10 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grand opening planned, a law unto itself, a purpose for everyhting, a significant sign of decline, allow Him to lead the way, an unfortunate accident, be a bane or a blessing, be thankful, bite the bullet, bring unnecessary sorrow, Christian living, common sense, complacency, count it all joy, difficult lessons make you stronger, divine gifts, do it if and when you want it breed, do your best and be satisfied, don't compare yourself with others, enjoying everyday life, fear, fear can only be overcome, fear not, God can accomplish through testing, God uses trouble to mature us, godly wisdom, grow in godliness, have it more abundantly, holding our hands, keep on keeping on, laidback nature, lazy, level of complacency, life skills, living our fears, LOVE, mano a mano, moderation in all things, my brethren, negative experiences, never satisfied, never to leave nor forsake us, nor living our dreams, put our trust in Jesus, relax in His awesome presence, run behind the material things of life, send faith to answer it, standards are falling, the devil's work, the forerunner of mediocrity, the Lord knows your heart, the Lord's promised, the natural response to adversity, the positive work, the trials of life, to escape, trust and faith in Christ, various testings, when fear knocks, when is not thing is another, when ye fall into divers temptations, won't enjoy them, work everything out for our good
James 1:2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials);
Ah Lord eh people! Steups! The ole people was right yes: in this life, when is not one thing, is a blooming other yes! Chuh man! The devil get mih early this morning. I was coming downstairs a while ago, early to boot, (smile) to start writing the Bit when I had an unfortunate accident. Steups! So I had to waste valuable time, spend over half an hour cleaning up the spill and myself. Obviously I was annoyed, especially when I had argued in a lost cause for staying longer in bed. I guess the Lord really wanted to wake me up in a big way. (smile)
And I had such a grand opening planned for today: And then it was Saturday; a day unlike the other days! One that does not follow the rules and regulations like the others. It’s a law unto itself; of the lazy, laidback, do it if and when you want it breed. No stuffy rules and regulations for Saturday. And I should have taken advantage of that lazy, laidback nature and stayed in bed! (smile)
But we know that the Lord has a purpose for everything He allows to come our way, I just don’t know, or can’t see His purpose for allowing that accident this morning. But like the good believer I am, I’m just going to grin and bear it, and keep on keeping on. Someday I might know the reason…or I might just never. But that’s okay too, for the Lord is a good God and whatever He allows is always for my benefit, in my best interest. Sermon done!
Now let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspired to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Listen to this first one, which is ever so appropriate for our world today. ‘Complacency is the forerunner of mediocrity. You can never work too hard on attitudes, effort and technique.’ And that’s the awesome truth. You can never work too hard on your life skills. But the most significant sign of a declining person and a society is its level of complacency, the level of its overall standards. When we stop building and just decide to relax on our fat fannies, dwell on our laurels or past achievements, that’s when our standards and everything else begin to fall.
Life is a constant cycle; it’s always moving, and if you’re not moving along with it, to a reasonable extent, you’ll get left in its dust. And that’s why our society is now in freefall mode; our complacency is dragging us down; our standards are falling lower and lower every day. And that’s not me speaking, that’s history. Just look at all the old, great societies. Once they got fat and prosperous, they laid down and became complacent, and it was only a matter of time before they died.
That’s why the next quote is important. ‘I don’t worry about maintaining the quality of my life, because every day I work on improving it.’ Yes friends, we need to constantly work on improving the quality of our lives, our standards. Now that doesn’t mean just running after material things and wealth of this world, but more about enjoying everyday life, having it more abundantly like what Jesus promised. (John 10:10) Please note one universal truth: if you run behind the material things of life, without judicial and godly wisdom, without common sense, then you’ll certainly pile them up, but you won’t be able to enjoy them, since you will always be too busy trying to attain more.
So what’s the point of piling them up if you can’t enjoy them eh? None whatsoever! No wonder Bruh Paul advised us to use moderation in all things. (Phil. 4:5) The scholars’ term it ‘graciousness’ or ‘sweet reasonableness.’ I term it simple common sense! (smile)
That brings us to this quote: ‘I’m never satisfied with what I do. I always think I can do a lot better.’ Now that can either be a bane or a blessing in our lives. We can either overdo it, by never being satisfied with what we’ve done, or we can be satisfied when we know we’ve done our best.
Oh, we must always try to be excellent in whatever we do, for that’s what Christ expects of His followers, but at the same time He doesn’t want us to go overboard and be overly fussy. None of us is perfect, and some are just better at certain things because of the divine gifts they’ve been given. So please don’t compare yourself with others, that’s the surest way to bring unnecessary sorrow to your life. Just do your best and be satisfied. The Lord knows and sees your heart.
Now there’s also the other side to that story, as this quote explains. ‘Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.’ And that’s the living truth. Fear, or the devil’s work is too big a part in too many of our lives. So much so that we can’t get around to working on our dreams. Remember some of Jesus’ favourite words were:‘FEAR NOT!’
And that pertains to both the physical fear of danger and the spiritual and emotional fear of not being able to work on the dreams and desires of our hearts that the Lord bestowed on us. Again, that invokes godly wisdom and common sense, which can only be truly found when we put out trust in Jesus, read His Word and believe His promises. Remember, faith is the opposite of fear. And as they say, when fear knocks on your door, the best response is to send faith to answer that knock.
So finally, we come to this last quote, which sort of encapsulates them all. ‘Pause and remember – Every single event in your life, especially the difficult lessons, have made you smarter, stronger, and wiser than you were yesterday. Be thankful!’ And all of God’s people said a loud and proud: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes, I’m being a li’l facetious there, because most of us don’t want to experience difficult times. But the truth is they do make us wiser and stronger than before we experienced them.
For as James so wisely says, when talking about Christian living, faith and humility.‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials);Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith, worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing,’ (James 1:2-4)
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation. ‘1:2-3.In this epistle on Christian living, James opens with a most crucial topic: the trials of life. These verses describe the various testings – whether from the world and Satan, or from God – into which godly Christians fall (Gr. peripipto). These “negative” experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing…’
Yes, I know it sounds somewhat harsh and unreasonable, but the truth of the matter is that we don’t grow unless we go through adversity. It’s only in the rough times that we grow and mature, both spiritually and emotionally, so if we want to grow, we have to learn to face adversity mano a- mano. And the scholars wisely add: ‘1:4.The natural response to adversity is to escape it. But God uses trouble to mature His people.’
