05 Nov 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: actions, actions backfire, age of dictatorship, ambush, arrogance, bend their tongues, charles stanley, consequences, deceit, disasters, foolish seed, friend of Jesus, God of knowledge, he who refuses to see, hurry, in god's eyes, kies, looketh on the heart, LOVE, my friend Jesus, negative upheaval, none so blind, out of your mouth, outward appearance, proliferating, prosperity, proudly, reap what you sow, share His love, strife filled, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, weighed, worry
1 Samuel 2:3. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy (arrogance) come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
It’s Tuesday morning and the ole fella is somewhat pained up in both body and soul! (smile) I guess that’s because I went to bed too early last night and did not get up during the night to do anything constructive. Oh, how I envy those blessed people who can lie in their beds for ten hours or more! Me, I’m lucky if I can get to four or five without the old aches and pains starting to act up. And I know that, but last night I was just too lazy or tired, or whatever to get up, so now I’m feeling the consequences of my actions. (smile)
Yes friends, there are always consequences to our actions, be they good or bad. And one of the sad things about our society nowadays is that we don’t stop long enough to consider the consequences before acting. And to make matters even worse, when those unthought of consequences of our unwise actions backfire on us, we’re quick to blame everybody and everything else but ourselves! No wonder our society is going to Hades in a hand-basket! When you don’t think of consequences before acting, and can’t accept the blame for the resulting negative stuff then the society is indeed in a bad way.
That reminds me of one of Uncle Charles’ (Charles Stanley) favourite sayings: ‘You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow!’ And that’s just how it is in God’s economy. And the most unwise, no, let’s not clothe it in purple robes, but show it for what it really is; the most stupid and foolish decision this society has so far made is to take God out of our lives; out of our schools and public places! And quite correctly, we are now reaping the consequences of the foolish seed we’ve sown. Just look at our world; at how strife-filled and strife-torn it is; there’s negative upheaval all over the planet; with a new age of dictatorship coming to the fore; while both natural and man made disasters are proliferating like never before!
Do think this is just happenstance friends? Trust me, it is certainly not! Remember our God moves in mysterious ways, and He has not given up control of His universe, that means His hand can be in anything. Please remember the adversity He brought upon His chosen people, the Israelites, every time they rebelled against Him. Now why wouldn’t He do the same thing with us eh? That brings us to our Bit, which comes from the Song of Hannah, the prophet Samuel’s mother, after the Lord had ended her barrenness. ‘Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy (arrogance) come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my fellow believers! Listen to what the Lord told Samuel later on when He sent him to anoint one of Jesse’s sons and Samuel admired the big, good looking son Eliab. ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7) Ah mih people what’s wrong with us eh? Why are we so stubborn and hard-headed eh? Why can’t we realize that the Lord’s hand is upon us in our foolish rebellion?
Please take note of these significant words of the psalmist: ‘Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.’ (Ps.49:20) Oh friends, we’re supposed to be the crème de la crème of God’s creation, but when we reject His solemn word and rebel against His will, then we’re just like the wild beasts who cannot think, and thus perish in their ignorance. And there are so many scriptures that remind us of God’s power and righteousness, as well as man’s foolhardiness. Let’s check out a couple.
Hear Isaiah, as he talks about Judah, being a sinful nation. ‘The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib (manger or fed trough): But Israel doth not know (understand), my people doth not consider.’ (Is.1:3) Oh friends, it couldn’t be put any better than that nuh! We are indeed a sinful nation, who don’t know where our bread is truly buttered, and sadly, we don’t even consider our actions regarding it. We just blunder ahead foolishly; like a horse with blinkers. And Jeremiah’s words still ring true today: ‘And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 9:3)
Unfortunately, those words bring a sad chuckle to my soul, as we now face a diabolical debate over truth with Trump’s behaviour in the U.S. And Jeremiah continues later on: ‘Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait (inwardly he sets his ambush). Shall I not visit (punish) them for these things? Saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?’ (Jer.9:8-9) Personally, I think the answer to that is a resounding ‘YES!’ And the Lord has already set it in motion with all the adversity that’s happening in the land, despite the overall prosperity.
Now for us true believers, let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and 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 if yuh serious, then now is time to go out and share that LOVE and friendship of Jesus with the unfortunate others who don’t know Him! Much LOVE!
…there’s none so blind…as he who refuses to see…
23 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a legitimate cry, a secret Christian, an errand boy, and a hard place, be not far from me, between a rock, breath of life, confess me before men, continue steadfastly, deny me before men, develops endurance, eyes fixed straight ahead, from the lion's mouth, gald to be alive, halfway home, hands on the plough, haste to help me, hedged in on every side, hurry a little, I am your child, if you love Jesus, kicking and screaming, LOVE, not ashamed, not confounded, not looking back, O Lord my strength, Ruth Harms Calkin, save me, shout it from the moutaintops, snap of my finger, sovereign God, strengthens my faith, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the praises of Israel, trusted in thee, wait patiently, waiting, Wednesday Wail, you delivered them
Psalm 22:19. But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
Well it looks like it’s going to be a sunshiny day! Thank the Lord for that, as well as for life and LOVE in this crazy, disturbed world. Oh, and we must also thank the Lord for a new desktop computer, no more fighting to get the old one logged in. But I can’t really complain too much, because ole trusty gave me yeoman service over the more than ten years I used it. But I guess it’s time to move on now, move from the 18th to the 21st century. But I’m not going easily; I’m kicking and screaming in opposition! (smile)
And in keeping with our theme yesterday of waiting on God’s timing, here is this somewhat contradictory poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s appropriately titled: ‘Could You Hurry A Little?’ Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I know there are countless times When I must wait patiently for You. Waiting develops endurance. It strengthens my faith And deepens my dependence on You. I know You are Sovereign God – Not an errand boy Responding to the snap of my finger. I know Your timing is neatly wrapped In Your incomparable wisdom. But, Lord You have appointed prayer To obtain answers! Even David the Psalmist cried With confident boldness: “It is time, O Lord, for you to act.” God, on this silent sunless morning when I am hedged in on every side I too cry boldly. You are my Father, and I am Your child. So, Lord, could You hurry a little?’
