23 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wily general, all the way, Andrew, aura of love, charles stanley, confidence, consequences, disasters, disobedience, do battle, energy, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, evil foes, face the world, fishers of men, follow me, friends, gentle, get in line, giant, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, glory to God, godless ways, grace, he saith unto them, holy spirit, humble servants, in the thick of the fray, invincible, James John, Jesus Christ, Jesus' business, lay the groundwork, leader, left their nets, lies, lordship of Christ, LOVE, loving, magnanimous offer, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obedience, obeisant, obey God, Peter, raise our spirits, reaction, reconitre the situation, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, repent, rest, reveille, salvation, sense of purpose, soldiers, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, truth, turn back to God, ungodly world, up and at them, wiles, wisdom, Zebedee
Matthew 4:19. And he saith unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Spananananana! Awake oh friends, the bugle calls reveille; time to be up and at them on this glorious Monday morn. (smile) True soldiers can’t afford to sleep in when the battle awaits. So let’s be up and about Jesus’ business! Let’s get in line as He arrays His troops in battle formation, so He can then go before us to reconitre the situation and lay the groundwork for today’s battle.
What a wily General we follow my fellow believers. There’s NEVER been one like Him; neither will there EVER be another in His class. He is in a class all by Himself. That’s why we follow Him. And for those of us finding it difficult to get ourselves together, here is something to raise our spirits and help us find the energy we need to face the world.
So in strong voice, let’s proclaim our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘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!’
Now we’re cooking friends! I can see us finally coming alive, as a strong sense of purpose rises up in our souls and spirits. That conversation with Jesus has miraculously put us over the top. Now we’re ready to go out and do battle against our evil foes, with Jesus fighting right beside us.
Glory be, my brethren! What a leader we have! One who doesn’t just send us out to fight His battles, while He remains back at HQ, safe and comfortable, but a leader who fights right alongside of us, in the thick of the fray, all the day and all the way!
Wow! No wonder we LOVE and admire and exalt Him so much! He is the kind of Leader who brings out the very best in us; truly inspires us to aspire to greater things, when we receive His magnanimous offer, His free gift of salvation and eternal life. What a giant is our Jesus! And a gentle and LOVING one at that too! That means we have everything we need in Him! We need No One or Nothing beside Him! Glory Hallelujah!
Just look at the unnatural reaction those early disciples had to our Bit. ‘And he saith unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen and were casting their net into the sea when Jesus passed by and made that offer. And it’s truly interesting to see what happened immediately thereafter. The Good Book tells us: ‘And they straightway left their nets and followed him.’ (Matt.4:20)
Now why would they just give up their livelihood to follow this, poor, itinerant Rabbi eh? Most of us would not have done something so drastic when there seemed to be no good reason for it. But that’s not the best part of the story. The Good Book continues: ‘And going on from thence, he (Jesus) saw two other brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.’ (Matt.4:21-22)
And what would entice four grown men, of apparently sane and sound mind to just give up their successful fishing business to follow a man whom they knew nothing about eh? Who knows, they must have heard something in His voice, or saw something in His demeanour, His heavenly aura might even have overcome their spirits. Or, as the scholars say: ‘The statement in verse 22 that they immediately responded to His call gives us the perfect picture of true obedience to the lordship of Christ.’
Yes my fellow believers, our response to Jesus should be immediate. As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) likes to say: ‘Obedience is doing what Christ says, when He says and how He says.’ Anything else is disobedience, which will have negative consequences. However friends, in these godless and evil days, the majority of mankind doesn’t seem at all interested in being obedient or obeisant to their Creator.
That’s obviously not a good sign, for as we said above, disobedience brings negative consequences. And I truly believe that the disasters, natural as well as man-made, that are currently besieging our world is God’s response to our bold-face disobedience. You might not believe me, but the only way to find out is for the majority of us to cease our evil and godless ways, repent, turn back to God and receive His wonderful offer of salvation and eternal life. Now that is wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!
…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles)
20 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer's spirit, a safe journey, a strong wind, afflictions, as a roaring lion, back-breaking labour, believers, billowing, boundaries, chink, christ jesus, close to God, confirm, cut offs, devour, dominion, draw near to God, each step I take, establish, eternal glory, eternal life, evil henchmen, faith walk, fellowship, flee from you, footholds, for ever and ever, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, glory to God, go overboard, gospel truth, grace, greed, Guide, have so little, heavenly breath, hold tight to Jesus, hope, in Christ's name, in Jesus' name, in the world, insight, invade, James, Jesus Christ, Jesus' philosophy, keeping the enemy at bay, laze about, lies, life's waterways, limits, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Lucifer, make you perfect, mates, of no use, party, phenomenal speed, pilot, reinventing itself, relaxation, resist in the faith, resist the devil, respecter of persons, respite, rest, sails, salvation, seeking whom he may devour, sensible prayer, settle, share bounty, slave work, sleep, sober, spiritual armour, strengthen, submit to God, suffered, temptation, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the devil, the God of all grace, the poor getting poorer, the rich getting richer, the straight and narrow path, toeholds, vigilant, walk with god, walks about, week of work, weekend, wiles, workingman, your adversary
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Ahoy there mates! How are your sails holding up today eh? I do hope that they are full and billowing with a strong wind so that you can be pushed smoothly along life’s wide and plentiful waterways.