And that’s the honest truth! So if you really want to grow in godliness, you just have to bite the bullet and find joy in your trials. Remember though, that the Lord has promised never to leave nor forsake us, and that He’ll work everything out for our good. That means He will ALWAYS be beside us in whatever trial we’re going through, holding our hands to bring us out safely and stronger on the other side. But in those trying times, like now, we have to remember the immortal words of Jesus; ‘FEAR NOT!’ Just relax in His awesome presence and allow Him to lead the way! That’s true wisdom! Much LOVE!
…fear can only be overcome…through trust and faith in Jesus…
09 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: add sin to sin, anxiety, avoid serious setbacks, B.S. baffles brains, be responsible, be your shame, bring backsliders back to your fold, but not of my Spirit, change of heart, change we ways, come to Jesus, confusion, Corona virus, cover with a covering, Covid-19 virus, desperately need your help, devise plans, doing the right thing, eating we alive, fervently pray, Friday chant, going to keep on winning, hide their counsel from the Lord, humiliation, humility, if yuh don't hear, in the name of our Lord and Saviour, introduce a new flock, irresponsible behaviour, Jesus Christ, kicked out of heaven, learn sense, LOVE, not paying attention, omnipotent help, people not listening, physical distancing, prove our faithfulness, racial strife, repentance, seeking counsel from God, sinful world, take counsel but not of me, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thanksgiving weekend, the crux of the matter, the debacle of Luicfer, the futility of relying on Egypt, the God of their forefathers, the Mad Hatter, the medium of prayer, the ordinary workingman, the pandemic, the strength of Pharaoh, the ups and downs of life, the vicissitudes of life, the virus, to the security and safety precautions, tried to overthrow the Lord, trust in the shadow of Egypt, trusting faith, wake up and smell the coffee, washing hands, wearing masks, weave a web of sinfulness, woe to the rebellious children, you reap what you sow, yuh going to feel
Isaiah 30:1. Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering (devise plans), but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin (weave a web of sinfulness).
Well mih bredrin, we certainly off to a late start this Friday morning, and my humble apologies for that, but yuh know, unfortunately, we cannot always control the vicissitudes of life; the crazy ups and downs that life ofttimes forces on us. And you know the number one policy in the Lord’s economy is that you reap whatever you sow. Thus, it follows logically, that if I went to bed late, I would most certainly also arise from slumber late. And that’s the whole crux of the matter! (smile) Yeah, that’s why they say B.S. baffles brains, and is it ever so true.
Now let’s see what the ordinary working man has to say on this long weekend Friday. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and another weekend is here. And this one special too, because is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. Means no work for three whole days. Yeah! But can you imagine what the state of the Corona virus going to be after this weekend, it already reach higher than it’s ever been; seven hundred and something, almost eight hundred, in one day in Ontario alone!
Wow! Only Quebec province higher. Blouse and skirt eh! People not listening, they not paying attention to the security and safety precautions, not wearing masks, not physical distancing, not washing deh hands and still partying in good sized crowds with people they don’t know. And with that Mad Hatter down in the U.S. encouraging the foolishness, although he claims to have it, yuh know this weekend going to be bad. Is a weekend where people accustomed gathering in large groups, and the irresponsible behaviour most likely to spread even more, so we bound to see a sizeable increase in cases and consequently deaths. Steups!
But as they say, you can only talk to people, yuh can’t make them do the right thing! And that’s exactly why the pandemic still eating we alive, because not enough of us doing the right thing; too many of us doing the wrong one. And until we learn sense and change we ways, the virus going to keep on winning.
Ah Lord eh! What it going to take for us to realize what happening and learn sense eh? Ah guess not until we catch the bloody thing we self and see how dangerous it really is – although that didn’t work with Trump. But thank the Lord for Fridays and weekends yes! At least me and mine don’t have to go out in the world and risk catching it for another few days, and this weekend we certainly going to give much thanks for all we blessings!’
Ah mih people, the words of the ordinary workingman are oh so true. People not listening, so we going to continue to feel. And in one of God’s mysterious moves, I just opened the Good Book and again it opened on Isaiah 30. But this time to the first verse, where the prophet is telling the people of Judah about the futility of relying on Egypt and not the God of their forefathers. Listen up: ‘Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering (devise plans), but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin (weave a web of sinfulness).’ (Is: 30:1)
And isn’t that exactly what our society is doing; seeking counsel from everybody and everywhere else but from Almighty God, our Creator and Provider? And yuh know that doesn’t sit well with the Lord, for He desires His creation to turn to Him first when they need help. And unfortunately, we don’t seem to think we need His help. So, as we said above, we going to reap what we sow. And our harvest will come upon us, just like the Lord promised Judah.
‘(They) That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth (have not asked my advice); to strengthen themselves in the strength of the Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion (humiliation) (Is. 30:2-3) And here’s another most appropriate verse from earlier on in Isaiah, when he’s talking about the blindness of Israel. ‘Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?’ (Is. 29:15)
Ah friends, we have behaved the same way, and thus the same thing is happening to us right now; we are paying the price for our ungodliness, for being so presumptuous as to try to hide from, and simultaneously kick the Creator out of His creation! Hn! Please remember the debacle of Lucifer when he foolishly and pridefully tried to overthrow the Lord in heaven! He didn’t win…obviously, but got kicked out of his comfortable lifestyle to live in torment and anguish. (Is. 14)
And NO ONE is ever going to win a battle of that nature. The Lord will always have the upper hand, so let’s get wise and instead of turning away from Him, turn to Him nuh. And we can begin doing that right now, through the awesome medium of prayer. So with the requisite change of heart, meaning repentance, and humility, let’s cry out to God through our Friday Chant.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that 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 sure and 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, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. 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 we believers have to go out and prove our faithfulness so that others can trust us, and consequently come to Jesus. Only faithful action on our part will ever change anything. Much LOVE!