Ah friends, that’s what most of us would like the Lord to do in the trying situations of our lives. But as the poet said, the Lord’s not our errand boy to jump to our rescue when we snap our fingers. He is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe and our times are in His hands, we must wait until He is ready to move. And yes, that’s often difficult to do when we are facing danger or serious life problems. But then again, as the poet says, the Lord has given us prayer so we can get answers, so there’s nothing wrong in crying out to Him for help, like Bruh David so often did.
And today’s Bit is the Bible promise for our poem, taken from Psalm 22 – Bruh David’s cry of anguish and song of praise. ‘But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.’ It’s a very legitimate cry, and many times, when the Lord thinks it’s necessary, He will jump right in and help us. But at other times, in His incomparable wisdom, He allows us to go through some stuff, oftentimes to test us, or to build our faith, since it’s only in times of affliction that we can truly build our faith.
And don’t feel badly if you don’t get an answer to your cry for help right away, because even Jesus on the cross, when He cried out in serious affliction, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt.27:46) You’ll notice He did not get an answer. So if Christ can cry out for an answer in such a serious situation and get none, who are we to complain when we don’t get any, especially when many of our cries are really petty, selfish outbursts. And it’s interesting to note, that the same cry that Jesus used on the cross is the same one that Bruh David began this psalm with: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring (groaning).’ (Ps.22:1)
There again, if Bruh David, God’s friend and a man after His own heart can cry out for help and receive no answer, who are we to make a fuss eh? Yeh people, Bruh David was certainly between a rock and a hard place with enemies all around, and obviously felt forsaken by God, when he wrote: ‘O my God. I cry in the day-time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.’ (Ps.22:2) Many of us can identify with that, but here’s why Bruh David earned the Lord’s mercy and friendship. ‘But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded (ashamed).’ (Ps.22:3-5))
Yeh friends, Bruh David never forgot the goodness of God to his forefathers, and rightly reasoned that if He helped them, He would also help him. So much so that later on in the psalm, he sincerely declares: ‘Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me (answered me) from the horns of the unicorns (from the horns of the wild oxen). I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.’ (Ps.22:21-22) Oh my people, can we make such a bold declaration based on the many good things the Lord has already done for us?
Unfortunately, many of us are still ashamed of the Lord and refuse to acknowledge Him in public, but please remember Jesus’ words: ‘Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.10:32-33) As always, Jesus puts it plainly and to the point. If you can’t acknowledge Him in public, He won’t acknowledge you before his Father. That means you can’t be a secret Christian in our free religious society!
So for those of us who are not ashamed to acknowledge Jesus in public, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Him. In strong, 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 continue steadfastly in that role, then the future will indeed be glorious; much more than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…if you truly LOVE Jesus…then you must shout it…from the mountain tops…
21 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a biblical look, aura of love, busybodies, energy, enthusaiam, Ephesians, faithful brethren, further your glorious kingdom, get busy, give to the needy, idle hands, if any would not work, invincible, jobs, keeping families together, labouring, lies, LOVE, meddlesome ways, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither should he eat, renewed vitality, serve a useful purpose, shoddy jobs, steadfast faith, support the wek, taunts, tent making, the devil's workshop, the Thessalonians, the work ethic, this we commanded you, to be an example, up to scratch, when we were with you, wiles, with God's help, with Jesus' work, with quietness, work for the kingdom, work never kill anybody, working with his hands
2 Thessalonians 3:10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Okay friends, up and out! It’s time to get busy with Jesus’ work this Monday morning. You know there is no time for lollygagging, dawdling and wasting time, when there’s important and urgent work to be done for the kingdom. Yeh, I know some of us wish there was no work at all, (smile) but how would we live if nobody, or only a few people worked eh? And as Christians, believers in Christ Jesus, we are expected to work, work with our hands, heads, bodies and hearts. So even if we’re not up to scratch this morning, let’s put forth the effort nuh.
Remember, it’s all for Jesus. And we’re here to help you by declaring with you, our antidote for whatever ails you, this Monday morning. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So altogether now, with true sincerity and whatever enthusiasm you can all up.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Yes people, I know It’s working already! God is answering our prayer through the power of His Holy Spirit and a new sense of enthusiasm and energy are filling our bodies and souls, making us want to go out and do Jesus’ work. Glory Hallelujah my faithful brethren!
And today we’re going to take a biblical look at what we term the work ethic. Now that term is fading fast away from our society, if it hasn’t already faded away completely. Unfortunately, work is not something we take pride in any longer, for even the supposed professionals nowadays do shoddy jobs and try to get away with it. And many of our young people don’t even want to work, but they do want to live high on the hog. If we’re not careful, we might just have to do like Bruh Paul advised the Thessalonians. When he lived amongst them, he laboured, worked hard at his own tent making job because he didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. Hn! These days, very few of us think like that.
‘Not because we have not power (authority), but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.’ (2 Thess.3:9-12)
That’s not difficult to understand is it? As the scholars explain: 3:10-12. Paul expounds his simple and straightforward work ethic; If a person will not work, he should not eat! The Thessalonians’ diversion encouraged their meddlesome ways, demonstrating that “idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.”
And that’s a sure fact! And a lot of people wouldn’t be eating if we ever brought in that system of ‘no work, no eat.’ It certainly seems that the work ethic was an important aspect of Bruh Paul’s ministering, because he also mentioned it to the Ephesian elders when he was about to leave them, as well as in his epistle to them later on.
Listen to him on the first occasion. ‘I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto (provided for) my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.’ (Acts 20:33-36)
Now the scholars offer an interesting statement on that verse. ‘20:35. Here alone is a quotation from Christ that is not recorded in the Gospels.’ I can’t make any definitive comment on that, but I always thought, He had said it somewhere in the Gospels. Anyway, as they say, the more you live, the more you learn. (smile)
Now let’s end with Bruh Paul’s warning, re the work ethic, in the epistle to the Ephesians. In expounding on the new life in Christ, he warns: ‘Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.’ (Eph.4:28)
And please note that Bruh Paul’s main reason for that, seems to be more that the ole thief (smile) could have sufficient to give to the needy, more than have for his own purposes. Does that resonate with any of us? Hope it does. Now let’s spend some of our day contemplating the state of the work ethic in our society, and with God’s help, how we can improve it. Much LOVE!
