26 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a future and a hope, adversities, adversity, all things work together for good, Anselm, ashamed of failing, aspire to inspire, audacity, be glad and rejoice, be of good cheer, boldfaceness, building blocks, called to His work, Christian faith, considered my trouble, correlation, couch potatoe, curl up, defeat, double minded, faint, fall for everything, friend, have peace, heartbreak, household chores, known my soul, learn from our mistakes, LOVE, maturity, no better school, no giving up, overcome the world, praying hands, read a book, Saturday, security, sense of purpose, sleeping in, stand for something, stand up for Jesus, technological do-dads, test of endurance, the day of adversity, the fire, the flood, those who LOVE God, thy mercies, thy strength is small, tribulation, troubles, try, try again, until you succeed, walk through, where the sun doesn't shine, wishy-washy
Psalm 31:7. I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities (troubles).
‘Saturday, oh Saturday; day of not getting up early, of sleeping in, of lying on the couch like a couch potatoe and just letting the world pass me by…Oh how I LOVE thee! Let me count the ways…’ (smile) Yeh friends, Saturday is one of our friendliest days in this busy modern universe, although for some it’s rougher than having to get up and go to work because they have all the household chores to do that have been put off during the week.
And no, I did not sleep in, I’ve been down here for a while fighting with my computer, it wanting to do its own thing and not my will, then having the audacity to freeze up on me. Oh the boldfaceness of these technological do-dads eh! But it makes me smile, because that’s just the way we behave with our heavenly Father; audaciously wanting to do our will and not His. And when He steps on us, we quick to cry foul. Hn! Hn! But that’s His prerogative as our Maker and Controller.
And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his noble attempt to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one answers a question that many of ask: “Why am I as I am? To understand that of any person, his whole life, from Birth must be reviewed. All of our experiences fuse into our personality. Everything that ever happened to us is an ingredient.”
Yeh friends, we can’t disconnect ourselves from anything that has ever happened to us, because they all come together to make us who we are. And then there’s this: ‘Read absolutely everything you get your hands on because you’ll never know where you’ll get an idea from….’ Holy smokes! Reading! What is that eh? Our children don’t know the a from b about that!
Neither do some of us big people. It’s only the nonsense found on the tube and texting the mindless new language that’s developed for these technological toys! One friend sent me an e-mail yesterday with some symbols that seemed to tell me to stick whatever it was where the sun doesn’t shine, only to find out that they meant praying hands. (smile)
Ah mih people, reading is the best form of quiet recreation, and it also opens up your mind to so many other things and places. And as for me, you can’t be a writer unless you read. There’s nothing like curling up with a good book and just getting lost in it. Even if it’s an electronic one! (smile)
And we all know this one: ‘If you don’t stand for something you fall for everything.’ How true that is! Being wishy-washy, double-minded and that sort of thing only makes our lives bounce insecurely from one thing to another, with no steadfastness on the horizon. That’s why as Christians, we are encouraged, and admonished to STAND UP for Jesus, because then we have security and sense of purpose!
And that segues very nicely into this next quote: ‘Children have a lesson adults should learn, to not be ashamed of failing, but to get up and try again. Most of us adults are so afraid, so cautious, so ‘safe,’ and therefore so shrinking and rigid and afraid that it is why so many humans fail. Most middle-aged adults have resigned themselves to failure.’ And that’s no lie! But please remember the old saying: ‘try, try again…until you succeed.’ And as believers in Jesus Christ that should be one of the top priorities in our lives, because in Jesus’ kingdom there is NO GIVING UP!
And though we won’t like this last quote that complements the others very well, it’s very true: ‘There is no better school than that of adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.’
Ah mih people, it’s only in adversity that we grow and hopefully learn from our mistakes. So although many of us are going through some rough times now, please remember they are building blocks for our future, they are the experiences as we said above that make us who we are, and lead us to a future and a hope as the Lord promised. (Jer.29:11) And also that ALL things work together for good to those who LOVE God and are called to do His work. (Rom.8:28)
That means whatever we’re going through has a definite meaning and correlation to the plan that the Lord has in mind for us and there’s no need to run from or bemoan too much the adversities that come against us, for the Lord would not have allowed them if they were going to damage us. Remember He said that when we walk through the fire or the flood, He would always be with us. (Is.43:2)
And since many of us have been walking with God for sometime we must have seen the goodness of His hand on our lives, more than once too, thus we ought to be able to say like Bruh David does in our Bit: ‘I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities (troubles).’
Yeh friends, when we can say that in our times of trouble then we know that our faith is strong. For as Cousin Sol so truthfully and plainly says: ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov.24:10) And the scholars tell us: ’24:10. Strength in the face of adversity is the true test of one’s endurance.’ And in terms of our Christian faith and maturity, that is oh so true.
And yes, it is not easy to be strong when troubles strike, but we also have that most faithful and true promise of Jesus to hold on to. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Now friends, as supposedly true believers in Christ, if we can’t rest in, and on that promise…then I don’t know what else to say nuh. Much LOVE!
…adversity brings out the best…in true believers…
25 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new beginning, a new creature, all things are become new, appreciation, ask god for help, be born again, be in christ, believe in, believers, born of the flesh, born of the Spirit, born of water and the Spirit, boundaries, cannot see, Christ's kingdom, Christians, cognizant, come from God, conduct, corrupt, deceitful lusts, driving, enemy, enjoying mihself, evil cohorts, exuberance, feared criticism, fellowship, fervour, forfeiting fun, former conversation, freeze their nutsies off, Friday chant, furthering your kingdom, generous help, go about life, God be with him, having a good time, holy spirit, in Jesus name, Jesus' philosophy, jump in the lake, laughter, leggo beasts, let the horses run wild, listen to, LOVE, new creation, Nicodemus, obey, old things are passed away, open our Bibles, practical things, refeshed, relaxation, renewed, repercussions, rest, restrained, riding shotgun, serious problems, soul body and mind, sufficent fun, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the church at Corinth, the kingdom of God, the truth in Jesus, the weekend, trap, trusted sidekick, unbridled behaviour, weekend song, with gay abandon, workingman
John 3:3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.