…if yuh don’t hear…yuh going to feel…as simple as that…
07 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wet and dreary looking morning, an accurate perception, avoid the pitfalls, becoming spiritually stronger, being fruitful in every good work, delivered us from, do not cease to pray fro you, either heaven or hell, Epaphras, ever coming to know the Lord better, everlastingly mighty, filled with the knowledge of God's will, forbearing the faults of others, foundering on the rocks of total disaster, giving thanks unto the Father, God's generous grace and mercy, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, happiness, have Jesus for our Comforter, immorality, in practical situations, in the comfort of heaven, increasing in the knwoledge of god, into the kingdom of his dear Son, into the true nature of things, joyfulness, live in darkness, long-suffering, LOVE, made us meet, mire of quicksand, misery, morality, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not a static understanding, not turning back, nothing can stop us, our faith doesn't grow, partakers of the inheritance, pateince, persevering through problems, productive in Christian service, run some errands, sincerely expressing gratitude to god, spiritual food, spiritual understanding, strife and sickness, the breath of life, the misery of hell, the people perish, the pleasant and unpleasant experiences of life, the power of darkness, the skillful application of wisdom, the storms of life, to a glorious future with Jesus, translated us, two ways to live out eternity, unto all pateince, unto all pleasing, walk worthy of the Lord, wallowing in the mire, we can ever ask or imagine, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, with Jesus beside us we are invincible, without a visison, withstand the wiles of the devil
Colossians 1:10. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Chuh man! It’s a wet and dreary looking Wednesday morning in my neck of the woods! But it would not really matter to me if I didn’t have to go out the street later to run some errands. Let’s hope the rain stops by then. But be that as it may, the most important thing though is that we are alive and kicking, meaning that there’s work for us to do, and we have Jesus for our Comforter, Guide and Saviour! Glory Be!
That means nothing can stop us, because when He’s walking beside us we’re unstoppable, invincible and everlastingly mighty! (smile) That’s the power He has and so generously shares with us. Give Him some much deserved thanks and praise my fellow saints!
And today I think we should take a look at Bruh Paul’s prayer for the church at Colossae, a church and people he had never seen but had heard of their problems from his friend in ministry, Epaphras, who had planted the church. Now hear his prayer: ‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;’ (Col. 1:9) Please notice the first thing Bruh Paul desires for the Colossians; ‘a knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.’ Not clothes, or food or money or some material stuff, but spiritual food.
And the scholars explain that verse thus:‘1:9. Wisdom is an accurate perception into the true nature of things. Understanding is the skillful application of this wisdom in practical situations.’ And oh my people, how insanely important it is in these perilous and troubled times for us all to pray for wisdom and understanding; the knowledge of truth and how to practically apply it, because we definitely lack it right here and now, when we need it most, that’s why we are foundering on the rocks of total disaster!
Remember, without a vison, the people perish. (Prov. 29:18a) That’s Cousin Sol’s wisdom, and there certainly doesn’t seem to be any revelation of God’s will, and thus a morality based on it, in our current society. That’s why we are now wallowing in the mire of strife and sickness and sinking fast, like we’re in quicksand. And Bruh Paul continues: ‘That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;’(Col. 1:10)
Yeh friends, knowledge of God helps us to walk worthy of Him, and what Bruh Paul so desired for the Colossians, is also what we desperately need today. And not only a static understanding of our Lord and God, but even more importantly, an ever increasing and growing knowledge that will enable us to stay on the straight and narrow path.
And Bruh Paul then breaks it down: ‘Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transformed) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE):’ (Col. 1:11-13) What a powerful message my brethren! One that we need ever so badly today, if we are going to avoid the many pitfalls that are heading our way.
But let’s hear the scholars now with some interesting explanations of all that wonderful scripture.‘1:10.This verse expresses the reason that in verse 9 Paul wants the Colossians to obtain a knowledge of God’s will. It is that they may walk (live) properly and fully please God. In Greek, the four explanatory participles of verses 10b-12 spell out and precisely define what a worthy walk entails: the believer is (1) fruitful in every good work, productive in Christian service; (2) constantly increasing in the knowledge of God, ever coming to know the Lord better; (3) always strengthened with all might, becoming spiritually stronger and stronger; and (4) in the habit of giving thanks, sincerely expressing gratitude to God in both the pleasant and unpleasant experiences in his life.’
Mama Mia! It’s definitely not an easy walk that Bruh Paul’s asking and praying for, but he knows, from his own personal experience, that the Lord won’t ask it of us and not give us His divine help to accomplish it. And sadly, that’s where many of us fall down. We don’t acquire the ever-increasing knowledge and wisdom of God and thus our faith doesn’t grow, so we’re not able to withstand the wiles and lies of the devil and the storms of life that naturally come against us.
Hear the scholars further: ‘1:11. Patience is persevering through problems, trials, tribulations, and so forth. Long-suffering is forbearing the faults and offences of others.’ But with ever increasing knowledge of God, and His generous grace and mercy, it is all possible. And some more from the scholars: ‘1:12. This verse also might be translated “thanking the Father, for He made us fit to share in the salvation belonging to the saints who are in the light.” Light is the ethical condition in which God’s children live, namely, that of spiritual understanding with its accompanying morality and happiness.’
And finally from the scholars.‘1:13. Darkness is the religious state in which unbelievers exist, namely, that of spiritual ignorance with its attending immorality and misery.’ Thus friends, I guess it all boils down to whether we want to live in darkness with immorality and misery, or in the light, with its attendant morality and happiness. We have to choose one or the other, we can’t live on the fence, as so many of us are trying to do. It’s either heaven or the world that eventually leads to hell, we can’t have both.
And in my humble opinion, heaven is indeed the better choice, although the pathway to it might be a tad more difficult. (smile) But as we keep on saying, if we choose heaven, God will give us the tools, the grace, mercy and wherewithal to make it safely and successfully. Now it’s up to you to choose your eternal destiny. But for those of us who have already chosen heaven, let’s go home now joyfully declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we stick it out to the end, the future will be indeed even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine!Much LOVE!
…two ways to live out eternity…in the comfort of heaven…or the misery of hell…take your pick…
06 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joyful and abundant life, Albert Camus, an active act or expectation, an invincible calm, an invincible love, an invincible smile, an invincible summer, another comforter, baptized with the Holy ghost, believers in Christ, Celia Davidson Francis, changed for the better, Day of Pentecost, hearing, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I shall pray the Father, I will not leave you comfortless, if ye love me, in god's eyes, in the midst of chaos, In the midst of hate, in the midst of tears, in the midst of winter, Jean and Dinah, John baptized with water, keep my commandments, lead and guide into all righteousness, let's be upbeat, let's rejoice in it, listen to the Holy Spirit, listening, live godly and rightesous, LOVE, no matter how hard the world pushes, no one can take that from me, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, obey, pushing right back, rejoice, shall hear a word behind thee, share His love with the world, Sparrow's famous kaiso, strong and steadfast, the living truth, the New Covenant, the Spirit of truth, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, there was within me, there's something stronger, thine ears, this is the day the Lord has made, this is the way, tough people do, tough times don't last, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, walk the straight and narrow path, walk ye in it, we have to activate it, when ye turn to the left, when ye turn to the right hand, with the coming of Jesus, within me
Isaiah 30:21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Wow! It’s Tuesday already? Yes mih bredrin, Monday done, and Tuesday take over now! Reminds me of Sparrow’s famous kaiso – Jean and Dinah – ‘The Yankees gone, and Sparrow take over now.’ So we have to forget Monday and concentrate on Tuesday, because we can only live one day at a time, for that’s all we get, all the Lord’s given us; one day at a time. So let’s be upbeat as we declare that this is the day the Lord has given us, and then let’s rejoice in it, because it’s been given to us by the Lord for that exact purpose!