…sincere work…never kill anybody yet… (smile)
19 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after the Spirit, all things are become new, Anselm's quotes, cannot please God, carnal mind, carnally minded, challeneged, Christ's lifestyle, compromising, dangerous charade, death, dictators, enmity against God, evil web we weave, except a man be born again, fallen nature, Federal Elections, fool yuh fat, glowing promises, godly principles, he cannot see, he is a new creature, holy spirit, if any man be in Christ, kindergarten, life, LOVE, morally new, more opposition, Nicodemus, no condemnation, nothing happens, old things are passed away, omnibus bills, overrules, peace, politicians, politics, practice to deceive, raison d'etre, reneging on their promises, righteous Christians, Saturday, see the light of day, sleeping in, social media platforms, socio-economic ladder, spin and more spin, spirtually minded, the kingdom of God, the larger the change, the love of power, the more resistance, the power of love, the world will know peace, to change ourselves, unless something is moved, walk not after the flesh
2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
‘Sleeping in, sleeping in…that’s what we do on a Saturday morning!’ Yeh people, that’s why so many of us like Saturdays; no getting up early and rushing off to work, we can sleep in and laze away the whole day if we so desire…unless we have young children to look after, or lot’s of house work to do. (smile) But however you take it, Saturday belongs to us! Praise the Lord!
We also need to take a look at the quotes our friend Anselm sent us, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘Nothing happens unless something is moved.’ And I believe that’s fairly true. If everything stays the same, nothing much will happen. However if something is moved, it’s liable to stir up stuff, either desirable or undesirable.
That leads us to this next quote: ‘The larger the change, the more people will resist it. Thus, make it seem so tiny and trivial that people don’t even realize it.’ And I guess we would all agree on the first part; the bigger and more invasive the change, the more opposition one will get, although one will get some opposition to any change at all, big or small.
And as to the second half, I’m not sure that a serious change can be made so small that people won’t even notice it. That’s because serious change usually comes in big packages, and you do notice big packages. I’d say, if the change is worthwhile, then the size of the package doesn’t really matter.
Although the norm nowadays is for politicians to hide important changes in large omnibus bills covering many things, hoping that you won’t have the time or energy to dig and delve into them that much. Oh the crooked, tangled and evil web we weave, when we practice to deceive! But that’s the politician’s raison d’etre; spin, spin, and more spin!
For example, this Monday is our Federal Election here in Canada and the four political parties involved are making all sorts of glowing promises, but the sad reality is that when one of them gets in power, none, or very little of what they promised will ever see the light of day. And don’t fool yuh fat, they will have some reason that sounds plausible for reneging on their promises.
But let’s move on the next quote, since there’s nothing much we can do about the politicians right now. On a point of interest though, we advocate putting up righteous Christians for election, but most righteous Christians don’t want to become embroiled in the serious and dangerous charade that is politics. And many of those who do get involved, end up compromising their godly principles in the hothouse that is modern politics.
And that’s a good lead in to the next quote: ‘The day the power of LOVE overrules the LOVE of power; the world will know peace.’ Oh how true that is my brethren! The LOVE of power is so prevalent these days, that it’s seen from the top of the socio-economic ladder, where all the leaders now want to be defacto dictators, right down to the bottom, where things like bullying and advantage taking have become serious problems on social media platforms and even in places like kindergarten.
That’s how far the LOVE of power has eclipsed the power of LOVE! And the way things are going, I doubt we’ll see a reversal until Christ comes back and sets up His eternal kingdom. Now here is the last quote, which says:‘When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.’
That’s for sure my people! In a whole lot of situations, the only change that’s possible is ours. We see that in our Christian life all the time. And there’s no better example than when we receive Christ as our Lord and Saviour. As Bruh Paul says in 2 Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’
Yeh friends, once we accept Christ, we can’t be the same old sinful people that we once were. We have to become new people, morally new and different, change ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said it to Nicodemus in so many words. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) That means change is expected, a new beginning has to be made, for Christ’s lifestyle does not mesh with that of the world.
And that lifestyle is simply described by Bruh Paul in his message to the church at Rome. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom.8:1) Yeh friends, our new lifestyle in Jesus should be walking in the leading and guiding of His Holy Spirit, not that of the flesh.
‘For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.’ (Rom.8:5-8)
So let’s spend some time pondering that today nuh; whether we are still walking in the flesh, or in the Spirit, and ask the Lord to help us, for the world and it’s sinful ways still offer powerful attractions to our fallen nature. Much LOVE!
…to be in Christ…one must become a new person…
12 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a free for all, anger, Anselm, ask questions, baby-faced students, be kind, being turfed out, believers to live by, bitterness, brotherly kindness, clamour, comfort zone, communication, deceit, deviation from the norm, disorderly, evil speaking, fast and furious times, fighting a hard battle, finger food, for Christ's sake, fraudulence, friend, gala, god, godliness, hath forgiven you, healing balm, immoral, kind to one another, kindness, LOVE, malice, mingling, mixing, morality, morals, no control, opens her mouth, out of sync, progress, refreshing beverages, reminiscing, revolutions, sorrows, strains of a steelband, strenuous endeavours, taken advantage of, technological, the law of kindness, the ruins, to push God out, wisdom her tongue, words, wrath
Proverbs 31:26. She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and her tongue is the law of kindness.
So we’ve finally come to Saturday! Wow! Can’t believe that a week’s already passed since I’ve been in J.A; a busy week to boot! But as they say, time waits on no one, especially in these fast and furious times, when life is often just a blur, unless you take the time to really step back and consider what’s happening in your own life. Well yesterday evening we had what they called the gala event…but it wasn’t a real gala as the word usually implies, I think tonight’s formal dinner might more suit that bill.
