14 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, as the scripture says, ascension, awesome truth, blessing, body and bllod, bright and morning star, come, come unto me and drink, communion, confidence, confusion, crucifixion, day of the feast, deathless springs, draw water, drink of joy, eternal life, exalt His holy name, faithful believers, faithful promises, fellowship, filled to overflowing, free offer of grace, give Him thanks, glorified, God is my salvation, he that believes in me, hear his word, heart, holy wisdom, hope is guiding, I will trust, if any man thirst, impassioned, Jesu, Jesus stood and cried, Johann Sebastian Bach, joy, joy of man's desiring, joys unknown, listless, LOVE, not be afraid, our thirsty souls, out of his belly, poet laureate, quench, raise our voices to high heaven, reawakening, receptive to the Word, renew their connection, resurrection, rivers of living water, Robert Bridges, sacrificial actions, salvation, satiate, satisfy, seek relief from thirst, sent mine angel to testify, sing His praies, soften up our hearts, spiritually thirsty, striving, the bride, the bright and morning star, the church, the fire of life, the Holy Spirit, the last day, the Lord's sanctuary, the offspring, the root, the wells of salvation, tired souls, to Christ in faith, truth unknown, uncreated light, Word of God
John 7:37-38. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water.
‘Sunday morning coming down…’ And the Lord’s sanctuary is filled to overflowing! Bless His holy name! The faithful believers have come to renew their connection to Almighty God; to sing His praises and give Him thanks, hear His Word and receive His body and blood in the symbolic gesture of communion, thereby reawakening and reenergizing their listless and tired souls.
Wow friends! What a blessing it is to have fellowship every Sunday with other believers under the remarkable auspices of our Creator! So as we do every Sunday, let’s begin the proceedings with some praise and worship to soften up our hearts and make them more receptive to the word.
And today’s song of praise is that old but magical hymn, ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,’ taken from the 10th and last movement of the cantata ‘Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life,’ composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in the early 18th century. This version we’re going to sing today, is apparently the most common English one, written by poet laureate Robert Bridges.
So without further ado, let’s raise our heads, hearts, eyes and voices to high heaven in sweet, adorable and exalted praise, accompanied by the scintillating symphonic music of the master composer, as performed by the full orchestra. As one harmonious choir now: ‘Jesus, joy of man’s desiring, Holy wisdom, LOVE most bright; Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned, With the fire of life impassioned, Striving still to truth unknown, soaring, dying round Thy throne. Through the way where hope is guiding, Hark, what peaceful music rings; Where the flock, in Thee confiding, Drink of joy from deathless springs. Theirs is beauty’s fairest pleasure; Theirs is wisdom’s holiest treasure. Thou dost ever lead Thine own In the LOVE of joys unknown.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth my brethren! Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ALWAYS leads us, His faithful people, with LOVE, to unknown, unbelievable gasps of joy! Praise His Holy Name! Oh friends, Jesus is indeed the joy of our desire!
And why not eh? He has Holy wisdom, the brightest LOVE that exists and shines in the universe, not to mention the everlasting hope of salvation and eternal life He’s provided for us through His ever-faithful promises and sacrificial actions of two thousand years ago.
Now let’s hear his Word, which fashioned our flesh, then breathed the fire of impassioned life into it, as we strive to uncover unknown truths from it. And today’s scripture deals with ‘Drink of joy from deathless springs.’ Listen as our Lord and Saviour expounds on His abilities with thrilling confidence.
‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water.’ (John 7:37-38)
And can you imagine the confusion those statements caused amongst the mainly ignorant crowd. ‘But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.’ (John 7:39)
Yes friends, Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit that was to come upon every believer after His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension back to heaven. And if we’re truly spiritually thirsty, the best place to seek relief from that thirst is in Jesus. He is the ONLY one who can quench, can satisfy, can satiate our thirsty souls!
And in the end of the Good Book, He again declares unto John: ‘I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star’ (Rev.22:16)
And what does this revealing angel make known to John? ‘And the Spirit (Holy Spirit) and the bride (the church) say, Come (to Christ in faith for eternal life). And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst (thirsty) come. And whosoever will (desires), let him take the water of life freely.’ (Rev.22:17)
Oh friends, you can’t beat that offer! It’s the best offer going in this mish-mash world! And we’ll end with these beautiful words of scripture as prophesied by Isaiah about the Lord’s doings through Jesus.
‘Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings (deeds) among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ (Is.12:2-6)
And our Lord and Saviour is indeed great in our midst my brethren! So let’s be wise and do like the prophet advised nuh; let’s call on His name, declare His deeds, exalt His holy name and above all, accept His free offer of grace, whereby we can receive salvation and eternal life! That is wisdom of everlasting proportions! Much LOVE!
…in Jesus…we have EVERYTHING…we can ever need…
09 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all of heaven, and is, and is to come, angels, at his behest, before the throne, beloved of God, blessing, by your will they exist, cast their crowns, celebrations, Controller of the universe, Creator, dependent, extol God's character, fall down, for thy pleasure, friend of Jesus, friends, full of eyes, give thanks, God's creative powers, guard the throne, him that lives for ever and ever, him that sat on the throne, holy holy holy, honour, hurry, in christ Jesus, in everything give thanks, In the eyes of God, indebted, intelligence, Isaiah's vision, John the Revelator, living creatures, lord god almighty, LOVE, loves us to death, movement, power, pray without ceasing, rejoice evermore, represents strength, rest not, serve, share His love, should never cease, six wings, sovereign authority, swiftness, symbolize wisdom, thanksgiving, the eagle, the eyes, the face of a man, the four and twenty elders, the four beasts, the lion, the right to rule, the seraphim, the will of God, the wings, they were created, thou art worthy, thou hast created all things, to judge the earth, to receive glory, to receive power and riches, Triune Deity, Tuesday Mantra, which was, whims and fancies, worry, worship, worship the Father, worthy is the Lamb
Revelation 4:11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist).