Yeh, it might be a li’l confusing, but you know what I mean. (smile) Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice! That’s what the people of God do, for they have seen the light in the darkness, and that light, that bright, shining light, whose name is Jesus, is oh so good! Give Him thanks and praise my people!
Now here’s an interesting quote that the Director of Alumni Relations of the University of the West Indies, Celia Davidson Francis, recently shared in her news update, as an encouragement to us all in these trying times. It comes from the work of the French-Algerian, author, journalist and philosopher, Albert Camus (1913-1960).
He said: “In the midst of hate, I found, there was within me, an invincible LOVE. In the midst of tears, I found, there was within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found, there was within me, and invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found, there was within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
And that’s the living truth my people! We all have that little space within us that’s been set there by our Creator, that can come up strong when things get tough. The only problem is that we have to activate it for it to come to life and help us stand strong and push back at our enemies. And for us believers in Christ Jesus, it’s His Holy Spirit that helps us activate that push back. But again, we have to listen to the prodding and pushing and pleading of the Holy Spirit, as it leads and guides us, else nothing positive will happen.
And my fellow believers, do we ever need the wisdom and advice of the Holy Spirit in these turbulent times to help us be strong and steadfast and walk the straight and narrow path as we ought. And we can outlast these tough times by listening to the Holy Spirit that dwells within each one of us. That’s why Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) could say without any hesitation: ‘tough times don’t last, but tough people do.’ That’s because the Holy Spirit of God enables us to be tough and withstand the tough times.
And do I ever get a high from, and have to chuckle at the mysterious ways and the faithfulness of our wonderful God! Yeh friends, I just decided to stop and look for a scripture to corroborate what I’ve been saying, so I turned to the opened Good Book next to me. I hadn’t looked at it before, just saw that it had opened at Isaiah when I opened it earlier. And lo, and behold, what do you think I espied with my own two little eyes eh? (smile) This most amazing and encouraging verse that so deftly describes the actions of the Holy Spirit in our lives. ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21)
Oh my people, that’s what Isaiah said to the Israelites many moons ago when he appealed to them to turn to the Lord for help. But thankfully that has all changed for the better, because with the coming of Jesus and the New Covenant, each and every believer, as soon as they accept Christ as Lord and Saviour receives the Holy Ghost as well, who comes to dwell within them to lead and guide them into all righteousness!
Glory be mih people! How blessed are we to have the Holy Spirit of God Himself dwelling within us, showing us the way to live a godly and righteous, a joyful and abundant life! Mama Yo! We couldn’t ask for anything more or anything better! Our big problem though is that we don’t listen, and/or we don’t hear.
Now listening and hearing are two entirely different things. The first means an active act or expectation of hearing something at some time or other. It’s like faith, so we’re paying attention, waiting with great expectation. Meanwhile, hearing is basically anything and everything that’s going through our ear-waves, stuff that we’re not necessarily expecting or paying particular attention to, stuff that we can ignore or do with as we please. However, as believers, we are supposed to listen to, to expect that still, small voice that’s the Holy Spirit to talk to us, to lead and guide us in the way we should go.
Now too many of us don’t listen for that still small voice, or if we do, when we hear it, we ignore it’s advice. So what else can we expect but unwise doings then eh? Remember Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit to the disciples? ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-17)
And Jesus did fulfill that promise at the first day of Pentecost after He ascended back to heaven. That day all the disciples were sitting together in a room ready to enjoy the feast day; ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4)
Oh mih people, what a glorious day that was; the day when believers were first baptized with the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised in Acts 1:5. ‘For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ And from that day onwards, all believers receive the Holy Ghost to indwell them, when they accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour! What a magnanimous and magnificent Deity we serve and worship my brethren!
So let’s go home now letting all and sundry know who we are, and to whom we belong, by declaring (awrightttt!) our Tuesday Mantra. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
It now behooves us to go out and show that trust and spread that wonderful LOVE with those who don’t know Christ. Much LOVE!
…you can’t hear…if you don’t listen…and you can’t be successful…if you don’t obey…
05 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of disbelief, be not overcome of evil, Christ will always defeat Satan, come short in obedience, Covid virus, divine help, evil for evil, feed him, forgiveness, give him drink, good will always overcome evil, grace, half-truths, heap coals of fire, humble servants, I will repay, if thine enemy hunger, if thine enemy thirst, innuendoes, Jehovah Rapha, lies, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, natural disasters, overcome evil with good, pandemic of Covid 19, recompense to no man, repentance, shame and remorse, sincerely seek your face, something the Lord allows, strife, the Christian thing to do, the God who heals, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the poor getting poorer, the rich getting richer, took it for a joke, turn from our evil ways, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, we have all sinned
Romans 12:21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
So what shall we say this Monday Morning in the early autumn days of this unprecedented year of 2020 eh? One thing comes to mind – that the Lord does indeed move in mysterious ways His miracles to perform. Yuh realize how many of the world leaders who never believe in the Covid virus and made fun of it, eventually got it? The leaders of the U.K., Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Belarus, and some others whom I don’t remember all contracted the Covid-19 disease because they took it for a joke.
Hn! How can you ever take something the Lord allows, and as widespread and dangerous as it is, especially with its unknown qualities and behaviour, as a joke eh? And friends, I just realized that I left out the most famous (in his own mind) and powerful leader and mocker of them all…the one and only President of the U.S. of A! How could I have done that eh when all yuh hearing on the news these days are uncertainties, lies, innuendoes, and half-truths concerning his supposed illness.
He’s acquired such an aura of disbelief that many people don’t believe that he’s sick, it’s just another ploy in his vast arsenal of tricks and dirty deeds to win the upcoming election. His presidency has been fraught with so much distaste that many normally good-natured folks are praying for him to die from the Covid-19. And it would be a fitting death too, as he has so badly mismanaged the crisis. But all in all, I don’t think that is the Christian thing to do. The Lord will repay him in His own time and way for his wrongdoing.
So let us remember the words of the Good Book and heed its warning. ‘To me belongeth vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them with haste.’ (Deut. 32:35) Those were Moses words to the Israelites in the early days. And the psalmist, in his writings – How long shall the wicked triumph – cried out in the same manner that many of us are crying out today as the wicked seem to be prospering ever so much, while the righteous are suffering.