And if Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour is breathing His powerful heavenly breath upon your sails, then you can be assured of a safe journey. It won’t always be smooth sailing, for life is never completely calm, but you will reach your destination safely. With Jesus as your guide and pilot, I can guarantee you that!
And as most of us know, (smile) it’s Friday, so it’s no surprise to hear the workingman singing his song. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! Massa slave work soon done, then my time is all mine! Glory to God! Ah going to party and sleep and laze about … then party and sleep and laze about some more…all weekend! Thank God for Fridays and weekends, for the short respite from back-breaking labour for li’l pay!’
Ah mih people, the ordinary man’s life is getting harder though our society is prosperously reinventing itself at phenomenal speed. Why is that eh? In an age of so much, so many have so little…
And it doesn’t seem to be getting better though millions of voices are crying out for help. In fact it seems to be getting worse, for the rich are indeed getting richer and greedier, while the poor are getting poorer and falling further behind, if that is at all possible.
Ah Lord eh! When will mankind ever learn to share his bounty with others eh? I guess not until Jesus comes to set up His eternal kingdom and greed and such negative things are removed from His world.
Anyway, for believers, we do have HOPE… lot’s of it, and we just need to hold tight to Jesus and we’ll be okay. Now let’s refute the workingman’s song with our own Friday Chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
And that’s a more sensible prayer, one in keeping with Jesus’ philosophy. It doesn’t allow us to go overboard in any area of our lives, but does it’s best to keep us on the straight and narrow, where we can have rest, enjoyment and fellowship, while being rejuvenated in body and soul, so we can start out strong next week.
Wise, faithful believers will tend towards that guideline, while the unwise will want to overdo the partying and lazing around aspect, then come Monday morning and time to go back to work, they are of no use to themselves or anybody else.
Boundaries, friends, boundaries, limits, cut offs, are very necessary in a believer’s life, for if we go too far, we’ll simply allow the enemy to gain footholds, toeholds, etc, in our lives, a situation that is totally unacceptable.
Hence our Bit for today: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:8-9)
And that is the gospel truth my brethren! Lucifer and his evil henchmen are constantly on the lookout for ways to invade a believer’s spirit and thus get him or her off of Jesus’ program of salvation and eternal life. Even the teeny, ‘weeniest’ chink in our spiritual armour will have them salivating.
And remember that Lucifer and his bandits are no respecter of persons, they attack everybody, especially believers. So please don’t think that you are alone in facing and experiencing temptation. It’s a worldwide game.
Now here is some invaluable insight from James into keeping the enemy at bay. ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you…’ (James 4:7-8a)
Yeh friends, keeping the enemy at bay involves two basic actions; vigorously and continuously resisting him, while drawing ever closer to God. They are not always easy actions to perform, but if we’re serious about our walk with God, and sincerely ask for His help, we can do it.
And why are we sure of that? Peter explains. ‘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. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:10-11)
Oh friends, I know we’ve heard this message over and over again, but it’s one we need to repeatedly hear so that we can stay on the right path, to remember that the enemy is always lurking, trying to bring us down to his unholy level.
So today, I implore us to pay serious attention to our faith walk, stay close to God, and not give the enemy any chance whatsoever to devalue it. I pray this in Christ’s name. Amen! Much LOVE my brethren!
…be on the lookout…always…for the enemy’s wiles and lies…
18 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a cautionary word, a man of understanding, a mesuring line, a moment of prayerful silence, a two way street, alive, all flesh, among the heathen, aroused from, be silent, be still, best friend, Br. Geoffrey Tristam, byproduct, cacphony, communications revolution, consciousness, conversations, deceit, distant, even a fool, exalted in the earth, friends, glad to be alive, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, God's answers, God's goodness, God's great earth, God's plan, gospel truth, halfway home, holy habitation, I love you, I will be exalted, in due time, is considered wise, Jerusalem, keeps silent, know that I am God, lack of listening, lies, list of demands, listen quietly, LOVE, monologue, more than we can handle, neighbours, not listening, not looking back, obits, our fondest dreams, prayer, promises, responses, Saint John the Eveangelist, silence is golden, silence., step back, still small voice, the breath of God, the wherewithal to perform His work, too much talking, uncommunicative, useless talk, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, Zechariah
Psalm 46:10. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
A hearty welcome friends and neighbours to another glorious day on God’s great earth! We are alive, that means the Lord has a plan for us to pursue and complete. That’s the reason why our names and pictures are not in today’s obits.