But anyhow, at around seven thirty, about fifty something of us got together in the Mona Visitors Lodge, a nice venue on the campus for holding special occasions. After mixing and mingling for a while, we watched a video compilation of graduates, showing then and now pictures. That obviously brought forth hoots of laughter and comments as we saw the serious contrasts between the baby-faced students we were then, and the harder, older looks of the current times. Then there was a roll call of all those who had graduated in 1969, including the dear departed, and those who were at the function got up and acknowledged themselves.
After that we went up to the back of the building to what they call the ruins; the ruins of some old stone building, never knew it was there, and had finger food and refreshing beverages, (smile) and mingled some more, all the while being feted by the beautiful strains of a steelband. I guess a lot of reminiscing, as well as catching up went on. But it was certainly good to see people you hadn’t seen for at least fifty years and talk about things that happened way back then and persons you wouldn’t see for even longer. All in all, it was an interesting evening, but today is the real party…Bring it on!
And not forgetting that today is Saturday, let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.’ Yeh friends, curiosity is an interesting thing and does lead to all kinds of further interesting stuff, so it is of some importance to ask questions, if you want to get answers, though they say that ‘curiosity killed the cat.’ (smile) Yes, we can’t belabour the questioning just for questioning sake! And furthermore, in this day and age, where deceit and fraudulence are rampant, it is of exceeding importance to ask questions if you don’t want to be taken advantage of.
And this next quote says: ‘Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.’ There can be no doubt of the truth in that statement, for it’s only when we step out some from our comfort zone that we make what’s call progress. The problem however is how much deviation do we want, or how much is sufficient to not upturn the whole applecart?
That means to have a fairly stable society, progress ought to be orderly and sort of linear, moving from one point to another in an orderly fashion, otherwise all hell can break loose. Look at what happens in revolutions, be they armed and physical, or like what’s happening right now in our communication and technological sectors. The supposed progress is happening so quickly and disorderly that it’s throwing everything out of sync, and there’s no real control taking place, it’s become more like a free for all.
Then there’s this: ‘Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.’ Another truism, you might say! We can all find happiness in the most trying times if we turn on the real and true light…His name is Jesus Christ! John said that he was sent to bear witness of ‘the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’ (John 1:8-9) So friends, with Jesus as the mainstay of our lives, happiness is indeed possibly in any kind of situation. Please never forget that!
Now hear this: ‘Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.’ That makes me chuckle, for as far as I’m concerned our sense of morals should naturally make us do right. I guess it’s all in the interpretation, for when we talk about having morals we usually mean the good aspect, not the immoral part. So here it seems the whole morality landscape is being considered. But sadly morality seems to be a forgotten word today, just like God and godliness are being turfed out of our society.
Anyway, this last quote should help to fix all of that. ‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.’ And is that last part ever true my brethren. These are indeed some rough and difficult days and we can’t truly handle them without some kindness on the part of everybody. Unfortunately though, kindness seems to be a word that is fast disappearing from our society, as we just said, in the wake of our strenuous endeavours to push God and godliness out. But friends, the truth of the matter is that kindness is next to godliness.
Hear how Proverbs puts it, when talking about a virtuous woman. ‘She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and her tongue is the law of kindness.’ You can’t ever beat that my people…and it doesn’t apply to virtuous women alone, but to all God’s children! Yuh see how Ruth, born into idolatry, a Gentile, became a descendant of Jesus, Bruh David’s great grandmother, because of her steadfast support and kindness to her mother-in -law Naomi. Simply read all of Ruth. It’s a short book. (smile)
And there’s no better passage of scripture to end today’s Bit than this one from Ephesians. Hear Bruh Paul: Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:29-32)
Ah mih people, what wonderful words for us believers to live by! Please, let’s do our sincere best to put them into action nuh, for they will indeed be healing balm to all our sorrows! Much LOVE!
…and to godliness…(add) brotherly kindness…and to brotherly kindness…LOVE… (1Pet.1:7)
10 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be turned out of the way, Burger King, burn your bridges, bus tour, curse, dislocated, disobedience, faculties, faith, favour, for your feet, fulfillment, gala, generously, given help, God's discipline, halls of residence, having fun, hodge-podge, individuality, indwelling power, KFC, lasting relationships, let it be healed, lift up, like God, LOVE, make straight paths, negative word, on vacation, patties, prevention better than cure, run our race, self-control, self-discipline, sharing time, social activities, Soda Fountain, spiritual strength, team spirit, team vibe, that which is lame, the feeble knees, the hands which hang down, the Holy Spirit, Thursday Blessings, Togetherness, trip them us, up to the campus
Hebrews 12:12-13. Wherefore lift up (strengthen) the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way (dislocated); but let it rather be healed.
I know it’s late and all that, but please remember that the ole fella is on vacation and sometimes I have places to go and people to meet during the day and cannot get to the Bit until late. (smile) Today was one such day. But before we get to that, let me apologize for the error date on yesterday’s Bit. I put the 10th, when it was only the 9th. I guess when you’re out and about on vacation having fun, the days and dates get mixed up. (smile) Don’t know how many of you even noticed that, because I only noticed it just now when I came to write today’s Bit and saw the computer telling me that it was the tenth.
Anyway, I was out and about early this morning, up to the campus for a bus tour. And brother, has the place ever grown! Not in actual space, but in the amount of new buildings, including faculties and halls of residences that weren’t there in my time. The green space has been sadly lessened…in the name of what some will call progress. And progress is fine if you do it properly, but in my opinion there wasn’t any proper planning, and it just seems like a hodge-podge of buildings painted in a variety of non-matching colours., with the same roads, not in the best of conditions.
And wonder of wonders, there are all the famous food places on the campus now…from KFC to Burger King, to Juici Patties, plus pizza and who knows what else. Hn! In my time there was only a small snackette we called the ‘Soda Fountain.’ However the University does seem to be growing, with a lot of day and part time students, as well as on-line participants. But it’s lost one of the most important aspects of a university, the togetherness and cumulative expression of the students as a body, like belonging to one of the halls of residence and getting that strong team vibe, team spirit.