‘O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself ( shine forth). Lift up thyself (rise up), thou judge of the earth: render a reward ( repay with punishment) to the proud. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?’ (Ps. 94:1-3) Notice, in his anguish, how he repeats himself for emphasis. And that’s a very relevant question in these difficult and dangerous times friends, for the wicked and the wealthy are prospering even in these lean days.
It’s a proven fact that during this Covid-19 season the rich has gotten immensely richer, while the poor has gotten immensely poorer! No wonder a lot of people are crying out for justice, for vengeance! But then we are led by Bruh Paul to keep our faith, to trust our God, who never fails to keep His promises, just in His own time and manner. Hear him in his missive to the church at Rome.
‘Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (Have regard for good things). If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath (don’t take angry action): for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire (shame and remorse) on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:17-21)
What more can I say eh friends? That’s Bruh Paul’s teaching; his revelation from God, so we need to acknowledge and live by it. Let’s wait for our God to take His vengeance upon our enemies nuh, that’s His portfolio. Ours is to live good. And yes, I know that’s difficult to do when we’re surrounded by so much evil and wickedness, but with God’s grace and mercy uplifting us, we can certainly overcome evil with good. Now, let’s go to God in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and release all our anger, frustration, anxieties, fear, needs, wants, desires, and whatever’s troubling us to His listening ear, because that’s His will.
All together now, humbly, but confidently: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have 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, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, 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 since we’ve just vowed repentance and pleaded for forgiveness, mercy and grace, let’s keep our vow and receive the Lord’s blessings nuh, for that’s what He requires of us. Much LOVE!
…good will always overcome evil…for Christ will always defeat Satan…
02 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little lower than the angels, a means of restoring faith, and understandeth not, another weekend, anxiety, bar hopping, behave like leggo-beasts, bring backsliders back to your fold, can't handle it on our own, confusion, Covid-19, denigrating the virus, dictator in waiting, divine help, Donald Trump, embrace your love and compassion, faithful believers, falling down drunk, Friday chant, gallivanting, God offers forgiveness and mercy, handle the situation properly, happy hour, have dominion over the beasts, heavenly Father, hungry for dictatorship power, in the name of Jesus, introduce a whole new flock, is like the beasts that perish, judgement after death, LOVE, make a real and sincere difference, man that is in honour, no respecter of persons, not knowing what happening, omnipotent help, our sinful world, pandemic, pay serious attention to God's Word, physically distance, racial strife, spreading the virus willy nilly, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thank the Lord for Fridays and weekends, the dust return to the earth, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the ordinary workingman, the spirit return to God, those involved in the forefront, time for Christians to stand up strong, unrest in the streets, wake up and smell the coffee, want to party, wash hands, wear a mask, wise guidance, with God all things are possible
Psalm 49:20. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
And yes, at long last is Friday; the day that ends our work week! So we’re joyful and happy and ready to behave like leggo-beasts! But please remember we still can’t go bar hopping and gallivanting on a Friday evening after work like we used to! Forget about the happy hour an’ them and just go straight home and be safe. That’s my li’l chat for today! (smile)
Now let’s see what the ordinary workingman has to say on this first Friday in chilly, leaf turning colour and falling October. ‘Yeah! TGIF! Thank God is Friday and another weekend is here to rest mih tired and somewhat bored bones. Yes, staying home so all the time, especially since the Covid-19 numbers going up again in my li’l corner of the world, is getting somewhat tiresome. Ah not a big go-outer, but when I want to go out, I want to be able to go without having to put on mask and look all around me, and stay away from people, to make sure I don’t catch anything to bring back to mih family.
And the people an’ them, especially the younger ones, just won’t learn to physically distance and wear deh mask and wash deh hands and be careful. No, they want to party… and the sad thing is that they can’t party nuh, they don’t really know how to have a good time. For them that is drinking and falling down stupid and not knowing what happening. Steups!
An’ by the way, yuh see who finally catch the Covid business? The one and only Donald Trump, the august President of the United States, dictator in waiting; a man who been denigrating the virus since it begin, and saying is just stupidness and it soon pass and yuh doh need no mask when it causing so much unnecessary deaths in the U.S.
Well the same way the Lord does move in mysterious ways and is no respecter of people, is the same way Covid does move, so now it finally prove to him the foolishness of his ways…at least ah hope so. But Trump is such an ignorant, arrogant, greedy, hungry for dictatorship power, know it all, that one never know with him nuh.
And ah hope the people living under him finally wake up and see him for what he really is; a blooming … put in yuh own description. (smile) But as for me and my house, we going to try and stay safe and keep thanking the Lord for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah mih people, the ordinary workingman is sure worked up today. And so he should be when people not behaving how they should and just spreading the blooming virus willy nilly! All over the world the Covid numbers climbing again, mostly because people stop paying attention to the safety procedures. So what we expect eh, when those are the only things we have to slow down the spread of the virus? Until we get a good vaccine – and people take it – masks and hand washing and physical distancing are the only useful things we have.
But what does the ole fella know eh? He ain’t no scientist. But hear these magnificent and oh so true words from the Good Book nuh, taken from Psalm 49 – Trust in God, not in wealth – by the sons of Korah. ‘Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.’ (Ps. 49:20)
Yeh friends, we are supposed to be a little lower than the angels, but higher than the beasts, have dominion over them, but when we don’t pay serious attention to God’s Word, then we become just like the beasts. And hear how Cousin Sol puts it in Ecclesiastes, where he’s writing as the Preacher. ‘For that which befalleth (happens to) the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence (advantage) above a beast: for all is vanity (futility).’ (Eccl. 3:19)
Yes, it would seem that man and beasts share the same common fate, but later on though, in 12:7, Cousin Sol does affirm that man’s spirt returns to God after death. ‘Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.’ (Eccl. 12:7) So friends, in that most important fact, we are not like the beasts, because our spirits return to God for judgement after death. But when we behave foolishly and ignore God and His Word and Will, then we truly behave like beasts. And unfortunately, in these most disturbing and dangerous times, when we should all have our wits about us, too many of us are behaving like the beasts!
But thankfully, with our great and wonderful God, all things are possible, and He offers forgiveness and mercy without restraint, to all those who call upon Him in sincerity. So let’s do that now nuh, through our Friday Chant, let’s call on Him for divine help. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that 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 sure and 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, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. 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!’
So the corollary to all that now is for us to go out and behave like faithful and trusting believers – like we claim above – and handle the situation the way the Lord desires us to handle it! Much LOVE!