‘Driving, driving…’ Yeh friends, the ole fella went driving himself in that nasty weather yesterday, for the first time in some five weeks, and it wasn’t bad. It was like sex and riding a bicycle…you never forget how to! (smile) And though the weather was gloomy, the roads weren’t too bad. And above all, I had my trusted sidekick Jesus, riding shotgun beside me, so there was no need to worry. Glory be!
What a way we can feel safe when we know He’s always right there beside us eh, as well as dwelling within us through His Holy Spirit! Christians therefore have no reason to be afraid of life and whatever it brings. But unfortunately too many of us are still fearful of even our own shadows, much less the trials and tribulations of life. But we won’t get into that right now, because the workingman is waiting to sing us his weekend song. (smile)
And he wails out: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! And yuh better believe the weekend is upon us! What would we do without the weekend end eh? I refuse to even think about it! All I know is that I’m going to be enjoying mihself, having a good time, eating, drinking and doing whatever I want over the next couple days, regardless of the weather and what anybody else thinks! And if they don’t like it, then yuh know what they can do…Go jump in the blooming cold lake and freeze their nutsies off, because this is my time, and I’ll do what I so and so want to do with it! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah mih people, sometimes it would be nice to be like the working man and just go about one’s life with such gay abandon, but that unfortunately leads to serious problems eventually. So please, let’s be thankful that we’re believers in Christ Jesus who don’t adhere to such unbridled behaviour!
Jesus needs His followers to be more restrained in their exuberance, but that doesn’t mean forfeiting fun and laughter, just being more cognizant of the dangers that lie in wait when we let the horses run wild. And that’s why our Friday Chant is somewhat less rah rah and self-serving than the workingman’s song. So let’s belt it out now with the same fervour and even greater appreciation than the workingman did nuh.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my brethren, we have some boundaries to stay within, because we don’t want to fall into the ever-waiting trap of the evil enemy and his evil cohorts. Consequently, we’re not allowed to behave like leggo beasts as the workingman can do, and certainly does. And I just espied this interesting list on one of the many bits of paper beside my computer. It tells us seven things we need to do to be a true follower of Jesus. I believe I got it from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley).
Here they are: (1) Be born again. (2) Pray. (3) Listen to Him. (4) Believe Him. (5) Obey Him. (6) LOVE Him. (7) Suffer for Him. Now those are certainly ALL things true believers should do! We can’t leave out even one of them, else our faith walk will suffer serious negative repercussions! But the most important of them all is indeed the first one: ‘Be born again.’ That’s because if we’re not born again we can’t get into Christ’s organization and then the other things don’t matter.
And that’s exactly what Jesus told the Pharisee elder, Nicodemus, who came to Him under cover of night to find out whom He really was. Now Nicodemus did admit: ‘Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles (signs) that thou doest, except God be with him.’ (John 3:2)
And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘3:2. By night: Probably he (Nicodemus) feared criticism. John refers several times to “fear of the Jews” (see 7:13; 9:22; 12:42-43; 19:38). Nicodemus accepted Jesus as a teacher and a rabbi from God who worked miracles, but Jesus was not impressed with the depth of Nicodemus’s belief or understanding. Many unbelievers still agree that Jesus was “a great man.’
And no doubt, He was, but He was also much more than that; He was the Son of God! Thus Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ That says it all right there my people! We have to be born of water and the Spirit to be a part of Christ’s kingdom. There must be a new beginning in our lives!
That’s why Bruh Paul emphasizes to the church at Corinth: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation); old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor.5:17) Yeh friends, to get truly hooked up with Christ, we have to become new people, and change our old ways, which don’t sit right with Jesus’ philosophy. I guess a simple way to put it is, we have to stop singing the workingman’s song and belt out the Friday Chant instead. (smile)
And finally, as Bruh Paul tells the Ephesians: ‘If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.’ (Eph.4:21-25)
Ah mih people, to get in with Jesus we have to become totally new people, be born again, change our old habits! And Bruh Paul lists some of the practical things we need to do when we become born again in Ephesians 4:25-32. It might be a very good idea to open our Bibles and read that list today. I’m sure it will give many of us cause to stop and ponder our lifestyle and ask God for help in whatever area in which we are deficient! That’s wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!
…that which is born of the flesh…is flesh…that which is born of the Spirit…is spirit…
23 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great while before day, admonition, anxious, ask or imagine, backbone, be careful for nothing, beating around the bush, believers, belly, breath of life, by faith, condemning society, dangerous, decisions, departed into a solitary place, endurance, evidence, face of adversity, give up, glad to be alive, go slow, God's way of communicating, halfway home, hands on the plough, hopes, if thou faint, in every thing, in the day of adversity, in the morning, Jesus, Jesus' playbook, judgemental, keep your hearts, know Jesus, leads the way, looking to a glorious future, lose heart, LOVE, made know unto God, men ought always to pray, men pray every where, middle of the workweek, most powerful element on earth, not by sight, not faint, not right now, not turning back, passeth all understanding, persistent widow, pray, prayer, pursue justice, pursue our dreams, push, received mercy, resolve to pray, riding shotgun, right to the point, rising up, sinful times, slippery, snow, sought the Father's wisdom, spake a parable, strong, supplication, tempted to give up, thanksgiving, the peace of God, there prayed, thy strength is small, to this end, true test of endurance, unjust judge, until something happens, we faint not, Wednesday Wail, wonderful example, your request
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).
And then it was Wednesday, the middle of the work week…and we did get some of the promised snow, not in the afternoon though, but sometime during the early morning hours, and not as much as expected. However, if you have to venture out there, please be careful, because snow is snow; slippery and dangerous, be it plentiful or li’l bit. (smile) But as always, with Jesus riding shotgun with us, there’s not much to worry about! Praise His holy name!
And looking through the many bits of paper I have next to the computer for something to write about, I came upon this acronym; ‘PUSH!’ And what dies it mean? Simply, PRAY until something happens!’ Yeh friends, we ought to just keep on praying, until we see some results of our prayers, because God doesn’t always say, NO, but sometimes, GO SLOW, or NOT RIGHT NOW!