Well it’s Tuesday mih breddren, and the Thanksgiving celebrations are over for another year… No, let me take that back: the large, overt celebrations are over for another year, because thanksgiving is something that should never cease in a believer’s life. Yuh notice how even in heaven the beasts and the elders fall down on their knees and worship and give thanks to God.
Hear this moving scripture. ‘And the four beasts (living creatures) had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not (cease) day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts (living creatures) give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist).’ (Rev.4:8-11)
Yes friends, giving thanks and honour and glory to Almighty God is something that should never end! Even when we get to heaven we’ll do it, because our heavenly Father is indeed worthy of such exaltation. And the scholars offer these explanations: ‘4:6-8. The four beasts or living creatures (lit. “living ones”) are probably angels (cf. Ezek.10:15-22) who guard the throne of God.
The eyes symbolize wisdom, and the wings depict movement. They worship God as did the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision (cf. Is.6:1-3). The lion represents strength (cf. Ps.103:20), the calf service (cf. Heb.1:14), the face of a man intelligence (cf. Luke 2:52) and the eagle swiftness (cf. Dan 9:21). The angelic vision has a strong allusion to Ezekiel 1:4-14.’
You have a lot of scripture to check out there friends. (smile) I just checked them out and they are indeed very interesting and make sense as the scholars explain. And per our Bit and the two verses before, the scholars tell us: ‘4:9-11. All of heaven worship the Father. The angels extol His character, and the elders (church) extol His creative powers. God has the right to rule and the sovereign authority to judge the earth, because He is both holy and the Creator of all.’
That last sentence should speak very powerfully to us my brethren, making us realize just how indebted and dependent we are on our heavenly Father; the Creator and Controller of the universe! We exist at His behest and pleasure, and He can shut us down with a mere thought.
Thankfully though, He is not a God of mere whims and fancies, but a strong and solid Deity who LOVES us to the death, although we don’t deserve it. All that we are and desire to be, depends solely on Him. That’s why I can’t understand why it’s so difficult for so many of us to truly serve and worship and give thanks to Him.
Why do you think Bruh Paul wrote these three verses to the Thessalonians eh? ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16:18) Because that’s exactly what the Lord desires of every believer in His Son Jesus Christ; praying, rejoicing and the giving of thanks!
Now hear John the Revelator again as he talks about the Lion and the Lamb: ‘And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts (living creatures) and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts (living creatures) said, amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.’ (Rev.5:11-14)
Ah friends, what more can I say eh? If we truly believe in Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit as our Triune Deity, then it behooves us to serve and worship and give them thanks, now and forever! And we’ll go home declaring (spelled it right) our Tuesday Mantra, which tells the world who and whose we are.
But I’ll like to add a li’l something at the beginning because many of us, though we mouth it every week, still believe that we’re what we do and what we have. I recently heard Cousin Bobby (Bobby Schuller – Hour of Power) from whom I originally got the Mantra, make that point. And he believes we should preface it with ‘In God’s eyes:’ just to be precise.
So here we go, in loud voice and sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Yes my brethren, forget how the world thinks about or judges you, the only important opinion is that of Almighty God, and He LOVES us just as we are. So let’s go out and share that LOVE now, as He so greatly desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…for true believers…godly thanks and praise…exaltation, honour and glory…should constantly be in our hearts…and our tongues…
08 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a formidable task, a land that flows with milk and honey, all Christians hands on deck, aura of love, blessings, brought us into this place, Canadian, Christ's love Revolution, confidence, drunk or sober, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fellowship, fomenting, forgiveness, friends, generous help, given us this land, glorious kingdom, glory to God, Granny's warning, hope, Jesus Christ, joy, keep God first place, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, mind yuh business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, offering succour to the stranger, peace, pushed God out, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, righteousness., salvation, sending portions to the poor, society runs 24/7, spiritual armour, staying on the straight and narrow path, sunk as deep in the mire, thanksgiving, the fruits of our labour, the fruits of our prosperity, the Holy Spirit, The Israelites, the Worker Bee, this is the day the Lord has made, trust, truth, ungodly world, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wide and destructive path, wisdom
Deuteronomy 26:9. And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
Yes my people, it’s Thanksgiving Day in Canada! Glory to God! As the psalmist says: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) In fact, all weekend we’ve been celebrating and doubly rejoicing. Why? Because we have been obeying the Lord’s ordinance, as delivered to the Israelites by Moses, bringing the fruits of our prosperity to offer it before the Lord, sending portions to the poor and offering succour to the stranger!
And why wouldn’t we eh my brethren when ‘He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.’ And does this great land of Canada ever flow with milk and honey? It surely does, because we are living so much better than most of the world. Oh, like everyone else, we have our problems, but thankfully we have not sunk as deep in the mire as some of the other countries around.