Just for instance, the group that came out today was a mixture from different residences, but all felt that their hall was the best in their day. I don’t think there’s that kind of hall spirit any longer, because the university has become so large and more concerned with individuality than a more come together scene. Ten years from now, when the recent graduates get together, if they do, they won’t have the camaraderie that we, the older ones had, because they won’t have shared or built the same kinds of close and lasting relationships that we have.
Anyhow, after the bus tour we assembled on the grass in front of the Alumni Building where two tents were set up and we had lunch, to the accompaniment of the Energy Band – I think that’s the name, a group of older fellows with a banjo and guitar and bass playing some old folk tunes as well as some reggae songs in their own special style. It sounded good, there was even some dancing at the end. It was only spoiled by too much speechification in between. (smile) Didn’t get back home till sometime after four. So it was a good day. Tomorrow, is the gala. That’s in the evening, so I will have time to write the Bit during the day…that’s provided no other social activities get in the way. (smile)
And that brings us to an interesting section of scripture from Hebrews 12, where we’re first told to run our race with strength and sincerity of purpose, but then warned of God’s discipline and the consequences of disobedience. ‘Wherefore lift up (strengthen) the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way (dislocated); but let it rather be healed.’
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘12:12-13. Some of the runners of verse 1 have grown so weary that they have become stooped and need spiritual strength to be straightened up again. They must be given help, yet they themselves also must straighten their paths by avoiding obstacles that would spiritually trip them up.’ Oh friends, that’s all so true; too many of us have become tired and weary in this race of life, and it’s easy to do in these difficult times, but as children of God, we have the necessary wherewithal to strengthen ourselves and each other through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
But it’s worth noting one comment by the scholars, we must stay away from situations that will trip us up spiritually, as much as possible. As the ole people would say ‘prevention better than cure.’ Simply meaning that it’s much better to prevent something, than to allow it to happen, then try to fix it. Meanwhile, Isaiah say it thus: ‘Strengthen ye the weak (sinking) hands, and confirm (make firm) the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ (Is.35:3-4).
What a wonderful promise my people! And yuh know what? He’s kept His awesome promise, and blessed us tremendously, so we can go and carry out Isaiah’s directions. Therefore, let’s go home sincerely declaring (steups!) what we call our Thursday blessings nuh. In loud voice and sincere hearts. As one posse of saints: ‘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!’
Now it’s sharing time! Much LOVE!
…to share generously…is to be like God…
09 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, celebrate birthday, computer mouse, consequences, done evil, drunk or sober, enticing, giving much thanks, glad to be alive, God forbid, God's children, halfway home, hands on the plough, hidden sin, I acknowledge my transgressions, in thy sight, is ever before me, justfied, LOVE, made him to be sin, magnanimous, memorabillia, merciful, mind yuh business, my sin, new memories, overly sinful, perish the thought, reminesced, rocking chairs, sensitivity, serve God, sin, taketh away the sin of the world, tender mercies, the breath of life, the Lamb of God, the righteousness of God, we are dust, Wednesday Wail, who knew no sin
Psalm 51:3. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Ah mih people, who says that life isn’t something else eh? Remember yesterday I couldn’t get the mouse for my computer to work, bought new batteries, but still no dice? Today I had intended to go and buy a new mouse. But lo and behold, half an hour ago I decided to turn on the computer and try my best with the Bit…and who says that the mouse not working like a superstar now eh! Chuh! I don’t know if God or the enemy sent that to test mih spirit nuh, but it surely did a small number on me. Now though, I’m certainly giving much thanks as I can get the Bit done before I go out the street later. Glory be!
So what’s happening out here in J.A? Well nothing much so far nuh. Had a quiet day yesterday resting and fighting up with the mouse scene, then in the evening a few people came over to help celebrate the duchess’ birthday. Ate some food…good J.A. food, reminisced some, partied a li’l – at least I partied to the sweet live strains of the small local band and the female singer, especially when she got into some old reggae music from my time. So we made some new memories to chuckle over when we sit in our rocking chairs somewhere down the line, unable to do much of anything for ourselves. (smile)
Today we’re going up to the campus to register and get some memorabilia, then it’s free time to do whatever I like! Who knows what the duchess and I will get up to eh? We’re in J.A, so any number can play! But we still have to be cognizant of Auntie’s warning; drunk or sober, please mind yuh business, for one can get into all sorts of no no’s while on vacation, falsely thinking that one wrong thing won’t lead to another. But we all know that’s not true, for sin looks so enticing when it’s sweetly beckoning to you to partake of its delights. But hidden underneath all of that are the serious, often life changing and lifetime consequences.
And there’s no better example of that than Bruh David’s illegal liaison with Bathsheba and his consequent problems and troubles. As he says in Psalm 51, when Nathan drapes him over the hidden sin: ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight; that thou mightest be justified (found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest.’ (Ps.51:1-4)
Yeh friends, the Lord forgave him, but he paid a high price for his sin through numerous family and kingdom problems afterwards. And as the scholars explain: ‘Ps.51: The psalm gives expression to why David was “a man after God’s own heart”: he was not perfect, but he had a sensitivity to sin that few know about.’ Ah my precious people, we will sin, and we will ofttimes pray a price for it, but like Bruh David, once we sincerely repent, we will be forgiven.
And as Bruh David says in Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. ‘He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remebereth that we are dust.’ (Ps.103:10-14)
And all God’s children shouted out in sincere gratitude: ‘Praise the Lord! Give Him thanks for His wonderful grace and mercy towards the sinful children of men!’ Yeh friends, so we ought to be giving the Lord continual thanks and praise, for there is no other supposed god who treats his people like our magnanimous and merciful God treats us! As Isaiah also reminds us, although we have not done right by the Lord, just like Israel did not do back then, nonetheless, the Lord says: ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.’ (Is.43:25) Glory Hallelujah!
And in keeping with that promise, listen to John as he writes: ‘The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29) That’s why Bruh Paul could later write to the Corinthians: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor.5:21) Mama Mia! How our heavenly Father must have LOVED us, and still does, to break His own heart and give His only Son to be a blood sacrifice for us poor, disgusting sinners!