…it’s time for Christians…to stand up strong…and make a real and sincere difference…
30 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ;ust, another brand new day in the life, ask, asking and receiving, Beautiful Things Happen, changing circumstances, consume it in your pleasures, deeply treasured, desire to have, divine blessing, doing His wll, encounter Christ, God's will for us, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, I will both, in God's economy, incomparable benefit, indisputable truth, it shall be given unto you, it shall be opened, joyfully accept them, kill, knock, lay me down in peace and sleep, looking straight ahead, LOVE, makest me dwell in safety, manipulation and comparison, manna, more than in the time, more than we can ask or imagine, my heart is full of joy, new mercies and compassions, not looking back, obeying the Word of God, perfect human beings, productively use them, prompt us to panic, prompt us to pray, Ruth Harms Calkin, seek, shelved for worry, tears flowing like a river, thank God, the benefit of His holy name, the breath of life, the gospel truth, the long and short of the story, the most powerful weapon, their corn and wine increased, thou hast put gladness in my heart, to a glorious future with Christ, tragedy and shock, unfortunate circumstances, Wednesday Wail, ye ask amiss, ye ask and receive not, ye shall find, your whispered secrets
Psalm 4:7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased.
Well it’s another brand new day in the life my friends and fellow believers. And yes, like always, it’s filled with all the new mercies and compassions that our Lord God has promised! What a divine blessing and incomparable benefit! But we have to joyfully accept them and then productively use them, for them to be of any real benefit to us. So let’s hope, like the manna the Lord fed the Israelites with so long ago in the wilderness, we have gathered up our mercies and compassions for this day and have put them to work to the benefit of His holy name and will. For that’s the main purpose of our lives on this planet Earth; doing His Will while obeying His Word.
And that’s all I have to say this morning! (smile) But our friend Ruth Harms Calkin has something wonderful to share with us; it’s a poem called ‘Beautiful Things Happen,’ and it’s taken from our One Year Book of Bible Promises. So please pray with me: ‘O God such beautiful things happen when I meet You day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance.
I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To Your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’
Now isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! The Lord does more for us in one single, solitary day than we could ever do for ourselves in a whole lifetime! But all those things don’t just come automatically; we have to seek Him and meet and greet and reverence and worship and enjoy His friendship,LOVE, grace and mercy that He gives so freely to those who ask for and receive it. Remember friends, in God’s economy, asking and receiving are very important. Remember these crucial words of Jesus: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ (Matt. 7:7)
And his brother James follows that up with these immortal words: ‘Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not.’ (James 4:2) Yes friends, we try to do all those things in our own strength, but the true answer to life is going to our heavenly Father and asking Him for whatever we desire. And James spells out the problem even further: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).’ (James 4:3)
And isn’t that the indisputable truth? It certainly is, because when we do ask, we too often ask for unimportant things, lustful things of the world, things that don’t pair up with God’s will for us. And we have this interesting explanation on the subject from the website www.ibelieve.com/faith: ‘Tragedy and shock often prompt us to panic, when it should prompt us to pray. The most powerful weapon we’ve been given to wield often gets shelved for worry, manipulation, and comparison.’ And that’s another indisputable truth! In times of trouble, instead of turning to God with the most powerful tool in the universe, prayer, we unwisely try to manipulate and work things out on our own.
So the long and short of the story is that we must not only ask, but ask for the right things. And I’m chuckling here because I went off on a tangent there. It wasn’t my intention to talk about all that asking stuff, but it just seemed right and important to mention at this time.
Anyway, getting back to our poem: ‘Beautiful Things Happen.’ Beautiful things do happen when we surrender our all to God and come humbly and confidently to Him each and every day to renew our fellowship with Him. And though our circumstances might be somewhat rough and difficult, like they are right now, when we encounter Christ, right where we are, though the tears may be flowing like a river from our eyes, because of those unfortunate circumstances, our hearts will be overflowing with joy because we know that our great and wonderful God is ALWAYS near and will ALWAYS look after us once we place our lives in His mighty and oh so compassionate hands.
Yes friends, our God deeply LOVES and treasures each of His creation. He made NOTHING that He doesn’t LOVE! Remember the remarkable words the Good Book says about the creation? ‘And God saw that it was good…’ (Gen. 1:25) And yes, our sins have disappointed Him greatly, but He still LOVES us so much that He sent His Only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us so that we could be saved from hell fire and eternal damnation! But we need to come to Him! I can’t declare (yeahhh!) how important that is my people. The onus is now on us to accept God’s grace and mercy!
Now listen to these most reassuring words of Bruh David from Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God, which are the Bible Promises for our Poem and also our Bit. ‘There may be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps. 4:6-8)
Mama Mia! Oh mih people, yuh read them marvellous words of Bruh David! Brother! What could be better than that eh? NOTHING really! When you fellowship and commune with the Lord during the day, you can sleep like a baby at nights, without any worries or real concerns, because He makes those who trust and sincerely believe in Him to sleep in peace! Glory Be!
Yes, the ole fella’s excited! And if you aren’t excited after reading all that we’ve said today, then ah sorry for yuh yes! And then yuh wonder why life treating yuh so rough and tough. Chuh! It’s simply because yuh not putting enough trust and faith in the Lord God Almighty and living the way He desires you to. And He knows you won’t be perfect, because He’s never made any perfect human beings. But He does require us to come to Him and commune with Him on a regular basis, so that He can give us the desires of our hearts. And not the lustful, ungodly desires, but the true and godly ones! (smile)
Ah mih people, there’s so much more useful scripture I wanted to quote, but time and space have run out. Maybe tomorrow we can continue, God willing. But now let’s go home declaring (awright!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
All together now in strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we need to remember, that if we do endure until the end, our future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Give our wonderful God some much deserved praise my people!Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
28 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things work together for good, and are called to his purpose, awesome grace and mercy, battle ready, begun a good work, being confident of this very thing, disciples of Jesus, earn our keep, first day of our work week, for when I am weak, forgive us, forgiving and gracious God, fragile Friday, hear our prayer, I am always with you, I can do all things through Christ, in the feace of persecution, Jehovah Rapha, like a stalwart soldier, LOVE, mentally challenged, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, move from glory to glory, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, repentance, sincerely seek your face, teach all nations, the God who heals, the Good News of Jesus' Gospel, the Great Commission, the promises of God, then I am strong, this pilgrim world, to those who love God, tough, trials and tribulations, unto the end of the world, venomous diatribe, weekly cycle, will perform it until the day of Jesus, without batting an eyelash, withstand the rigours, writ indelibly in our hearts
2 Corinthians 12:10b. For when I am weak, then am I strong.
And as the weekly cycle cycles through its seven-day cycle, it inevitably comes right back to that awesome but much despised day we term Monday! Hn, hn! And no, I’m not mentally challenged because I refer to Monday as being awesome, because so it is. Why? Because, unfortunately, it is the first day of our work week and wakes us up from our weekend lethargy and is thus ofttimes liable to a veritable barrage of abuse, which it confidently takes every week, without batting an eyelash, like a stalwart soldier, and keeps coming back for more, unperturbed by the venomous diatribe so often hurled its way.