We have not pushed God out of our society as much as they have. But if we continue on the wide and destructive path we’re currently on, we will eventually get like them. And the only thing that will stop us is by concentrating on staying on the straight and narrow path of Jesus; fomenting His LOVE Revolution, and thus keeping God first place in our society. And to do that successfully, we need all Christian hands on deck because it’s a formidable task, and no one else can do it, or is even interested in doing so.
Hn! Looks like I’ve preached the Sermon before the preamble. (smile) Anyway, the Holy Spirit knows where it’s leading me. And let’s not forget that today is Monday; the day so many of us LOVE to hate. And Glory be! It’s a holiday in this great land, therefore many of us won’t be going out to labour today…
And I hear a great groan from those who have to go to work because our modern society runs 24/7. But as always, we do have the cure for your Monday Blues. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! And it does work. So let’s get to it nuh…with whatever enthusiasm you can muster.
‘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!’
And all God’s people continued with a loud, hearty and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’ as they feel their spirits miraculously lifted and their minds and bodies become more alert. Oh friends, that’s the power of the Holy Spirit; the worker bee of the Holy Trinity! And if we’re wise, we’ll pay more attention to Him as He tries to guide us in godly fashion, moment by moment.
And as always, the loudest and most raucous voices belong to those not going to work and have been deeply involved in the celebrations. And before I forget, for all you celebrators, Granny’s warning is a must this weekend. Don’t care if yuh tired hearing it, but it will protect your soul! Sonny Boy; drunk or sober, please mind your business!
Now getting back to the Thanksgiving story, here is some interesting scripture the Israelites were told by Moses to say and do after they had presented their offering of first fruits. ‘And now, behold I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.’ (Deut.26:10-11)
Yes friends, it’s our God-given right to enjoy the fruits of our labour with the poor and the stranger in our midst, but only after we have given the Lord His share first. Remember, EVERYTHING belongs to the Lord, and it’s only through His grace and LOVING-kindness that we are able to get wealth and become prosperous. So for those of us not going to work today, let’s rejoice and celebrate in the gifts God has blessed us with, but also remember to share our blessings with the less fortunate. Much LOVE!
…give thanks to the Lord…for His goodness endures forever…
03 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a roof over our heads, accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, acclamations, aches and pains, agree with God, arrogant, attitudes, bears all things, believes all things, born of God, building blocks, common sense, communication, conquer the world, constant level, cover the multitude of sins, covers all sins, direct your paths, Dr. Charles Stanley, eternal life, faith, faith walk, food on our tables, forsake sin, get sufficient rest, goes against the grain, good and bad, halfway home, hatred, hit our full stride, hope, hopes all things, in full swing, Jesus' programme, kind, knows God, lean not on your own understanding, leave all the consequences to Him, listen to God, LOVE, Love God, Love suffers long, middle of the workweek, never fails, obedience, obey God, of God, prayer, precarious predicament, puffed up, rejoices in truth, rejoices not in iniquity, rude, salvation, seeks not her own, stirs up strife, Thank the Lord, the Boss, the breath of life, the greatest of these, the only way to the Father, the straight and narrow path, trust God, unseemly, waiver, walk in the same direction, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wishful thinking, with all thine heart, with the Lord's help, without Jesus
Proverbs 10:12. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth ALL sins.
And then it was Wednesday, the middle of the workweek…and we in full swing now. We’ve hit our full stride and feel like we can conquer the world, even without the help of Jesus…wishful thinking though. (smile)
But that just shows the difference in our attitudes between Monday, the start of the work week and today, when we’ve gotten accustomed once again to getting up and getting out to labour for a penny to keep food on our tables and a roof over our heads.
Yeh friends, it’s all in our attitude, our state of mind, and we can’t afford to let it waiver between good and bad, because then our lives also waiver between good and bad. It’s in our best interest to keep our attitude at a constant positive level, in tune with Jesus’ programme for His followers.
And before I forget, let me thank the Lord for a much better beginning to today, than I had yesterday, the aches and pains are nowhere near as bad. Brother, yesterday was truly a rough day! But with the Lord’s help I weathered it…Praise His holy name!
And I believe the aches and pains are directly related to how much time I spend in bed. I’ll be fine with three or four hours at a time…But Chuh! Once we hit the five or six hour mark, like the body begins to stiffen up. And I won’t even mention seven or eight hours… (smile) So it seems like my best bet is to sleep in four hour spurts.
But that’s not always practical, and it goes against the very grain of one of my most important acclamations; that I will get sufficient rest each and every day. But if I want to avoid the worse of the aches and pains, with the Lord’s help, I will find a way to do it. Amen!
Now let me share some stuff from Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) that I just glimpsed on one of the many bits of paper on my desk. I believe it deals with walking and having a full life with God. (1) Accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Now that should be obvious because we can’t walk with God unless we go through Jesus, since He is the only way to the Father.
(2) Listen to God. That’s through prayer; the method of communication He made for us to get to know each other. And we can’t listen alone, we also need to talk to Him.
(3) Trust God. And here Uncle Charles points us to his favourite scriptures; the immortal words of Cousin Sol: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov.3:5-6) Yes friends, those verses should be the foundational building blocks of our faith walk!
(4) Agree with God. That’s wisdom in spades, for He is the Boss! And you know what happens when you don’t agree with the Boss; you’re liable to get fired. (smile) (5) Obey God. And that brings us to Uncle Charles’ favourite statement: ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him!’ Sure words of wisdom my people, because obedience is one of the few things that the Lord totally demands of us.