So it’s always best to keep on keeping on until you get a definitive answer…and believe me, when the Lord is ready, He will give you one. (smile) And unfortunately, for whatever reason, in these wicked and sinful times, even true and strong believers don’t pray as much as they ought.
But please remember Jesus’ admonition: ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).’ And that parable was about the persistent widow who refused to go unjustified by the wicked judge. So too should we pursue justice and pray with all our hearts, minds and souls!
As the scholars explain, re our Bit: ‘18:1. To faint means “to lose heart.” Precisely when tempted to give up, men ought to be strong in their resolve to pray.’ And sadly, in this mish mash, judgemental, condemning society, it’s oh so easy to lose heart. But we have to be strong friends, and just pursue our dreams and hopes through prayer.
And there are so many scriptures that advise and encourage and admonish us to keep on praying, especially since it’s God’s way of communicating with us, and it’s the most powerful element on earth! So let’s look at a few of them nuh, and use them to help us strengthen our resolve to keep on praying.
And what better verse to begin with than one of my favourites, this one from Mark: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) Mama Mia!
Oh friends, that scripture is talking about Jesus’ rising early every day to go out and pray. What a wonderful example He is! He doesn’t just tell us to do things, but leads the way Himself. Before Jesus did anything, He always sought the Father’s wisdom through prayer. And as I keep saying, if the Son of God needed to pray while down here on earth, why should we miserable sinners be any different eh?
And then we have this wonderful statement from Bruh David: ‘For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ (Psalm 109:4) Yeh friends, it’s often best to pray when our enemies come against us, and remember Jesus said we ought also to pray for them. Meanwhile Cousin Sol gets right to the point, no beating around the bush: ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov.24:10)
No joking friends! As the scholars say: ‘24:10. Strength in the face of adversity is the true test of endurance.’ And one of the reasons why our world is in such sad shape is simply because we supposed believers don’t have enough belly and backbone to stand up to the evil forces of the world! It’s sad but true! We’re too scared of what others might say or do, therefore we just fade off into the sunset and let the wicked do as they please.
I’m sure it breaks Jesus’ heart every time one of His supposed followers behaves thus. And if we’re believers, then in the words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not (lose heart).’ (2 Cor.4:1) Oh my people, we have received the same mercy that Bruh Paul did, therefore, we ought also not to faint, not to lose heart! Friends, the worst thing we can ever do as a believer is to give up, to faint, to lose heart! Why? Because that attitude doesn’t exist in Jesus’ playbook!
And as believers, it should not exist in ours either! And one of the ways we can keep it at bay is by listening and following this solid and oh so wise advice from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) And though Bruh Paul was there speaking about males only, expecting females to pray silently, in these modern times, it is extremely necessary that both men and women pray, every where; be it loudly or silently!
And this last scripture is one we all know and quote, but don’t put it into proper action. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil.4:6) Please remember that my people; we don’t only go to God to ask and ask for what we want, but we must also give thanks for what we already have, and whatever we’re asking for, believing and receiving it by faith, and not by sight.
‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:7) What more can I say eh friends? I can only present the evidence, you have to make the individual decisions! (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
All together now, in loud voice, with sincere hearts and strong sense of purpose: ‘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 you truly believe, then you know that that future will be even brighter and more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…when one truly knows Jesus…you can’t help but LOVE Him…with all your heart, mind, body and soul…
22 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lean mean fighting machine, a little while, a precious message, ask for, believe, cast not away, courage fails, destruction, disregard the darkness, done the will of god, draw back, dwelling in our hearts, earthly journey, endurance, enlightening, faith, fear, feeling, follow the world, for someone else, friend of Jesus, friendsip, glory to God, God's promises, God's timing, great recompense, guiding, have need of patience, hope, hunky dory, imagine, immutable word, in a hurry, in the light, insecurity, joy, lead us astray, leading, listen, live by faith, logic, LOVE, Love of Jesus, misguided attempt, negative circumstances, northern climes, not by sight, One Year Book of Bible promises, Oswald Chambers, overwhelming, perdition, prayer, receive the promise, reward, rich, Ruth Harms Calkin, share, smile, stands firm, the good fight of faith, the Holy Spirit, the just, the realm of prayer, the saving of the soul, times of questioning, timetable, trials, tribulations, trust, trusting seems difficult, Tuesday Mantra, unfaithfulness, unwise, wait for an answer, wasted commodities, we walk by faith, will not tarry, your confidence
Hebrews 10:35-36. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Oh my people, the ole fella went to bed pretty late last night – or this morning, if you will, and consequently, as a direct result of that unwise decision, he therefore arose pretty late this morning! What beautiful logic! (smile) He arose to another bright and deliciously cold day, with wind and snow promised sometime in the later hours of the day. So for those of you operating in these inhumane northern climes, please be careful coming home from work this afternoon, or if you have to go out at that hour.
But yuh know what friends, none of that really matters when we have the Holy Spirit of Jesus dwelling deep in our hearts, leading and guiding us on this our earthly journey! Glory to God! We can trust and depend on His holy guidance not to lead us astray, because Christ promised it, and many of us have also experienced it!
And talking about promises, here is this excerpt from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that expatiates (smile) on ‘God’s Promises.’ Please read with me: ‘With increasing joy I am discovering that God’s promises do not suddenly disappear when our courage fails and our fears become overwhelming. Feeling or no feeling, when God gives a promise that speaks directly to our need, it stands firm regardless of negative circumstances.
There may be times of questioning, and we may not understand God’s timing, but His promise remains certain through our deepest trial. If we consistently rely on His immutable (unchangeable) Word, we can disregard the darkness. Oswald Chambers (the great Christian writer) says, “Are you in the dark right now regarding your circumstances? Then listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you are in the light.” God waits for us to trust Him when trusting seems the most difficult thing of all.’
Yeh friends, that’s how our God operates! It’s in the rough and dark times that He expects our trust and faith to shine through! And thinking logically about it, it’s really in those times of trials and tribulations that faith and trust are really necessary. In the good times we don’t need them as much, because everything’s hunky dory!