So let’s get ourselves together and remember God’s goodness and His promises to not give us more than we can handle, neither to give us a task without giving us the wherewithal to perform it.
And yes, my task right now is to write this Bit, but I don’t know what I’m going to write about just yet. However, I have no doubt that in due time the Lord will guide me to whatever He wants me to say.
And this might just be the first clue. A friend recently sent me this interesting quote on ‘Silence,’ by Br. Geoffrey Tristam of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist.
It reads thus: ‘If God seems distant or uncommunicative these days, maybe you’re simply not listening. God doesn’t shout: God’s first language is silence. Maybe in your prayers you are doing too much talking and not enough listening.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth friends? Too many of us go on and on, telling God what we think or want or need to do, but forget that prayer is supposed to be a two-way conversation. Then when we finish our monologue we just move on, unwisely not taking time to hear God’s answers to our list of demands.
Now asking God for stuff is not basically wrong, though we should not go to Him only for that purpose. However, when we’re talking to our earthly friends, we listen to their responses after we’ve made our point.
So why, when talking to our Father, our Creator and best Friend, we don’t take time to listen to Him eh? Remember, He is the ONE who can make our fondest dreams and wishes come true!
And as Br. Geoffrey notes, God doesn’t talk in loud words or noises, but mainly in silence. So if we want to hear Him, we have to listen quietly to hear the often still, small voice He uses in our conversations.
But yuh know what, this lack of listening doesn’t only occur when we come to God, but it’s also an unhealthy byproduct of our communications revolution.
There is so much talk being generated in our individual societies and around the globe that there isn’t much chance to listen amid the cacophony of lies, deceit and just plain useless talk that has taken over our world.
But here is a cautionary word from the Lord for us today in our Bit. ‘Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.’
Yes friends, the Lord wants us to stop and contemplate that He is GOD! His power and strength are second to none, and regardless of what we do, He will be exalted throughout all the earth that He has created. So why don’t we stop for a moment, a moment of prayerful silence RIGHT NOW, and contemplate that info eh… (silence)
Oh my fellow believers, I have no doubt that some of us heard the Lord say something to us in that moment of prayerful silence. It might not have been a world beating idea, but possibly only something as simple and very heart-warming as ‘I LOVE you. I truly do.’And those simple statements have now raised our consciousness to a higher level.
But if we had not been silent, we would not have heard it. So there is usefulness in being silent. That reminds us of Cousin Sol’s statement in Proverbs. ‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov.17:28)
Now hear these words from the prophet Zechariah when he had the vision of a man with the measuring line, come to measure Jerusalem to make it bigger and better. ‘Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of (aroused from) his holy habitation.’ (zech.2:13)
Yeh friends, when God is aroused, it’s best we step back and keep silent and hear and see His awesome words and movements.
Consequently, I implore us to remember that prayer is a continual thing, constant communication between our heavenly Father and us, therefore there is a great need for silence every so often in our busy days, so that we can hear the responses of our God, our guide and leader. That’s wisdom of the highest order!
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail with sincere enthusiasm and a 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 what a future that will be my brethren, throughout all eternity! Much LOVE!
…in certain situations…silence is certainly golden…
17 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blob, a graceful eagle, action, Amen, anomaly, bad, beloved of God, blessings, certainty, comprehend, darkest just before the dawn, deliver us, doltish, endures, everlasting, faithfulness, fall morning, fear not, gather together, give thanks unto the Lord, God of our salvation, God's department, God's LOVE, goodness of god, green leaves, innumerable things, judgement, justice, LOVE, Love the Lord, make known his deeds, mercy, mighty acts, One Year Book of Bible promises, praise, rejoice, righteousness, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, seek God's face, seek the Lord, share Christ's love, sing Hallelujah, sing in your heart, sing the praises of God, sleep, sleep is sweetest, soaring, thanksgiving, the Alpha and Omega, the ark of the covenant, the First and the Last, the God of gods, the heathen, the Lord God of Israel, The Lord is good, the Lord of lords, the One and Only Living God, to all generations, trees, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, wisdom, wonderfulness, You love me
Psalm 100:5. For the Lord is good; his mercy (LOVE) is everlasting; and his truth (faithfulness) endureth to all generations.
Ah friends, when the sleep is good, it’s ever so good! But when it’s bad…it’s also ever so bad! Chuh! And you must be wondering what all of that has to do with anything eh?
Well everything…and nothing! (smile) Fear not…the ole fella’s just trying to be somewhat doltish this chilly fall morning and make excuses for my late getting up. Yeh, the early morning sleep was indeed sweet…
But have you ever noticed, like how it’s darkest just before the dawn, that sleep is usually the sweetest just before you have to get up? The Lord sure knows how to disrupt one of our greatest pleasures.