(6) Walk in the same direction. Now that’s simple common sense. You can’t be a true and sincere member of an organization and not walk the path the leader proscribes. And with Jesus, it’s the straight and narrow one; the hard to find and difficult to navigate path, but the oh so rewarding one, leading to salvation and eternal life.
(7) Stay in step with God. Now that’s also basic common sense. If God is leading the way – as He most definitely is – then you can’t go ahead of Him, else you’ll get lost in the dark and tumble over an unseen cliff, since you don’t know where you are going. And for our purposes here, I’ll change Uncle Charles’ line up. I’ll put as number (8) Forsake sin. And that’s oh so important my brethren, because it’s sin that has us in the precarious predicament we’re currently in.
But this last point is the most important because it covers everything. (9) LOVE God! Wow mih people! When we do that sincerely, we don’t have to worry about anything else. And here is some scripture that proves it. First off is our Bit, the treasured words of Cousin Sol: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth ALL sins.’ And isn’t that the glorious truth my people? It surely is! And Peter corroborates it. ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover the multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet.4:8)
But here now is the piece de resistance on the subject from Bruh Paul from the famous Way of LOVE Chapter. ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not…vaunteth not (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 records); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (LOVE) NEVER FAILETH…’ (1 Cor.13:4-8a)
And that my fellow believers is the gospel truth! For if we have sincere LOVE, then we’ll be like John says: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7) Now with all that LOVE just percolating madly through our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, let’s go home sincerely declaring (wow! spelled it right) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our position in Christ.
As one 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 it’s indeed going to be more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Our finite minds can’t comprehend it! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth…faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
02 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a clean heart, a fair try, a right spirit, abnormal situation, acceptable excuse, alacrity, be not ashamed, beloved of God, blameless, choice to obey, command me to do, create n me, cry out for mercy, diligence, distresses, doddering old man, ease the pain, expect me to do, faith, faithfully promised, fickle, fool myself, for Christ's sake, friend of Jesus, generosity, give grace, give light, glory in my infirmities, gospel truth, great reward, grin and bear the apin, have faith, hawing, hemming, holy spirit, humanly possible, hurry, indisputably true, infirmities, intimating, keep, keep thy heart, let my heart be sound, light, LOVE, magnanimity, make all things right, maturity, mind, mind-boggling situation, motives, my grace is sufficient, my strength, natural weakness, necessities, obey me, One Year Book of Bible promises, outward actions, perfect, perfection, power made perfect in weakness, power to obey, principles, racked with pain, ramifications, reproaches, rest upon me, Ruth Harms Calkin, salt, seat of the intellect, seductive rain, seek, share with the world, smiling, statutes, take pleasure, the issues of life, the keeping of my word, the power of christ, the soul of man, the thorn in his side, then I am strong, true colours, Tuesday Mantra, unalterable truths, unreachable standards, walking hand in hand, when I am weak, wisdom, worry
Psalm 119:80. Let my heart be sound (blameless) in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.
Oh mih people, would somebody please explain it to me, because I obviously have not been granted the heavenly wisdom to understand the ramifications of this mind-boggling situation! And I’m talking about how a body can go to bed feeling perfectly fine – well not perfect perfect, but fairly decent – then some five or six hours later wake up racked with pain in body and soul, reduced to moving around like a doddering old man?
Oh, I know some of you will say than I am old, so that’s no surprise… But please, I beg to differ. I’ll grant that I’m somewhat aged, (smile) but nowhere enough yet to be doddering! And to make matters worse, while lying there contemplating the pain and getting up, I was seduced to stay in bed for another forty five minutes by a couple showers of seductive rain. Yes, it looks like it’s going to be a ‘riney’ day. But how fickle is the soul of man eh! (smile)
And though I’ve asked the Lord a couple of times about this abnormal situation, I’ve gotten no answer, which leads me to thinking that He’s intimating to me, the same thing that He said to Bruh Paul, when he asked for relief from the thorn in his side. ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor.12:9a)
And though I know that, and gratefully acknowledge it, it still doesn’t ease the pain. (smile) I guess the Lord’s waiting for me to say like Bruh Paul did after receiving that Bit of info. ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor.12:9b-10)
Oh my brethren, I’m trying, but I’m nowhere close to Bruh Paul’s maturity nuh, and the Lord knows it. So I’m not going to fool myself by saying all those things that he says above. I’m just going to move around as best as I can, grin and bear the pain, and/or cry out for mercy, (smile) and have faith for the Lord to make ALL things right as He’s faithfully promised.
Now let’s hope that I have enough space to write what I really intended to write, before the Holy Spirit led me to write what I’ve actually written. (smile) And it’s a most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled, ‘Three Unalterable Truths.’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, through the years Of walking hand-in-hand with You I have learned three unalterable truths: First, what you command me to do You consistently expect me to do. Never do you say, “Give the command a fair try.” Nor do You say, “Consider and then decide.” My natural weakness is never An acceptable excuse. Nor is my inability To reach unreachable standards. Rather, You tell me to seek And then to keep your commands.
Second, all of Your commands Are always for my ultimate good. “Obey me,” Your Word says “So that I can do for you All the wonderful things I promised…” “In the keeping of My Word There is great reward.” Third, whatever You command me to do You fully enable me to do. As You give light to reveal a command So you give grace to fulfill it. Your divine energy is always at my disposal. The choice to obey is always mine. The power to obey is always Yours.’
