiencing. But here are a couple of scriptures that might possibly help us to bear up under the pressure.
This first one comes from Bruh Paul to his young protégé Timothy. He reminds him of God, ‘Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.’ (2 Tim. 1:9-10)
Yes friends, we need to understand that we are not here for our purposes but for God’s, and whatever He allows in our lives has a good reason behind it, whether it’s to test us, or to grow our faith. Remember, our God doesn’t go around willy nilly, without a purpose, like some of us do, but He has a reason for every move He makes. And if we have surrendered our lives to Him, then it is expected that we bear up under any strain that manifests itself in our lives. Remember too, that He never gives us more than we can bear, and with every temptation gives us the wherewithal to face it or get away from it.
And the next scripture comes from James, Jesus’ brother, as he reminds us of the need for patience in our affliction. He encourages us to ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient, stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (draws near.’ (James 5:7-8)
Oh my people, patience…patience… we need it so badly in these trying and exasperating times. And it’s one fruit of the Spirit that can only be achieved by going through unpleasant stuff. But please don’t allow those unpleasant times to cripple us or get us downhearted and ready to give up. We need to remember all those wonderful promises of the Lord to look forward to if we endure until the end.
No, it’s not easy working and living for Jesus. Neither Him nor any of His prophets and major workers had it easy. So why do we think we should have it easy eh? Because we live in a world of ease and wonderful amenities? That doesn’t make a difference because the world is still full of evil and sin, and our job is to try and reduce those negative aspects by showing others the wisdom of accepting Jesus by living a life that’s pleasing to Him, and that most definitely includes rolling with the bad times, as well as with the good.
Ah mih people, our God has provided us with all we need to do His earthly work, so it’s not as if we don’t have the tools or the wherewithal to do it. What we need is to use those tools, use them often, for like everything, practice makes perfect. Look at how we study and work hard to make our way in this earthly life. It’s the same way we need to study and work hard to make our way in the kingdom of God.
That brings us back to where we began; with the words of Cousin Sol, as he warns that there is, ‘A time to LOVE, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’ (Eccl. 3:8) Yes, a time for everything does exist. Although I don’t know how to characterize these present times. But please note that the time ‘to hate means to withdraw from intimacy and should not always be taken in an absolute sense.’ And I sincerely hope that these few words (smile) have provided some much-needed encouragement, renewed our strength, and boosted our faith in Almighty God.
Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, telling the whole world who and whose we are. As one strong 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 the world. Amen!’
And if those words sincerely came from our hearts, then we now need to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with the many others who don’t know Him, but so badly need Him! Much LOVE!
…patience…the virtue that all the others need…to work properly…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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