It’s like hope; why need hope for something that you already see eh? (smile) And my people, a lot of our unfaithfulness and insecurity stems from our failure to listen to God! Yes, He does speak to us in so many ways; through His Holy Spirit, through circumstances and even through others! But in our misguided attempt to follow the world and rush through everything, we don’t take time to listen to our heavenly Father, and thus, sadly, we miss out on a lot of good stuff He has in store for us.
And we see that oh so much in the realm of prayer; where we cry out to God, expect Him to hear us, and He always does, but then we don’t wait for His answer, we rush on to the next thing. Oh friends, when we’re talking to another human being, don’t we wait for an answer from them? Sure, some of us do! (smile)
Well it’s the same thing with God; why cry out to Him for help and then don’t wait to hear what He has to say on the matter eh? That’s totally unwise. But we’re always in a hurry, want everything now for now! Unfortunately though God does not operate on our timetable, we ought to learn to operate on His, and wait for His timing.
Yes, it often involves a long wait, as I’ve been experiencing over the last two years with all my illnesses, waiting for Him to bring it all together and heal me. It’s been slow, in my opinion, but definitely not in His. And I can see and feel things moving along…yes slowly…but by the same token I’m believing that by the end of this year of 2019, I’ll be a lean, mean, fighting machine!
Wow! Glory to our wonderful God who gives us all that we ever need…and even more than we can ask for imagine! Give Him some awesome praise my people! Yeh friends, what’s the point of having faith and not showing it eh? None whatsoever! But that’s exactly what too many of us believers are unwisely doing. Things like faith and LOVE, and trust and hope are action words, otherwise they are wasted commodities!
And our Bit for today, which is the same scripture Promise for the writing above, tells us that in no uncertain terms. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36) And that’s oh so true my people!
However, as the writer of Hebrews continues, quoting the prophet Habakkuk and other writers: ‘For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (delay). Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition (destruction); but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.’ (Heb.10:37-38)
Oh give glory to God my brethren, that we are people of active faith and solidly believe that our souls have been, and will continue to be saved! Now let’s show that by boldly, loudly and sincerely declaring (got it right) our Tuesday Mantra, which tells the world in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are.
Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now, by that same faith we’ve just declared, let’s go out and share that friendship and LOVE of Jesus, as He so greatly desires of us! Much LOVE!
…fight the good fight of faith…for we walk by faith…not by sight… (1 Tim.6:12a, 2 Cor.5:7).
P.S. Yeh, it’s a tad late, but oh so rich and enlightening! (smile) Much LOVE!
21 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, almighty god, antidote, aura of love, begun a good work, calamity, call upon me, calm after the storm, captive to babylon, confidence, confident of this very thing, crawl out of your hole, dangerous streets, delights, disobedience, eat and drink, enthusiasm, epitome, eternal life, eternity, evil, faith, For I know the thoughts, friends, from under your rock, get with the programme, glorious kingdom, grace, have a roof over your head, heavenly Father, higher in Jesus, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Israelites, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not of evil, obedience, our Lord and Saviour, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, shall find me, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that I think toward you, the aftermath, thoughts of peace, to give you an expected end, truth, ungodly world, until the day of Jesus Christ, warm cocoon, will perform it, wisdom, with all your heart
Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).
And then there’s the calm after the storm… But sometimes the aftermath of the storm is more dangerous than the storm itself, especially when it’s a Monday morning and you’ve got to crawl out of your hole, or from under your protective rock and make your way to work in cold, icy minus plenty degrees weather. Steups!
After being in your warm cocoon all weekend, it’s no joke to get out and face the frozen, dangerous streets. But that’s our lot. If you want to eat and drink and have a roof over your head, you have to find the wherewithal to get with the programme. (smile) And there’s no better way to do that than with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Bless His Holy Name my people!
Oh friends, He’s done so much for us, is still doing, and has promised to continue doing, even until eternity! There’s never been – or will ever be a more wonderful person than Him! Please give Him lots of thanks, for He deserves every ounce of it…and even more!
And since not all of us possess the necessary parts to handle the day successfully, let’s turn to our Maker and heavenly Father in prayer, the most powerful force in His universe, and cry out to Him in all sincerity, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, the antidote for all that affects us this January Monday. In unison now, with whatever enthusiasm we can raise:
‘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!’
Oh my people, I don’t even remember how that prayer came about nuh, but it was obviously through the munificence, the most generous and bountiful grace of the Lord, because every time I pray it, it surely lifts my spirits. And I do hope it does the same to yours…
And I can see it does, because your eyes are now bright and shiny, instead of the old dull, hurting look they previously had; your shoulders are lifted up and strong, and your smile is as beautiful as ever, and above all, you’re prepared to do battle with the wicked and ungodly enemy in Jesus’ name!
Ah friends, like the ole fella’s on a roll this morning. I hope some of the enthusiasm and LOVE rubs off on you all and lifts you higher in Jesus, because that’s the whole purpose of this exercise! Enough of me though, let’s see if we can find some scripture to reassure and build our needy souls. Soon come…
I’m back, a minute later, with some wonderful news and promises! Hear the Lord our God, through the voice of Jeremiah, the prophet: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’
Oh friends, that’s a promised scripture that we all know and claim to LOVE, but we don’t really hold on to it as strongly as we should, even though we know that ALL God’s promises are faithful and will be fulfilled. Just like we hear Bruh Paul telling the church at Philippi: ‘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)
But we don’t take it as seriously as we should. But our God doesn’t begin things and not finish them. So if He’s poured out His grace in you and saved you, then why would He not keep you safe and strong until His Son returns eh? No reason whatsoever my believing brethren!
Now let’s continue the reassuring words of Jeremiah to the Israelites who would soon be taken captive to Babylon because of their continued disobedience. ‘Then ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:12-13)
Ah friends, obedience is ever so necessary if we want to truly serve the Lord, but even then, we still have to seek Him, with all our hearts, if we want to find Him. Our God doesn’t like halfway measures.