And the sad, humorous and glorious fact friends, is ALL of that is indisputably true! When the Lord gives us a command, He expects us to obey without a lot of hemming and hawing, as we so often tend to do. And that’s simply because He never asks us to do something without giving us His powerful grace to enable us to do it.
And the best part of it all my brethren is when we obey with alacrity and faith, there are innumerable rewards to be reaped from His magnanimity and outrageous generosity! Give Him His much deserved glory my people! And the Bible Promise associated with that poem is also our Bit for today: ‘Let my heart be sound (blameless) in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.’
Yes my brethren, being blameless in keeping the Lord’s principles is something we should all aspire to. And don’t worry, He knows that we’re not perfect, because He didn’t make us perfect, but He does expect us to try and get as close to perfection as is humanly possible. It’s all in the state of our hearts friends. As Cousin Sol warns: ‘Keep (look after) thy heart (and mind) with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ (Prov.4:23)
And the scholars explain: ‘4:23. Heart could often be translated “mind” in the book. Since the Hebrews had no separate word for “mind,” the word “heart” often served to represent the seat of the intellect. The key to the whole man is his mind. Whatever captures the mind captures the man.’ Gospel truth that my fellow believers!
And remember the Lord doesn’t go by our outward actions, He searches our hearts and minds to discover our true motives. That’s why we have to cry out like Bruh David did in his prayer for cleansing: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.’ (Ps.51:10)
And having taken all of that to heart (smile), let’s go home declaring (Steups! Spelt it wrong again) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In loud voice and strong sense of purpose: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the obvious corollary to that is for us to now go out and share Jesus’ amazing LOVE with the rest of the world, as He so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…Jesus is still waiting for us to show our true colours…to be the salt…and the light of the world…as He asked us to be…
P.S. It’s certainly been a smiley day! But why not eh? That’s why the Lord gave us the wonderful ability of smiling…to smile! Much LOVE!
01 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lifetime of Mondays, above every other name, acclamation, antidote, ask the father, at the name of Jesus, aura of love, confidence, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, do battle, enthusiasm, eternal damnation, eternal life, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, evil, evil minions, faith, fellowshipping, for my name's sake, forgiveness, friends, fun, given him a name, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God hath highly exalted him, gospel truth, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, humility, in Jesus name, in my name, inherit eternal life, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, joy, learn to live with it, look to Jesus, LOVE, Lucifer, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, none other name under heaven', obedience, on the right path, prepare on sundays, raise our levels of peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, saving grace, selfless sacrifice, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that can ever befall a human soul, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Life, the Truth, the Way, this is the day the Lord has made, trust, ungodly world, we will be glad and rejoice in it, whatever ails you, where two or three are gathered together, wisdom, worst fate, your joy may be full
Philippians 2:9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every other name.
Aye mih breddren, is Monday, that great day of the week that causes us so many problems. But since we can’t get rid of it or get around it, we need to learn to live with it. And we better had learn to do that early in life because we’re going to be bombarded by a whole lifetime of Mondays. (smile)
And one of the best ways to do that is to prepare for it by fellowshipping with other believers on Sundays to raise our level of peace and joy, for remember the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh.8:10) And then on Monday, begin the day by acclaiming this wonderful acclamation: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) That ought to set you on the right path.
But just in case it doesn’t, then you can join with us in singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which I’m sure will get you going, because it’s the antidote for whatever ails you on Monday mornings. (smile) So without further ado, let’s get with the programme and sing; sing in unison with whatever enthusiasm you can muster.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes, fellow children of God, yuh see how that has brought a whole different outlook to the Monday morning! I told you it would. Now you’re feeling ready and able to go out and do battle with entire world with Jesus as your Field General! All glory to His holy name! For that’s how His Holy Spirit works wonders in our lives!
Remember too that there is awesome power in the awesome name of Jesus as Bruh Paul informs us in our Bit. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
Ah mih people, you couldn’t get any better than that! What an honour the Father bestowed on Him for His obedience and humility and selfless sacrifice for going to the cross on our behalf! Yes friends, the name that is above all others is ‘JESUS!’ Please remember that, for your eternal life depends on it! Because if you don’t call out to Him for help, for mercy, forgiveness and saving grace before you depart this earthly life, then sorry…crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
You’ll be sadly headed for eternal damnation with Lucifer and his evil minions. And as I keep saying, that’s the worst fate than can ever befall a human soul! So please look to Jesus. I plead with you to get truly acquainted with Him so that you can call on Him in times of trouble and need, because His name is definitely the most powerful in God’s magnificent universe!
And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul or me, then listen to what Jesus says about His name. ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) Who else can make such a statement and live up to it eh? NOBODY!
Now hear this: ‘And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life.’ (Matt.19:29)Again, who can make such dazzling and daring promises and keep them eh? ONLY JESUS!
For as Peter said before the High Priest: ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ (Acts 4:12) And that’s the gospel truth!
And if you still don’t believe (smile), then check out this statement of Jesus. ‘And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’ (John 16:23-24)
There you have it friends, right from Jesus’ mouth, and He does not lie. So it’s all up to you now, to seek earthly joy and eternal life by calling on the most powerful name in the universe. But as for me and mine, we will be calling on Him in true faith. Please let wisdom be your guide, and do the same. Much LOVE!