And having said all of that, we now have to look at the other side of the coin. Hear Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, re freedom from sin’s power. ‘What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid (certainly not). How shall we that are dead (who died) to sin, live any longer therein?’ (Rom.6:1-2) That’s true my saintly brethren, if we died with Jesus to sin, (vs.3) and thus are resurrected with Him (vs.5), then we can’t serve sin any longer.
Hear the scholars. ‘6:1. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? If sin generates grace, should we encourage sin in order to cause more grace to be granted?.’ ‘6:2. God forbid. Perish the thought, may it never be, don’t even think that way. This expression of unthinkable horror occurs in Paul’s epistles more than 60 times. He uses it whenever the thought suggested is too repugnant to entertain. Sin is singular in this verse and throughout this chapter. It refers to the sin nature.’
Yes friends, we will sin…occasionally…because we are a part of this fallen world. However, once we have received Christ as our Lord and Saviour, that sin nature ought to be repressed through the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Godliness should then be our continued outlook. Now let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our serious and wonderful position in Christ Jesus. All together now, in strong voice and sincere sincerity (smile)
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ And we all though that’s exactly how it will be! Much LOVE!
…we can’t be overly sinful…and yet serve God…
06 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a contrary wind, a great calm, adversity, angry waves, Arthur James Rowe, be of good cheer, be saved today, beheaded, compassion, despair, faith, faithless fear, five loaves, gratitude, hear our pleas for help, John the Baptist, LOVE, love lifted me, LOVING service, miracle, O ye of little faith, of a truth, paid the price of sin, praise, privilege, sacrificial death, salvation, sinking deep in sin, sould in danger, swamped into the sea, thansgiving, the Master of the sea, the mire of sin, the wind ceased, they were come into the ship, thou art the Son of God, two fishes, walked on water, worship, worshipped him
Matthew 14:33. And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
And then it was Sunday…Oh beautiful Sunday! Time to join fellow believers in praise, worship and thanksgiving at the Lord’s house on His special day. What a wonderful privilege to come into His presence with others of like mind, to hear His Word, exalt His holy name and receive His awesome confidence, LOVE, mercy, grace and strength that enable us to keep on fighting the good fight in His name! So, without further ado, let’s do as we always do nuh, (smile) begin with a song of praise. And today’s song is aptly titled: ‘LOVE LIFTED ME!’ And so it did friends; Christ’s great LOVE for us, lifted us out of the mire of sin, through His sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary that paid the price of sin for all time.
But we all know that, so let’s check out something that we might not know, namely the story behind today’s hymn. According to the web site GodTube, it was written and published in 1912 by Arthur James Rowe (1865-1933), a copper miner’s son, an immigrant to the U.S from Ireland in 1889. He worked for ten years on the New York railroads, then became an inspector for the Hudson River Humane Society. The hymn was inspired by two biblical stories, both about Jesus and His disciples on the stormy seas of Galilee. (Matt.14:22-33) & (Matt.8:23-27). ‘Rowe masterfully incorporates both stories, using sinking or being swamped into the sea as an illustration for “sinking deep in sin…sinking to rise no more.” Jesus, “Master of the sea,” hears our pleas for help, reaches out to us in LOVE, and lifts us up into the well being of grace.’ Oh what a beautiful description!
So now that we have some idea of what the hymn is all about, let’s sing it nuh, in strong, soulful voice, with exquisite harmony, and much sincere thanks and gratitude appropriately flowing from our hearts. Altogether now: ‘I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. (Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.)
All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling, In his blessed presence live, ever his praises sing. LOVE so mighty and so true merits my soul’s best songs; Faithful LOVING service, too, to Him belongs. [Refrain] Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His LOVE out of the angry waves; He’s the master of the sea, billows His will obey, He, your Saviour wants to be, be saved today. [Refrain: LOVE lifted me…When nothing could help…LOVE lifted me…’
And isn’t that the awesome truth my fellow believers? It’s only something as powerful as LOVE that could have ever lifted us out of the depths of sin! The amazing LOVE of Jesus is the only thing ‘that can lift us out of despair to salvation.’ Now let’s refresh our memories about those two stories on which today’s hymn was based. The first one tells us about Jesus entering a ship with His disciples. ‘And behold there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he (Jesus) was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’ (Matt.8:24-27)
Ah friends, as the hymn says, Jesus is the ‘Master of the sea.’ He was intimately involved in making it, therefore, it must do as He directs it. The second story happens after Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod. When Jesus heard of it, He was saddened, and took a ship to a deserted place to be alone. But the crowds followed Him, and Jesus being Jesus, was filled with compassion and He taught them and healed their sick, then later on He fed them; five thousand men, beside women and children. (Matt.14:1-14) After that, He sent the disciples away in a ship, dispersed the multitude, then went up into a mountain by himself to pray. However, while Jesus was up on the mountain praying, the disciples were having an extremely hard time crossing the sea of Galilee because of a severe storm, brewed up by a contrary wind.
By the fourth watch (3-6 a.m.) they were obviously tired from rowing all night and not making much progress. Then suddenly this apparition appeared unto them walking on the water. They claimed it was a ghost and cried out in fear. ‘But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I, be not afraid. Then Peter with his impulsive self blurted out: ‘Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous (violent) he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.’ (Matt.14:27-33)
Ah mih people, please note Jesus response in both situations: ‘O ye of little faith.’ He challenged them on the substance of their faith. They had seen Him do all sorts of miracles, yet still they were scared of their own shadows. When He walked on water to them, a few hours earlier they had seen him feed over five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two small fishes, and still pick up twelve full baskets of left overs. So why should they be so afraid seeing Him walk and water and calm the stormy seas eh? The sad part of the story though is that unfortunately, we are in the same boat as the disciples. We talk a good talk, but when adversity strikes, we forget all the wonderful miracles that Jesus has done in our lives, and we too cry out in faithless fear.
But the long and short of the story is that we know much more about Jesus and how He works, than the disciples did, so we ought not to be as afraid as so many of us are. Each adversity we undergo, and He brings us through successfully, ought to build our faith and make us stronger. So please, let’s ponder on all that we’ve said today nuh, and promise ourselves to try and do better, faith wise, with God’s help of course. Jesus needs us to show strong faith to the unbelievers, so that they too will want to share His salvation! Much LOVE!