When we come to Him, we must come with all that we have! So let’s ponder on all that we’ve talked about today nuh, and please, please, HOLD ON to all those wonderful promises that our God has made us. We’ll be so much better of when we do, for that’s the epitome of wisdom. Much LOVE!
…faith in God’s promises…leads to both earthly and heavenly delights…
19 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful picture, a better tomorrow, a boomerang, a Christian point of view, a day of rest, a joker, a pandemic, a wise man, according to the appearance, agitated, Anselm, antics, as you want them to do to you, aspire to inspire, bitching, boil and bubble, complaining, condemn, condemn not, condemnation, consider carefully, contention, couch potato, critics, daft, distinguish, do so ent like so, do unto others, feathers ruffled, forgive, friend, God's so inventive, in a hurry to condemn, into vogue, Jesus' immortal words, judge, judge not, judgement, LOVE, make some noise, more abundantly, mouth, naysayers, overflow, play the part of a clown, prejudiced information, reap what you sow, repertoire, righteous judgement, rude, Saturday, snowflakes, stir up the pot, success, the cockles of Jesus' heart, the golden rule, the inner motives, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, ultimate judgement of God, unmannerly behaviour, up in arms, ye shall be forgiven, ye shall not be condemned, ye shall not be judged
Luke 6:37. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.
And then it was Saturday, a supposed day of rest, but unfortunately for many, an even busier day than normal; what with all the household chores that don’t get done during the week to catch up on. But nonetheless, many of us just lay on the couch, like the couch potatoes we want to be, and let the world go by. What a wonderful idea! Especially in the northern climes, on a dark and gloomy day like today when the snow is expected to fly sometime this afternoon.
Yuh know it’s nice sometimes to just sit or stand by your window and simply watch and admire the dazzling white flakes come floating down from high heaven, like mankind, each one different to the other, and then just pile up on each other to make such a beautiful picture! Oh, our God is so inventive eh! (smile)
Anyway, since it’s Saturday, let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he keeps aspiring to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one simply says: ‘A wise man can play the part of a clown, but a clown can’t play the part of a wise man.’ I don’t know about that nuh, because to be a successful clown, you also need to be wise.
Yes! How else will you make your audience appreciate your antics…and you also need to have a wide repertoire of them to ensure some success. But I guess generally speaking, especially with the poor quality of ‘clownship’ that we have nowadays, where everyone considers himself or herself a joker, the quote might hold true. (smile)
And then there’s: ‘If you have no critics you’ll likely have no success.’ That’s generally true because the naysayers simply stir up the pot to a different level, and without them it won’t boil and bubble and overflow its lip and cause contention and more notice than otherwise possible. (smile)
Now hear this one: ‘So early in my life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise.’ And there seems to be some truth to it; note the old adage, ‘the squeaky wheel gets the grease.’ I know that many of us have had our feathers ruffled when we behave nicely, then see some rude, mouthy person show up and get what we wanted, just because of their unmannerly behaviour.
And I sadly believe that’s the way our world is going these days. Everybody is loudly bitching and complaining about something! Our world is in an uproar like it’s never seen before. And this last quote ought to bring some perspective to our insights. (smile)
‘Don’t be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn’t do what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn’t know what you know today.’ Now on a basic level that’s quite true, we should not be quick to condemn others because they’re not at our level, and remember that one time we were just as daft as them. (smile)
But I really want to deal with that quote from a Christian point of view, especially in light of Jesus’ immortal words: ‘Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.’ It couldn’t be any clearer that that my believing brethren!
And the scholars explain thus: ‘6:37. Judge can mean “to distinguish,” or to “consider carefully.” Jesus does not forbid this (John 7:24). Here he warns rather against high-handed condemnation of others. It is God’s task ALONE to render a judgement that condemns.’
Oh how I wish that more of us, including believers, would adhere to those words, for there’s so much condemnation going on in our current society, especially with the social media scene, that it’s like a pandemic, all around the world. And if you didn’t listen to how Luke put it, then listen to Matthew’s version.
‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again.’ (Matt.7:1-2) Yeh friends, like a boomerang, whatever you send out, it will indeed come back to you, and oftimes with much more severity.
And none of us likes that. We LOVE to utter condemnations, with little or no knowledge on the subject, but when we’re judged in the same manner, we’re quick to get agitated and all up in arms. As the old people would say; ‘do so ent like so.’ Yeh, we don’t like others doing to us, what we’ve done to them.
Now here is some more useful info from the scholars. ‘7:1-4. Judge not refers to an unfavourable and condemnatory judgement. This does not mean that a Christian should never exercise judgement of any kind under any circumstances. The point being made here is that we are not to judge the inner motives of another.
We are not to render a verdict based upon prejudiced information. Nor are we to use ourselves as the standard of judgement for with what…ye mete (measure) you shall be judged. That ye be not judged refers to the ultimate judgement of God rather than our own judgement.’
Ah mih people, unfortunately a lot of the judging going on in our world today is of the prejudiced kind. We see and don’t really understand, but still we judge, we condemn out of hand. But let that happen to us nuh…the whole world will hear about it. Friends, to avoid all of that, let’s not judge, or worse yet condemn, without knowing what we’re talking about nuh. Let’s follow these words of Jesus: ‘Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgement.’ (John 7:24)
And furthermore, let’s judge like we’d like to be judged nuh. Remember the Golden Rule, Jesus’ pronouncement for godly and fair living? ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.’ (Matt.7:12)
What a way we’ve forgotten that simple but ever so wonderful way to live. Please my people, let’s bring it back into vogue nuh, it would certainly warm and please the cockles of Jesus’ heart and make our world such a wonderful place to live! Much LOVE!