…I am the WAY…the TRUTH…and the LIFE…no man comes to the Father but by ME… (John 14:6)
25 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adventure in sickness, afraid of God, be assured, cheers, clutches and clobbers, command it, David's cry, deliverance, delivered me from all my fears, depart from evil, desires life, do good, emotionally spent, escapes death, ever-faithful promise, everlasting goodness, every trial, fear, fear not, friend of Jesus, goodness, he heard me, hurry, I sought the Lord, in prayer, kneel before you, less kind, LOVE, loveth many days, medical appointments, medical journey, my benefit, never turn away, One Year Book of Bible promises, possible emergency, prophetic declaration, puzzling circumstance, real or imagined, redeemed, reverence, Ruth Harms Calkin, seasoned instruction, seek peace, share His love, shot of caffeine, sincere hearts, take it to God, testimony, testing, the beloved of God, the fear of the Lord, Toronto, Tuesday Mantra, wasted hours, wise advice, worry, ye of little faith
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Oh mercy, mercy me! Another medical journey into that confused, misguided and badly governed city of Toronto! Hence the early publication of the Bit. But it’s all to my benefit, so cheers! Let’s have a shot of caffeine to celebrate the occasion. (smile)
Oh, this great adventure in sickness is drawing to a close…at least I think so, so hopefully it won’t be much longer before I stop having all these medical appointments. At least they will be much fewer and further between. That’s my prophetic declaration! (smile)
But here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, that we all could use this fall morning. It’s titled ‘Fear Not.’ Please pray with me. ‘Again and again, dear Lord I read Your words, “Fear not.” Surely You would not say it so often If there were any reason to fear. Nor would You command it so explicitly If You could not keep me from fearing.
God, You have given me a Fear Not For every puzzling circumstance For every possible emergency For every trial and testing Real or imagined. Yet I confess wasted hours – Even days, dear Lord When fear clutches and clobbers me Until I am physically and emotionally spent. Lord, when David cried to You, You delivered him from all his fears. On this gray-sky morning I kneel before You with David’s cry. O my Father, I cannot believe You would be less kind to me Than you were to David.’
And NO, God will NEVER turn away or be less kind to one of His very own children! That’s His ever-faithful promise! So we can be assured that whatever fear that’s troubling us, if we take it to God in prayer, we will receive relief and succour from it.
But isn’t it somewhat troubling that despite all the assurances and commands of our heavenly Father, re not to fear, we’re still such a fearful people? ‘Fear not!’ was one of the most used phrases by Jesus in His earthly sojourn. And when He said, ‘O ye of little faith,’ meant that we were also fearful, because faith dispels fear.
And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit for today; the immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 34: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ Yeh friends, simple, but ever so life changing words! And those from a great man of God!
That means, although we should not be always afraid, when those times arise, we should NEVER be afraid to call on our helpful and ever-faithful God for help. Note, Bruh David said, he called out in desperation, and the Lord heard and helped him. And He WILL do the same for each and every one who calls out to Him in all sincerity and truth!
And this is how Bruh David continues after our Bit: ‘They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps.34:4-10)
And all God’s children declared a loud, proud and ever grateful: ‘Praise the Lord for his everlasting goodness to the children of men!’ Yes friends, we know it’s the truth, even though we don’t always follow it!
And that ‘fear’ we’re talking about is not ‘fear’ in the sense of being physically afraid of God, though we should have a touch of that because of the awesome things He can do, but it’s a sense of reverence, of acknowledgement of His strength and power and goodness and LOVE towards us.
And the scholars offer this interesting comment on ‘Psalm 34. The historical background of this acrostic psalm (Hebrew poem of which the lines begin with the successive letters of the alphabet) is related in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. (Bruh David flees to Gath from Saul’s many attempts to kill him.) It bears all the marks of the testimony of one who narrowly escaped death, just as the passage in Samuel describes. As such, it contains the praise and testimony of the one who was redeemed (vs.1-10) and the seasoned instruction that can stem from such deliverance (vs.11-22).’
Now let’s hear some of that seasoned instruction: ‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good: seek peace and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:11-14)
That’s wise advice indeed from someone who experienced it! So let’s remember that today nuh, as we go home now declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we’re truly sincere, we’ll go out and share it all with others, as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…between fear and faith…there’s Jesus…Glory be…
24 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a happy camper, above the heavens, aura of love, blessings, communicating, confidence, crowded sidewalks, dislikes change, dominion, enthusiasm, essence of our universe, eternal life, evil, faith, fire, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's help, grace, grin and bear it, hail, holy spirit, hope that with time, how excellent is thy name, human animal, in all the earth, Jesus Christ, joy, let me count the ways, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, most powerful force, mother's li'l helper, new beginnings, new possibilities, no job security, O Lord our Lord, oh how I love thee, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, same old, set thy glory, simple prayer, slaving, snow, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Creator of the universe, the weekend, to make ends meet, traffic jams, trust, turned topsy-turvy, ungodly world, uprooted, upset the status quo, weary souls, wisdom, work drudgery
Psalm 8:1. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
‘Monday, Monday! Oh how I LOVE thee! Let me count the ways!’ Ah friends, the ole fella’s not crazy, just somewhat eccentric. (smile) There’s just something I like about Mondays – it hints at new beginnings, new possibilities. Like you’ve wrapped up one section over the weekend, and another is about to start on Monday’s.
Hn! The problem with some of us is that we don’t like new beginnings or possibilities, because they upset the status quo, and the human animal dislikes change, doesn’t want his or her life to be uprooted or turned topsy-turvy too often.