…it should not be as hard for us…as it was for the disciples…to truly believe…that Jesus is the Son of God…
05 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good chuckle, a stepping stone, anger, Anselm, aspires to inspire us, autumn, build on failure, but Israel doth not know, calamity, capitalize on what comes, change your direction, Christian brethren, close the door to the past, devastated, disatrous consequences, don't dwell on mistakes, evil world, expect the best, failure is inevitable, fight the good fight, friend, God invented colour, gospel truth, heed His warning, his master's crib, impediments, kept pressing on, knoweth his owner, learn from each failure, long-suffering, LOVE, Love God, most beautiful season, my people doth not consider, no weapon formed against us, not yourdecision, obedience, obstacles, prepare for the worst, rebellion, rebellious children, repentance, sit in a bar, sit in church, the ass, the ox, think about God, thinking about beer, thwart the enemy, use them, we can do anything through Jesus, weather titans, who strengthens us, will prosper, with God's help, you can't succeed until you fail
Isaiah 1:3. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib (manger or feed trough): but Israel doth not know (understand), my people doth not consider.
Oh yeah, the sun finally won the battle of the weather titans yesterday! It came out shining brightly in the afternoon, but without any real strength, so there was a resultant chill in the air. And some premonition tells me that this is the time for the big chill to finally begin! (smile)
There will now be very few warmish days, as autumn gets into full swing. The leaves on the trees are already losing their green colour and turning a rustic brown, yellow and gold. Despite the cold winter months it heralds, autumn is still the most beautiful of all the seasons, colourful like a Carnival Tuesday in T&T! Remember, God invented colour! (smile)
And the last time I looked, the sun was valiantly trying to peek out of the large cloud cover that hid it from sight. But regardless of what happens, today, or any other day, the Good Book assures us that we can do anything and everything through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who strengthens us. (Phil, 4:13)
And that’s gospel truth my Christian brethren! Through the LOVE and grace and mercy of Christ, NOTHING is impossible to us, we can handle any situation or circumstance that comes against us with true assurance and courage…if we believe! Now let’s turn to our Saturday programme, looking at the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And I had a good chuckle at this first one: ‘It’s better to sit in a bar and think about God, than to sit in a church thinking about beer.’ Now that might sound like blasphemy or some such thing, but it’s really the truth! Wherever you are, it’s always better to think about God, than what your situation might naturally induce you to think about, simply because when we think about God, we’re led to do godly things, even in a house of sin. (smile)
Listen to this next one: ‘Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.’ Yes that’s what we all need to do. God promises us the best, but in this evil world, the worst is also possible, that means we have to be prepared for anything that comes against us. And we’ve already said that we can handle it with Christ’s help, so there’s no need to worry there, especially since we also are assured that no weapon formed against us will prosper. (Is.54:17) Glory to God my faithful brethren!
That brings us to this similar quote: ‘When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.’ Ah mih people, in this evil and ungodly world we’re sure of one thing, obstacles! Whatever we do, especially if it’s for God, the enemy will always try to put obstacles and impediments in our way, so that we don’t reach our goals. But then we don’t need to give up or change our goals, but merely change the direction in which we originally planned to meet them. And does it ever feel good when we thwart the enemy, with God’s help of course!
And the necessary ingredients for doing that are found in this next quote. ‘You build on failure. You use it as a stepping-stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on them. You don’t let them have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.’ Yes friends, if we try to do anything in this world, some failure is inevitable. As the saying goes, you can’t succeed until you fail.
But please remember too that failure is not permanent, unless you allow it to be. Most of the successful people in this world have failed on numerous occasions, but they got back up, hopefully with God’s help, and kept pressing on until they were successful. And we all have to do the same thing; don’t let one or two, or even three failures cause us to give up on our godly dreams, but learn from each failure, for each one has lessons to teach us, then get up and keep on fighting the good fight. That’s the only way to really succeed.
And this last quote is really interesting, something that most of us never really consider. ‘A person can LOVE you and still cheat, just like we LOVE God and still sin.’ Think on that for a moment nuh! So many of us claim to LOVE God, but yet we engage in a lot of sin and think nothing much of it. But let someone who claims to LOVE us go astray, or step out of line slightly, yuh see the big noise we make, the way we carry on as though the world is falling down on us!
But have we ever considered how God feels when we betray Him? We obviously don’t class our sinful behaviour towards God in the same light as someone’s wrong toward us. We behave as though the latter is ever so important, while we sort of overlook the former, saying or thinking that God will forgive us. But what about us forgiving those who do us wrong eh? That brings us to an interesting and oh so appropriate scripture from Isaiah, where the Lord complains.
‘Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib (manger or feed trough): but Israel doth not know (understand), my people doth not consider.’ And as it was true of God’s chosen people, Israel, way back then, so is it also true of us in these sinful and ungodly times; we have rebelled against Him after enjoying His goodness and grace and mercy, becoming proud and arrogant, behaving as if we gave ourselves all the good things we have.
And as the Lord continues: ‘Ah sinful nation, a people laden (weighed down) with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone (turned) away backward.’ (Is. 1:4) And if we are truthful, we will admit that our society, like that of ancient Israel, has become oh so evil and turned away from God so much, even trying to force Him out, that He must be seething with anger.
And don’t tell me that God doesn’t get angry; it says so throughout the Good Book. He’s just long-suffering; holds in His anger for a long time, but when it finally erupts, as it has done, and will again some day if we keep on the way we’re going; it’s deadly! The scholars explain it thus: ‘1:2-4. Children…rebelled: Isaiah pictures the southern kingdom of Judah as ungrateful children rebelling against their parents. These verses serve as a “great arraignment” of the chosen people who have become corrupt and backslidden. The prophet calls them back to obedience to God.’
Likewise friends, the Lord is calling us back to obedience, to repentance and the godliness our society once knew. And if we don’t obey, but continue down the ungodly path we’re now treading, then someday, sooner or later, He’s going to lose His patience with us, and we’ll end up like the Israelites did, when they did not heed His warnings; devastated, hounded by calamity! Now that’s not a very good legacy to bequeath to our descendants, so please let’s seriously try and change it now nuh! That’s about all I can say. Much LOVE!