…you reap what you sow…later…and more abundantly too…
16 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day in the life, a righteous man, arch-enemy, cease, Christ died for the ungodly, Christ died for us, cover a multitude of sins, down and dirty, dr robert h schuller, envieth not, fail, fantastic lesson, flaws, focusing on the future, foibles, fulfilling the law, God commendeth his love, God loves us, good news, graceful truth, halfway home, hands securely on the plough, happy report, hatred stirreth up strifes, holy sentence, hope, however I am, incomprehensible, is kind, isn't eaily provoked, isn't rude, knowledge, LOVE, LOVE is the greatest, LOVE Walk, my faith is dim, never fails, not looking back, on Calvary's hill, prophecies, restores the sinner, Satan, saves a soul from death, sinful, suffers long, thank you, the breath of life, the call of duty, the error of his ways, the old wooden cross, the Way of LOVE, tongues, vaunteth not itself, Wednesday Wail, while we were yet sinners, withouth strength, works no ill
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ah mih breddren, welcome to another day in the life! It might be hard, soft, or in between, but I want to remind us of the ONE constant that’s always there, regardless of the kind of day or the circumstances therein…
And it’s the magnificent and ever so true statement that God LOVES You! That’s an indisputable fact since He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on an old wooden cross on Calvary’s hill to pay for your sins. What would you call that eh? I call it LOVE; undying, above and beyond the call of duty LOVE!
Now let’s check out this li’l poem from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, where he reminds us of that most salient and important fact: ‘GOD LOVES ME!’
Please pray with me: ‘Thank you, Lord, for this holy sentence, this good news, this happy report, this exciting thought, this graceful truth, this fantastic lesson. God LOVES me! Even when I’m at my worst – God LOVES me. Even when my faith is dim – God LOVES me anyway! It’s incomprehensible and fantastic! Thank you, Father. Amen!’
Yeh friends, it’s really incomprehensible that a holy and just and powerful God could LOVE me in whatever state I am, even when I am down and dirty and truly sinful, He still LOVES me! Glory be! And even if it’s incomprehensible, it’s also fantastic, because it gives me hope, makes me feel that all’s not lost; it builds my faith when such a magnificent Being can appreciate me and want me to come Him however I am.
Wow! Who else makes me feel like that eh? Not a single soul but Jesus! That’s why I try my best to sincerely LOVE Him back and do His will, be grateful and thankful for ALL that He’s done for me! That’s the ONLY appropriate response there is!
And please, please, don’t ever forget these scripture verses, because they are the very foundation of our hope and faith and belief. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
Imagine that nuh friends? While we were still sorrowful and sinful the Father sent Jesus to die for us. Now why would He do such an unlikely thing eh? One simple reason my believing brethren; He created us, and despite of our flaws and foibles, He still cared for us and didn’t want to lose us to His arch-enemy Satan, because He knew the disastrous fate we’d suffer under his hands.
Oh friends, LOVE is indeed the motor that makes the world go round! It is the greatest emotion, feeling, and attribute that we can ever have or aspire to. Remember Jesus said that the two greatest commandments were to LOVE God and LOVE your neighbour as yourself. And Bruh Paul assures us that ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’ (Rom.13:10) That means when we walk in LOVE, we’re fulfilling the law of Christ!
And hear how important this walking in LOVE is nuh mih breddren: James says it thus: ‘Let him know, that he which converteth (saves, restores) the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide (cover) a multitude of sins.’ (James 5:20) And Peter declares (spelled it wrong): ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet.4:8)
Oh my people, LOVE is so wonderful, I’m amazed that we don’t use it more! It’s the only thing that covers sins, like Jesus’ LOVE covered ours! And Cousin Sol said it so marvellously so long ago: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov.10:12) And nothing has happened to change that since then, Jesus’ dying for us only made LOVE even stronger and more important!
And Bruh Paul, in his famous chapter to the Corinthians, re ‘The way of LOVE’ describes it thus: ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself (does not brag on itself), is not puffed up (arrogant). Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no account of evil):
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail (cease); whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away (cease).’ (1 Cor.13: 4-8)
That’s how great LOVE is my people: it NEVER FAILS! All else fails, but NEVER LOVE! That’s why I implore us today get our LOVE walk under control, work on it, like never before, because right now we need LOVE in this world also like we’ve never done before.
And while we’re pondering how to improve our LOVE walk, let’s go home declaring (Chuh! Spelled it wrong again…) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our wonderful position in Jesus and inviting them to join us.
As one loud and sincere voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And that future will indeed be glorious, you can count on it! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
15 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a door to door salesman, attitude, Behold, beloved of God, black body, bounden duty, Christ's inimitable manner, Christians, church at Laodicea, cleanliness, covered with dew, disgust, displeasure, Ephesians, evil inside, forgiveness, friend of Jesus, gladness, grace, greetings, hear my voice, home, hypocritically, I can do all things, I stand at the door, I will come in unto him, I will rejoice and be glad in it, if any man, immortal words, inviting smile, joy, kindness, King of Kings, knock, lavish decor, level of faith, LOVE, magnificent taste, Make yourself at home, mercy, no news is good news, offer my heart, One Year Book of Bible promises, open the door, open to me, original oil, plush carpeting, purchased with His blood, ring the bell, Ruth Harms Calkin, salutations, secluded corners, seed-bearing, seminal, share His love, silver service, the church of God, the door is wide open, the drops of the night, this is the day the Lord has made, through Christ who strengthens me, trust, Tuesday Mantra, unfurnished, velvet drapes, white homeowner, white washed tombs, will sup with him, wisest thing
Revelation 3:20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.
Aye friends, greetings and salutations this wintry Tuesday morn from my house to yours! Hope all is well with you and yours, and as far as I know, it is well with mine. (smile) Yuh know they say no news is good news. Anyway, let’s begin with two powerful acclamations to set the tone for our day. And the first is the most powerful: ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13) Yes my brethren, that certainly accentuates and reminds us of the innate power that lies within us as believers in Jesus Christ!
And the second is like unto the first (smile): ‘This is the day the Lord has made we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ Mama Mia! What a way to begin our day! Acknowledging that Christ’s mighty power is working in us, and that our attitude will be one of joy and gladness ought to raise our level of faith and make the devil cringe and run away and hide from these awesome believers in the King of All Kings!
And to go with all of that my people, here is this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that completes the stage setting for the day. It is titled: ‘Make Yourself at Home.’ Please pray with me: ‘With extreme joy, Lord I offer my heart as Your home. I have purposely left it unfurnished Without lavish décor: No plush carpeting No velvet drapes Not even an original oil Or an engraved silver service. Examine it first for cleanliness – Every room Every closet Then furnish it according to Your own magnificent taste. The door is wide open – Don’t even bother to ring the bell.’