On the other hand, Monday reminds some of us of the same old, same old; the same old work drudgery, endless traffic jams, crowded sidewalks and elevators, and slaving for never enough money to make ends meet, with little or no job security, and sometimes at more than one job too.
That obviously will not make you a happy camper, but you don’t have much choice, so you’ll just have to grin and bear it and hope that with time, and God’s help, it will improve…and substantially too.
And that brings us to our mother, or father’s li’l helper (smile) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Ah friends, it’s only simple prayer; but remember that prayer is the most powerful force in the universe, and it’s also our main method of communicating with the Creator of that universe. So if we pray the right way, for the right things, under the right circumstances, we’re guaranteed that our prayers will be answered.
And our Monday Morning Battle Hymn meets all of those conditions, that’s why it works…every time! So let’s get down to brass tacks here now nuh, and declare it in unison, with heartfelt sincerity. ‘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!’
And I can see by the brightening of your countenance and the new spring in your step that our antidote for all Monday ills worked! Glory to our great God! That’s why Bruh David could shout out our Bit from Psalm 8: ‘O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who has set thy glory above the heavens.’
Ah friends, the Creator of our universe is indeed a mighty Deity, but also one overflowing with tender LOVE! Listen to Bruh David later on in Psalm 8: ‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest (pay attention to, or care for) him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.’ (Ps.8:3-6)
And right in those few words my brethren, we have the basic essence of our universe: the great spiritual Being we call God created it for His pleasure, spoke it into being through the power of His words. Then He created us from the dust of the ground and His breath of life so that we could have sincere communion with Him.
Note how important we are to Him, that He made us just a little lower than His heavenly host, but way above and in charge of all His other creations. And all He has done, is doing, and will do on our behalf stems from His great and wonderful, unconditional and never-ending LOVE for us!
Consequently, the psalmist could declare that all creation ought to praise the Lord. ‘Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons (sea creatures), and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word. Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent (exalted); his glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn (strength or dominion) of his people, the praise of all his saints; even the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!)’ (Ps.148:7-14)
Yes friends, the entire universe ought to praise and exalt our gracious, merciful, mighty and LOVING God! Unfortunately my brethren, that’s not the way it is in our depraved world, so let’s go out and do our best to make it so nuh, because if we don’t, who else will eh? Much LOVE!
…O Lord our Lord…how excellent is thy name…in all the earth… (Ps.8:9)
23 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afflictions, amazing benefits, assurance, autobiography, boundless faith, Charles H Gabriel, Civilla D Martin, clouds arise, confidence, cripple, deepest recesses, Doolittle, doubts, draw closer to Jesus, Ethel Waters, fall to the ground, fear ye not, fears, first day of autumn, God's house, gospel hymn, gospel truth, Grammy Hall of fame, He watches me, His eye is on the sparrow, hurting heart, I sing, I was gald, I'm free, I'm happy, inspiration, into the house of the Lord, joy, Kirk Franklin, let us go, LOVE, Mahalia Jackson, more value, not one of them, peace, Praise the Lord, reassurance, rejoice, saints of God, sets me free, sold for a farthing, tempted, the eyes of heaven, the hairs of your head, the Lord reigns supreme, the Lord's sanctuary, the totem pole, two cents worth, two sparrows, without your Father, ye righteous
Matthew 10:29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father.
‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps.122:1) Oh what a wonderful idea that is this Sunday morning my brethren, the first day of autumn in the abnormal year of 2018! Bruh David was ever so glad for that invitation to go to the Lord’s sanctuary because he knew the amazing benefits it produced.
And going to God’s house still produces wonderful benefits to this day my people! Where else can you get the peace and joy, confidence and reassurance that come from a session of praise and thanksgiving, and hearing the Lord’s word being read and feeling it seeping into the deepest recesses of your hurting heart? Nowhere else friends, but in a place where the Lord reigns supreme!
And today we’re going to open with a Gospel Hymn written in 1905 by Civilla D. Martin and composer Charles H. Gabriel. ‘It is most associated with actress singer Ethel Waters who used the title for her autobiography. Mahalia Jackson’s recording of the song was honoured with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2010.’ Most of us though, might be more familiar with the Kirk Franklin version of a few years ago. And the name of that revered and moving song is ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow.’
So without further ado, let’s reach deep down into our souls and produce a real soulful version that will bring tears to the eyes of heaven. As one now: ‘Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me
(Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.) “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, and resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. (Refrain: I sing…)
Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise, When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw closer to Him, from care he sets me free; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. (Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.’ (Repeat).
What a marvellous song my fellow believers! And it’s also filled with God-awesome truth! Everything it says is true! Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is constantly looking out for us, just like He’s doing for the sparrows of this world. And when life gets rough and tough we can simply go to Him and ask for comfort and reassurance…and we’ll get it. Glory to God!
The song was obviously inspired by words from the scriptures. Hear these reassuring words of Jesus in our Bit: ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.’ (Matt.10:29-31) That’s the gospel truth friends!
We are indeed more important than the birds of the air, as Jesus says earlier on: ‘Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?’ (Matt.6:26) Ah mih people, we are indeed higher up the totem pole that the birds and other animals, which the Lord looks after so faithfully, so why won’t He look after us in the same, or even better manner eh? No reason whatsoever! We just have to have faith, trust in and surrender our lives to Him.