Wow! What a sentence! Bruh Paul would have been proud of it. (smile) But the truth is, I wish that more of us supposed believers were more like Monday, tough and battle-ready, able to withstand the rigours of this pilgrim world, rather than the complaining, fragile Friday, so many of us resemble. Yes friends, Monday has committed no crime. It just happens to be the day that gets us up off of our fat, lazy and lethargic derrieres, so that we can go out and earn our keep, and for that reason alone, we intensely dislike it. But it completely ignores us and keeps doing its job, coming back every seven days to taunt and haunt us.
And that’s how true disciples of Jesus ought to be; not giving up, even in the face of persecution, of intense trials and tribulation, but getting up every time we fall down and continuing to preach Christ and testify to the good news of His gospel with renewed energy, sincere enthusiasm and expectant hope of a brighter tomorrow. And how do we do that you ask? By remembering the promises of God, found in His holy Word, having them writ indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, so we can raise them up when necessary, and also what He’s already done for us.
So we’ll just quote a few scriptures that I believe should be at the top of our list. The first is what Jesus asked us to do; what we call the Great Commission. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ ( Matt. 28:19-20) So that’s what He requires of us, and most importantly, He’s also promised that while we are doing His bidding, to be constantly with us, through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.
Then there’s this from Bruh Paul. ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) Yes friends, whatever we need to do, whatever adaptations we need to make, we can do them with Christ’s enabling power. So that if need to live abased, we can do it with confidence in Christ’s strength, and likewise if we need to live prosperously. That brings us to this awesome promise where God rebuffed Bruh Paul’s prayer to remove a thorn in his flesh, letting him know in no uncertain terms: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness (weaknesses).’ (2 Cor. 12:5)
Glory be mih people! If we sincerely believe that, then we can conquer anything that comes against us. As Bruh Paul proclaims: ‘For when I am weak, then am I strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:10b) Yes friends, we’re always strong, if not in our own strength, then surely in the Lord’s!
Now here’s some more assurance that was revealed to Bruh Paul. ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) So we have no doubt that God will continue to work His good deeds in us through His marvelous grace, to make us more like Christ, move us from glory to glory until whenever Christ returns. That gives us eternal security, ‘for His saving work will neither be abandoned nor unrealized.’
And the last scripture is also awesome and very reassuring. ‘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) Mama Mia! So if we are called to do God’s work and do it with LOVE and obedience, no matter what, then He will work it all out for our good eventually. But my people, having all those promises means nothing unless we talk to God, communicate with him through the awesome medium of prayer. So let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, letting Him know our fears and concerns and asking for His divine favour to help solve them.
All together now, humbly, but confidently.‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have 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, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
Now we need to display that supposedly sincere repentance in our everyday behaviour, for He’s looking at our hearts, not merely listening to our words. Much LOVE!
…to stand strong in God…we must first know…and then sincerely believe…the promises in His Word…
26 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a kiss from heaven, a word of encouragement, Abba, as many as are led by, aspires to inspire us, chances to proliferate, for a better tomorrow, giving the virus, heirs of God, inferiority not in our DNA, intimate relationship with God, Jesus assumes His rightful throne, joint-heirs with Christ, lazy restful day, live their lives devotedly, LOVE, our friend Anselm, people refusing to follow, sacrificially to the Lord, Saturday, the promise of glorification, the safety precautions, the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God, trials and tribulations, use wisdom and common sense
Romans 8:14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Saturday, oh Saturday! You lazy, restful day! How I do LOVE thee! I won’t even bother counting the ways because there are way too many! (smile) But on a serious note though, many more of us ought to take the opportunity of spending a lazy, restful Saturday in our own homes and spaces with our own bubblicious people (people of our bubble) instead of going out and giving the virus more chances to proliferate than it already has. Be sure that if you give it the opportunity it will gladly take it.
That’s why we are seeing cases trending upwards in so many areas that were doing good before restrictions were lifted. And basically it’s not the lifting of the restrictions causing the problem nuh, it’s the people refusing to follow the safety precautions that’s making matters worse. So please use wisdom and common sense in all your movements. And that’s my rant for today! (smile) Now let’s see what goodies our friend Anselm had to offer this week as he aspires to inspire us to a better tomorrow.
And the first quote, or rather the first two say, as they are intertwined: ‘Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.’ And ‘Practice the philosophy of continuous improvement. Get a little better every single day.’ Now that seems to make perfect sense. It’s always better to improve a li’l every day, than to make one big, long jump, because then you don’t really experience or appreciate the full benefits that moving slowly along the continuum of life and learning have to offer.
I guess it’s like the Lord has us believers moving a li’l every day, from glory to glory, as we try to become like Christ in character and attitude. We wouldn’t really grasp the full meaning of the situation because at every step there are certain things, be they problems, nuances etc. needed for good and true growth. That means those strategic and important insights can only be gained and understood if we actually confront them.
And I think this next quote falls right in line with what we’ve been talking about. ‘Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.’ Now that’s oh so true! Very seldom will we find something great that has blossomed directly from one thing or situation. It usually takes a few, sometimes even many things and situations to come together to make a great doing. So we should not be against or offended by small things or tasks.
Yes, I know our society blindly likes to worship at the altar of great things and tasks, but if we look closely at the lives of the supposed superstars – remember there’s only ONE real Superstar; JESUS – you’ll find that they didn’t just rise to prominence overnight, but had been struggling in the background for ages before their light finally burst forth on the main stage. That’s why we ought not to deny or look down on small things or small beginnings, for like in the normal state of nature, most things, trees, animals, humans, all start out small and over the course of time, with the proper nourishment and incentives grow big and strong.
So lowly, menial jobs are not to be considered beyond your scope, because at the bottom is where many of those currently at the top started, and there’s no better way to learn anything than to begin at the bottom. That brings us to this next interesting quote: ‘We are too busy mopping the floor to turn off the faucet.’ I guess that means we’re concentrating on one particular thing with such steadfastness, meanwhile something else that’s also important, or even more important, is passing us by unnoticed.