Ah friends, if only each of our hearts was indeed open to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ like that eh! Our hearts would be so beautifully furnished in Christ’s inimitable (cannot be imitated) manner, with plush, expensive and adorable furniture like mercy, kindness, forgiveness, grace and above all unconditional LOVE! Wow! What beautiful Christians we’d be! The world would be shocked and in awe and run to embrace Him as we did!
Steups! But unfortunately too many of us supposed believers keep God out of our living rooms, in secluded corners of our hearts and only trundle Him out on Sunday mornings when we go to church and behave ever so hypocritically. That’s why the heathen doesn’t take us seriously. We’re like Jesus called the Pharisees, ‘white washed tombs;’ clean and pretty outside, but filthy and evil inside.
That brings us to our Bit, which is also the Bible Promise for our poem. Hear these seminal, seed-bearing, immortal words of our Lord and Saviour to the church at Laodicea, re their lukewarm, not good enough behaviour. ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’
Oh friends, those words also pertain to us today in this evil and ungodly world in which we currently live! Jesus is knocking, like a door-to-door salesman, on every heart that’s available. But it’s just like in real life, where many of us don’t believe in, and don’t like to be bothered by itinerant salespeople at our doors, and don’t answer them, or are rude when you open and see who it is.
I can tell you about that because in my early days in Canada I was a door-to-door salesman promoting encyclopedias – just for a few days though, couldn’t handle the cold and the rejection. (smile) And sometimes when the white homeowner opened the door and saw a black body there trying to sell them something, you could see the look of displeasure and disgust that quickly passed across their face before they say a cold and barely mannerly ‘not interested today.’
That’s how a lot of us are reacting to Jesus’ knock on the doors of our hearts my fellow believers. Please remember that we’re Jesus’ property, we’ve been bought and paid for with His holy, sinless blood. As Bruh Paul told the Ephesians elders: ‘Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed (shepherd) the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.’ (Acts 20:28)
That means we are no longer our own, but Christ’s, and our hearts, minds, bodies and souls ought to be totally open to His knocking at any time, and be amenable to whatever furnishings He chooses to place therein! This brings to mind those endearing words of Cousin Sol in his Song: ‘I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of mybeloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my LOVE, my dove, my undefiled (perfect one): for my head is filled (covered) with dew, and my locks (hair) with the drops of the night.’ (Song 5:2)
Yes friends, that’s our Lord and Saviour, our LOVE, who comes and knocks at the doors of our hearts. So please, when He knocks today – and He knocks EVERYDAY – don’t foolishly turn Him away, but gladly and joyfully open up your heart wide and let Him enter there in and sup with you. It will be the best and wisest thing you’ve ever done!
And having said all of that, let’s go home now declaring (got it right!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting this ungodly and evil world know who and whose we truly are! In unison, loudly and unashamedly and with a strong sense of purpose: ‘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!’
The next thing is for us to go out and sincerely share that extraordinary friendship and LOVE of Jesus with others who don’t know or truly appreciate Him. That’s our bounden duty as believers! Much LOVE!
…when there’s a knock on your door…open it with a bright, inviting smile…for it might just be Jesus…
14 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a husband unto them, a light by day, a new covenant, a smile on our face, adrenaline, all things in Christ, antidote, aura of love, be of good cheer, beloved children of God, by the hand, celebrate, come up over it, confidence, conquerors, dispensation, divideth the seas, enthusiasm, evil, exceptional offer, foolishness, forgive their iniquity, forgiving, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God is gracious, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, i have overcome the world, in their hearts, invincible, Jesus, joy, kind, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, merciful, mercy, minds, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my law, negative connotations, New Covenant, power of prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, remember their sin no more, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, sincerity, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the bride of Christ, the days come, the fullness of times, the house of Israel, the house of jacob, the Sun, the waves roar, their inward parts, trust, two or three are gathered together, ungodly world, wisdom
Jeremiah 31:31. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Jacob.
Awright folks it’s Monday once again…and it’s somewhat cloudy and a tad depressing…so what eh? No big deal, for we are all well equipped to deal with it. We just don’t put out that heavenly power that we possess. We allow the negative thoughts of the new workweek to oppress us and make us anxious.
Oh my people, instead of letting Monday come up over us, with the help of Jesus, we ought to come up over it! This is a new year and we’re supposed to be coming closer to Jesus, and one of the things that needs to happen is that we become better able to deal with Mondays and all its negative connotations. Right ho! We simply need to be better prepared.
Anyway, seeing that our God is gracious and merciful and forgiving and kind, He’s given us a way to embrace all that He is and has to conquer those fearful feelings of Monday. It’s appropriately called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! It’s the undisputed antidote for all that ails us on a Monday morning. So let’s declare it now with some enthusiasm and sincerity.
In unison: ‘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!’
Wowee! Wowee! Just feel the Holy Spirit rise within us now and get all the adrenaline flowing and our own spirits soaring to high heaven! We’re feeling like true conquerors through Him who LOVED us! Yes friends, that’s the power of prayer…especially where two or three are gathered together and agree on it! Mamacita!
Ah mih people, I hope all of this also puts a smile on our faces and some joy in our souls, because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was indeed a person who smiled a lot and was always joyful, even through His trials and tribulations. ‘Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
We obviously don’t have all the parts that He had, but we do have sufficient to keep us joyful throughout our earthly sojourn. And as always, it’s for OUR benefit, not God’s! So why feel bad when you can feel good eh? No reason whatsoever!
Now let’s see what the Good Book has to offer us this glorious morning, this awesome day in the life! Give our amazing God some thanks and praise for allowing us to see another bountiful day on this precious earth nuh!
And the Good Book reminds us today of these faithful words of our God, spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Jacob.
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord.’ Jer.31:31-32).
Oh my people, I can’t help but keep on declaring (spelled it wrong): ‘What a wonderful God we serve and worship!’ Even though His people broke their covenant with Him, He was still ready, willing and able to make another one with them; and an even better one.