Now listen to this testimony and let it uplift our lives, because only a few of us can, or will ever personally know this level of suffering. Civilla Martin, who wrote the lyrics, claimed this story as her inspiration. ‘Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle – true saints of God.
Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for night twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittle’s, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it.
Mrs. Doolittle’s reply was simple: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” was the outcome of that experience.’
And all God’s people declared a loud and proud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’ Yes friends, that is indeed what you call boundless faith! Not too many of us would go through such difficulties today with such aplomb, even though we now have many more amenities to alleviate that kind of suffering.
And Bruh David adds his two cents worth (smile) Of the Lord he says: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way in which thou shalt go: I will guide the with mine eye… Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps.32:8, 11)Yes friends, we couldn’t get any better advice on this the Lord’s Day, so let’s be wise and take it nuh. Much LOVE!
…man is God’s greatest creation…and He certainly treats us like such…
21 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bad eye, a godly level, abuse, afflictions, an afternoon nap, as a lion, be sober, Beelzebub, boundaries, Christians, cut her eyes, do as we please, dominion, enthusiasm, eternal glory, evil henchmen, faithful promise, fat fanny, fed up, fellwoship, followers of Christ, Friday chant, frustration, glorious kingdom, glory, God of all grace, gravesite, hope, in the faith, in the world, indignity, invading our space, keep the enemy out, let our guard down, life plummets downward, LOVE, machinations, make a way, make you perfect, man's inhumanity to man, nasty work, on the prowl, out on a limb, party time, pittance, prejudice, relaxarion, resist steadfast, rest, seeking someone to devour, settle you, sinful nature, stablish, strengthen, suffered a while, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the devil, the weekends, unenviable task, verve, vigilant, walketh about, we time, weekend song, with God nothing is impossible, working with Jesus, your adversary
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
And then it was Friday…And I have to chuckle because yesterday, Thursday, I wanted to go and visit my mother’s grave site, but because it looked cloudy and rain was forecasted for the afternoon, and it’s a long drive, I didn’t do it. But lo and behold, while having an afternoon nap and going through some dream in my home, my mother suddenly appeared beside me.
In astonishment, I looked at her and said, ‘Aye Mols, I didn’t know that you were here.’ She never replied, but just gave me a bad eye, or as the Jamaicans would say, cut her eyes at me, a look that spoke volumes, one that said something like: ‘Yes, I’m here. I’ve been here all the time. You’ve just been too busy to notice me!’
Ah friends, the mysterious ways in which the Lord rebukes us eh! And the interesting part is that though it was cloudy all day, not a drop of rain fell. Chuh! So it’s not cloudy today, and I don’t think they are calling for rain, so hopefully, after writing the Bit, I’ll get up off my fat fanny and make the long drive to look for the lady. That’s the least I can do for her under the prevailing circumstances.
And since it’s Friday, yuh better believe the workingman is already singing his weekend song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Hurray for the weekend! We time! We time to do as we please, without any interference from any bosses. Steups! The boss and them so full of foolishness it ain’t funny. Deh so prejudice! The things they ask we to do, they’d never ask any of deh family or friends to do nuh! But because we work for them, they pay we a li’l pittance, they think they could pile all the nasty work on us.
But they have another think coming yes! Because one day when we get really fed up of all the abuse and indignity, the persecution and inhumanity, we simply going to rebel! But until then, we just going to keep we cool and enjoy we weekends; letting out we frustrations then. So let the partying begin! As they say: ‘Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes! Don’t know what we’d do without them!’
Ah mih people, our world is getting rougher, more cruel and more inhumane everyday. Man’s inhumanity to man is certainly increasing as life plummets downwards. But as believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we’ve been given the unenviable task of trying to stop it from falling further and raise it back up again to a godly level.
Hn! I know some of you are sighing and saying that’s an impossible job, but please remember that NOTHING is impossible where our Lord and Saviour is involved. Yes, it might be difficult, but we have all the tools to fix it…and Jesus by our side to help, so we just have to get serious, buckle down and fight the good fight.
And I know that many of us believers feel the way the workingman feels about our society, but as Christians we’re not allowed to go out on the limb like he does. We have boundaries in place to keep the enemy out, that’s why our weekend song is different from his. So let’s sing ours nuh, our Friday Chant, with the same verve and enthusiasm with which he sang his song.
As one 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 fellow believers, we need fun and fellowship and relaxation too, but we also need to control our natural sinful nature and not give Beelzebub any chance of invading our space. And yes, I know we recently had this passage of scripture as our Bit, but it’s one of those commands we need to hear over and over and over again, because with the constant demands and busy pace of the world we’re very liable to forget it.
So here goes: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ And that is the indisputable truth my brethren! Lucifer and his evil henchmen are always on the prowl, seeking victims they can take advantage of. And we can’t let our guard down because they’ll jump in at even the least invitation.
So Peter continues his warning. ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:9) Yeh friends, we have to stand strong and resist the enemy and all his evil machinations.
It’s not easy, and we all are afflicted in some manner or the other, but Peter guarantees us that if we stand strong: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you.’ (1 Pet.5:10)
What a wonderful God we serve and worship my faithful brethren! That’s why we can sincerely say like Peter did: ‘To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:11)
So please hang in there my people, even though there seems to be no hope, for once you’re alive…and working with Jesus…there is always hope! Much LOVE!
…the Lord will make a way for us…where there seems to be no way…that’s His faithful promise…
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