…continued rebellion against God…will always bring disastrous consequences…
04 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Kinsman-Redeemer, a resurrected body, a spirit being, aplomb, at the latter day on the earth, be acceptable, be like him, be of good cheer, bless the name of Jesus Christ, calamity, confidence, cooped up, degradation, for Jesus' sake, Friday chant, furthering your kingdom, generous help, God's deliverance, he shall stand, humiliated Job, i have overcome the world, if God be for us, in my flesh, in thy sight, Job, justified, keep a good attitude, LOVE, loving-kindness, my redeemer, my Redeemer liveth, my strength, Old Testament belief in resurrection, paid for our sincs, pleading for pity, poise, reconciling us, recorded for posterity, righteous, sacrificial death, sanctified, see him, self-confidence, shall see God, share the sentiments, sons of God, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the Holy Spirit, the meditation of my heart, the name above every name, the pure in heart, the words of my mouth, the workingman's song, tribulation, unwavering stablility, week of work, weekends, who can be against us
Job 19:25. For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.
Well how shall we put it this morning eh? It’s not raining…the roads seem fairly dry…and the sun seems to be valiantly fighting to push out above the eastern horizon…but in my area it’s still somewhat cloudy and overcast, which means any number can play! But after two days of steady rain we do deserve a short break from all that heavenly blessing. (smile)
Nonetheless with the omnipotent Lord God in our corner, we are well able to handle anything that comes against us. As the Good Book so wisely and truthfully says: ‘If God be for us, who can be against us eh? (Rom.8:31) Not a single, solitary soul my faithful brethren! So with that most important bit of information in mind, let’s move on this Friday morning to hear what the ordinary workingman has to say for himself.
And as always, he puts it plainly. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend is on the horizon. Hallelujah! But rain, rain, rain, please go away to Spain – or wherever you come from nuh…give us a break…and come back some other time when we badly need you! As they say, too much of anything is good for nothing!
And…Chuh man! Though it’s been fairly warm, these past few days has just been too much rain, which meant I couldn’t go outside and do anything, and even worse, it kept the children in the house and underfoot all the bloody time!
Let’s hope though that this stoppage is for real, and we’ll get a rain free weekend, because after being cooped up in work and the house whole week, I want to get outside for my free time and do things with my buddies, and the children also need to get out too, else they’ll soon drive their mother bonkers. Thank you Lord for Fridays and weekends, and please, keep it warm, but make this weekend rain free!’
I’m sure that many of us believers also share the sentiments of the ordinary workingman, but we know that we have to keep a good attitude, for Jesus’ sake, re anything that comes against us. So it could rain everlasting, or be dry, warm and sunny, we still need to handle it all with a certain aplomb; that’s self-confidence, coolness, poise, and unwavering stability. (smile) Yeh, it’s not easy to not react like the world does, but that’s why we have the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling in us – to raise us up to His level of strength and obedience. Glory be mih people!
Now let’s turn to our weekend song, our Friday Chant, which isn’t as worldly as the workingman’s, but it does suit our needs admirably. Let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Ah mih people, I know it’s somewhat frustrating to always be on the lookout for the enemy, but that’s what we signed up for when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. He didn’t have it easy, and neither shall we. He promised tribulation in the world, but that we should also be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) That’s not easy to do either, but if we sincerely believe, we will be able to do it, with His help.
Then we can calmly, steadfastly and truthfully declare like Job did, in spite of his overwhelming calamity: ‘For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.’ And all God’s children gave a loud shout of thanks and praise: ‘Bless His Holy Name! Bless the name of Jesus Christ! That name that’s above every other name in the universe!’
Yeh friends, we need to do that, because that’s exactly what Jesus promised; to be with us to the very end, to include us in His latter day kingdom, to rule and reign with Him! What could be better eh? AbsolutelyNOTHING! And listen to how Job continues with absolute certainty in God’s deliverance and LOVING-kindness: ‘And though, after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me (how my heart yearns). (Job 19:26-27)
And to boost that vision of Job, listen to John from his first epistle. ‘Beloved, now are we the sons (children) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.’ (1 John 3:2) So we can be assured that when Jesus returns, in whatever form, we shall see Him and be like Him. All praise and glory to God my people! Jesus also promised that the pure in heart shall see God. (Matt.5:8) So it’s not a matter of if, but when?
Now here is a paraphrased version of the scholars’ explanation of Job’s speech and problems.‘19:23-27. Although God has humiliated Job, and his friends and relatives have abandoned him, so he’s reduced to pleading for pity, still, from the very depths of degradation he expresses the confidence that if his case could only be recorded for posterity, future generations would judge him favourably.’ And it has been recorded, and we have judged him favourably.
‘Furthermore, he knows confidently that he has a Redeemer, (Heb. go’el) One who will champion his cause and vindicate him. The Redeemer is more than an arbiter (9:33) or a witness (16:19) but a Kinsman-Redeemer who will avenge him. Clearly Job viewed God Himself as the Redeemer, and the Hebrew word is in fact used often of God (Ps.19:14; Is.41:14)
In my flesh (vs.26) speaks of a resurrected body . Though it may also be translated “apart from my flesh,” as a spirit being, the emphasis of the original means “from the standpoint of my flesh,” in my resurrected body. Here then is clear evidence of the Old Testament belief in the resurrection of the human body.’
Ah friends, everyday we learn something new – at least we’re supposed to. (smile) And all who have been saved know one thing for certain sure: that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has redeemed us, paid for our sins through His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary, thus gloriously reconciling us to the Lord God Almighty, and we are now His justified, sanctified and righteous children! Glory Hallelujah! Much LOVE!
…let the words of my mouth…and the meditation of my heart…be acceptable in thy sight…O Lord…my strength…and my redeemer… (Ps.19:14)
P.S. Sorry it’s somewhat long and late, but I got up late, then I had several important e-mails to answer before I could get started. Hope it’s informative, and you like it. Much LOVE!
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