‘But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts (minds), and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth (disturbs) the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name.’ (Jer.31:33-35)
Oh Mama Mia! What an awesome and faithful promise from the Creator of the universe my brethren! Only a real FOOL would not accept such an exceptional offer!
And if you didn’t realize what all of that was about, listen to this explanation from the scholars. ‘31:31 New Covenant: In this prophecy Jeremiah foresees the new covenant (“testament”) that God will make with mankind by extending His grace to the Gentiles. Under this new covenant, God will call out a people for Himself from all the nations of the earth to form the bride of Christ (Rev.21:1-9).
This new an unconditional covenant is better than the old covenant because it rests on the efficacy of Christ’s atonement for the sins of mankind (Heb.8:10-12). First Ref. Jer.31:31; Primary Ref. Luke 22:17-20; cf. Eph.1:10.)’
Yes friends, it was all about the coming of Christ, our inclusion into the house of God as His beloved children and the forgiveness of our sins! About the Holy Spirit that now dwells in each and every one of us, to lead and guide us in a godly manner on this ungodly earth!
The same Holy Spirit that just lifted our spirits and made us feel joyful! And yuh want to tell me that our God isn’t faithful and true to ALL of His promises? That’s foolishness, utter rubbish yes man!
So let’s get out there this Monday and just do Jesus’ work yes and ignore all the chupidness that the world wants to tell us! Cause we are beloved children of God! That’s who we are! Glory Hallelujah! That’s certainly something to celebrate, so let’s do it nuh! Much LOVE!
…that in the dispensation of the fullness of times…he might gather together in ONE…ALL things in Christ…which are in heaven…and which are on earth…even in him… (Eph.1:10)
12 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a wonderful God, all these things, Anselm, aspires to inspire, balderdash, be added unto you, best of our ability, bigger than you, bring about change, Chrales Stanley, Christmas tree, come up higher, control, creates the wind, cry over their conditon, decorations, get angry, gospel truth, hating the oppressed, have a purpose, he that forms the mountains, help, homework, in angry mode, insatiable ego, Jesus can, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, Love God, love your neightbour, loving the oppressors, make the guilty innocent, make the innocent guilty, makes the morning darkness, making decisions, most powerful entity on earth, not good or sensible, number one priority, obey God, obeying God, obtain the best life, omnipotent hands of God, President Trump, problems become tiny, quotes, raise up the wind, righteousness, Saturday, seek to do His will, seek ye first, the believer, the God of hosts, the kingdom of God, the Lord, the media, the minds of the masses, the power of the media, ultimate purpose, we love and serve
Matthew 6:33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
It’s Saturday my brethren! Glory be! And most of us are glad to see it although there is work around the house to be done. Have you taken down your Christmas tree as yet, as well as the decorations and the lights, and carefully put them away for next year? The Christmas tree at my house came down long ago when it fell down before Christmas.
I have to chuckle when I remember how the family came home the night I was in the hospital and found the tree lying on the floor, water everywhere, and try as they might they couldn’t get it go back up properly.
They never even told me until the next day. I’m sure it was a heartbreaking sight for the duchess because she had spent so much intimate and LOVING time decorating it…and it did look wonderful. But them’s the breaks. You just have to shrug, grin and move on. And Christmas did pass fairly well without a big Christmas tree in the family room. Just hope she’ll take down the decorations soon. Can’t say anything though, or be very diplomatic about it, else she’ll get on my case. (smile)
Now let’s look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.’
Now the last part of that quote certainly bears a lot of truth, but the first sentence is blatantly untrue! The most powerful entity on earth is its Creator, the Lord God Almighty! As the prophet Amos so emphatically states: ‘For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind (or spirit), and declareth unto man what is his (God’s) thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts is his name.’ (Amos 4:13)
Yes friends, the newspapers can’t raise up the wind and the sea, or cause a natural disaster, or raise up a dead man…but Jesus can. He can also stop and prevent them, as the Good Book proves. So therein lies the greatest power on earth! The newspapers however do have a lot of power when it comes to controlling the things we focus on.
And as the next quote says: ‘If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and LOVING the people who are doing the oppressing.’
And we have a very good example of that right now in the U.S, where President Trump is fuelling his apparently insatiable ego by keeping the government closed, and thus holding almost a million people hostage, both away from work, and working and not getting paid, because he’s so fixated on building a useless wall along the southern borders.
And if you read some of the newspapers and listen to Trump himself, they’ll have you believe that it’s all in the name of a worthwhile cause, and that even some of those unfortunate people are standing with him. Utter balderdash! But that just shows the power of the media.
Now here’s the next quote: ‘Usually when people are sad, they don’t do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.’ Now that has some truth to it, but the problem is what kind of change do we bring about when we’re angry? Usually not a good or sensible one. So it behooves us to be very careful when we’re making decisions in angry mode.
And the last quote is simply: ‘If you have a purpose which is bigger than you, all your problems will become tiny.’ I don’t know if that is true all the time, but generally speaking when you focus on your purpose and not your problems, the latter usually become less significant.
The problem with that quote though, from a Christian standpoint, is what purpose are we referring to? Now according to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the greatest commandments of our faith are to LOVE God and to LOVE our neighbours as ourselves. (Mark 12:30-31) But how do we do that eh?
According to Jesus: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ Yes friends, that’s the ultimate purpose of the believer in this world. Seeking God, and doing what is right in His sight should be our number ONE priority!
And Jesus promises that when we follow that directive, when seeking and obeying God is our main purpose in life, everything else in our life will fall into place. Then, as our quote says: ‘all your problems will become tiny.’ And that’s because you have set them in the Lord’s powerful, omnipotent hands as you seek to do His will.
Mama Mia! What a wonderful God we LOVE and serve my brethren! Therefore let us take a li’l time today nuh, or sometime over the weekend, to seriously ponder if we are fulfilling our earthly purpose to the best of our ability. Let’s sit down and discuss it with out heavenly Father, and ask for His ALWAYS available help to come up higher. That’s our homework for this weekend! (smile) Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) so wisely advises…to obtain the best life…simply obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…gospel truth that…
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