And I believe that happens a lot in this crazy, unfocussed world, where we jump from thing to another as the mood or feeling takes us, or our influencers lead us. But friends, as believers in Christ, we need to concentrate fully on what He has asked us to do. And He certainly hasn’t asked us to jump from one flower to the next like a bee or butterfly, that’s their job, ours is to be steady and complete stuff, before we move on to something else. And that’s why so many of us have no true balance in our lives; our efforts are unfortunately scattered hither, thither and yon.
Without a fair sense of balance, our lives won’t be as productive as they ought to, or can be. That brings us to the last quote: ‘Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.’ And that’s the indisputable truth friends! Only if we listen to their lies and deceits and believe them, can others ever make us feel inferior. Remember, we are true believers in Christ, which means we have Him, His Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and as the Good Book says so plainly: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.’ (Rom. 8:14)
And NO child of Jehovah God can ever be inferior! That’s just not possible. Inferiority is NOT, and NEVER will be in our DNA! So please don’t listen to the foolishness of this world, when others try to put you down or make you feel less than you are. Hear the Good Book again. ‘For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ (Rom. 8:15)
Yeh friends, as a true believer in Christ, there’s no need to fear or cower from this world, for as the scholars tell us: ‘8:15. The Spirit of adoption: The Holy Spirit places the believer as a son in God’s family. Abba is Aramaic for “father.” This is the intimate name used only by members of the family. It’s use here denotes the intimacy of the believer’s relation to God.’ So my people, if we have such an intimate relationship with the Creator of this universe that we can call Him, ‘Father,’ how can we ever consider ourselves to be inferior eh?
‘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 with him.’ (Rom. 8:16-17) Oh precious people, if we are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, then there’s no inferiority whatsoever in us! As the scholars explain: ‘8:17: Joint-heirs with Christ: All believers share all of the inheritance together. They also have the promise of glorification if their lives are lived devotedly and sacrificially unto the Lord.’
What more can I say eh? Nothing, but for us to keep on living devotedly and sacrificially unto the Lord, despite the many trials and tribulations that come against us, so that we can receive the promise of glorification when Jesus assumes His rightful throne. Much LOVE!
…a word of encouragement…is like a kiss from heaven…so let’s offer many words of encouragement nuh…
14 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a false witness, a forgiving God, a heart that devises wicked schemes, a high look, a lying tongue, a proud heart, adversity, calamities, can't run away and hide, come short in obedience, compliance to your word, defer not to pay it, divine guidance, end of story, failed miserably, faithful confidence, feet that be swift in running to mischief, foolish pride, forgive us, God ought to be our first resort, hallmarks of our modern society, hands that shed blood, he hath no pleasure in fools, heal our land, hear our prayer, heartache and calamity, humble hearts, it is better to trust in the Lord, Jehovah Rapha, lack of faith, LOVE, lucifer tried, mano-a-mano, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, not taken for granted, pain and sorrow, power to solve our problems, put confidence in princes, step up to the plate, than to put confidence in man, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the only one, trials and tribulations, turn from our evil ways, turn to God in prayer, vow a vow unto God, we have all sinned, wisdom, wish them away
Psalm 118:8. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
So here we are on a Monday morning in mid-September of this historic year 2020, amidst numerous calamities, many trials and much tribulation, overwhelming adversity like most of us have never seen before – and are not liable to see ever again. But the sad fact is that they are here with us, we can’t run away and hide from them, or simply wish then away, that means we have to step up to the plate and deal with them mano-a-mano.
And the first step in dealing with any problem is one we all know, but don’t invoke as often as we should. I’m referring to turning to Almighty God in prayer; taking our problems to Him and asking for His divine guidance and wisdom in handling them. The sad fact is that too many of us first try to solve our problems ourselves, or turn to other humans, and when that doesn’t work, then, and only then, will we probably turn to God as a last resort. But friends that’s the ultimate in stupidity!
Remember what the psalmist advises: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to put confidence in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps. 118:8-9) So, regardless of the earthly status of a human being, our trust and confidence in them ought to be very carefully considered and not taken for granted. That in turn means, our great and sovereign God ought to be our avenue of FIRST resort, rather than the LAST! That kind of action shows up our foolish pride and our lack of faith in Him.
And you know one thing our God dislikes with a passion is foolish pride that shows up in our not trusting or needing Him. Hear how Bruh David puts it on the Lord’s behalf: ‘Whoso privily (secretly) slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath a high look and a proud heart will not I suffer (endure).’ (Ps. 101:5) And Cousin Sol further reminds us that amongst the seven deadly sins that the Lord hates is ‘A proud look (haughty eyes), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.’ (Prov. 6:17)
But unwisely, those are the very things that we have chosen to pursue in our society. We trust man more than God, so much so that we’ve been trying to get God completely out of society, having already removed Him from our schools, our homes and public places. Sadly too, even a lot of what we preach in the church nowadays is not His truth. And don’t talk about lying tongues and the shedding of innocent blood… Brother! Those are some of the hallmarks of our modern, technological society!
And we can also add a few more things that are abominations to our God, but which rank very high in our society. ‘A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (devises wicked plans), feet that be swift in running to mischief (evil). A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.’ (Prov. 6:18-19) Yes my people, all those things which the Lord finds abominable, despicable and distasteful, unfortunately are mainstays of our current society. So what else can we expect if we do all that God dislikes eh? Nothing but pain and sorrow, heartache and calamity!
But the wonderful thing about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is that He is a most forgiving God, and if mankind repents and turns from his evil ways, the Lord is willing to forgive Him. In fact, He’s rather ecstatic when that happens, it warms the cockles of His heart. And I don’t know how many times I have to say it before we believe it: the Lord might not have brought all our worldwide problems upon us, but He has certainly allowed them because He’s tired of our evil ways and our trying to get rid of Him. That’s it in a nutshell.
And until we realize the error of our ways and turn back to Him in repentance, our problems will keep on driving us crazy. Therefore, in true wisdom, let’s take our problems to God in sincere prayer this morning nuh, so that He can alleviate, or show us how to alleviate them. So in faithful confidence, with humble, sincere hearts, let’s present our petitions heavenward, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have 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, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
Now, our next move my brethren is to reduce the sin and evil in our hearts and in our land. For remember the Lord doesn’t just listen to our words, but more importantly He checks to see if the motives of our hearts are right. And remember too that we’ve just made a vow to repent and turn back to the Lord, so these words of Cousin Sol writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes are of the utmost importance. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.’ (Eccl. 5:4) End of story! Much LOVE!
…the created cannot overthrow the Creator…Lucifer tried…and failed miserably… (smile)
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