And I noticed a rather striking anomaly just now as I went to put out the garbage: most of the trees around my area are still laden with green leaves, even though my driveway is full of dead, dry ones.
It’s certainly strange that in the middle of October, the scenery is still so green. But yuh know what? We should not be overly concerned with all of that stuff, for that’s God’s department and He knows what He’s doing.
Here is what we should be truly concerned about. It’s contained in a poem titled ‘YOU LOVE ME!’ taken from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
Please read with me. ‘Yesterday, God, I was soaring Like a graceful eagle And You LOVED me. Today I feel like a blob And You LOVE me. Tomorrow I may ask “Whatever happened to disturb me yesterday?” And You’ll LOVE me.
God, there are innumerable things I cannot begin to comprehend But the one great certainty In all my life is this: I know that You LOVE me!’
Wow mih people! What a certainty! And it’s the ONLY ONE we really need to know, because all the other stuff flows directly from that!
And I just have to proclaim it: What a wonderful God we serve and worship! There is NONE other like Him: the Alpha and Omega; the First and the Last; the ONE and ONLY True and Living God, from whom all things flow! Glory Be!
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today: ‘For the Lord is good; his mercy (LOVE) is everlasting; and his truth (faithfulness) endureth to all generations.’
Oh my fellow believers, what an awesome statement that is! One that we cannot dispute because we see and experience it every single day of our lives! Mama Mia! How then can we not LOVE the Lord eh? That’s nothing but a fool’s wisdom!
Thus it isn’t surprising at the number of times that statement is found in the Bible, especially the Psalms. Listen to how Psalm 106 – Israel sins against God’s LOVE – begins: ‘Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah).
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who can utter (express) the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise? Blessed are they that keep judgement (justice), and he that doeth righteousness at all times.’ (Ps.106:1-3)
Oh friends, don’t those words move you, don’t they just sing in your heart when you consider the goodness and ‘wonderfulness’ of our great God? If you are a true and serious believer, they ought to.
And Psalm 136 – Praise for the Lord’s past and present blessings – takes the sentiment even further. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (Ps.136:1-3)
And the other 23 verses, after shouting out some great work of God, all end the same way: ‘for his mercy endureth for ever.’ And that’s no lie!
And it seems that it all originated on the day the Ark of the covenant was finally brought up to Jerusalem and Bruh David delivered a psalm of praise and thanksgiving for Asaph and his brethren to sing, a psalm on which Psalm 105 is based.
‘Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deed among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.’ (1 Chron.16:8-11) Words of everlasting wisdom my people!
And hear how Bruh David ends the psalm. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr.16:34-36)
Ah mih breddren, it’s so good to sing the praises of our magnificent and magnanimous God! Now let’s go home singing our Tuesday Mantra, which let’s the world know who and whose we are.
In loud voice and sweet harmony now: ‘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 let’s go out and action that statement: truly share Christ’s LOVE! Much LOVE!
…oh that Christians would sing God’s praises…and give Him much deserved thanks…much more than we do…
16 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive day, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, adrenaline, advocating, aura of love, called by my name, chickens coming home to roost, chosen people, Christian society, Christians, communicate through prayer, confidence, conquerors, disasters, disciples, do God's will, do Jesus' work, doubleminded, draw near to God, embraced by, enthusiasm, evil, expectation, forgive their sin, friends, glorious kingdom, god head, godless, gone astray, grace, heal their land, heretical, holy spirit, hope, humble, humble servants, humble themselves, I will hear from heaven, in our corner, invincible, James, Jesus Christ, lamp for our feet, lies, light for our path, living God, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my people, not in sync, Old Testament, omnipotence, on our behalf, pray, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, repentant people, resist the devil, rest, salvation, seek my face, servants, sin, spiritual armour, spiritual beings, steadfast faith, strife, submit yourselves, taunts, the enemy's ranks, the Father, the Great Commission, the heathen, the Holy Trinity, the SON, transformative words, truth, turn from their wicked ways, ungodly world, warning, wiles, wisdom
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Oh friends, who knows what kind of day any of us will have today eh? When we awaken, it’s usually with the expectation of a bright, productive and positive day, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case. But what’s always the case though, is that on each and every day of our lives, we are positively embraced by the Holy Trinity of our God-head. The Father is looking out for us in His wisdom, omnipotence, grace and mercy.
Meanwhile, the Son is advocating to the Father on our behalf, and also shining down brightly on and around us, so that we can have that proverbial lamp for our feet and light for our path. And betwixt and between all that, the Holy Spirit is operating in our spirits, showing us what the Father desires of us, helping us to do His holy will and communicate with Him through prayer.
And regardless of how our day turns out, those three magnificent, powerful and ever-LOVING spiritual Beings are ALWAYS in our corner. Now what could be better than that eh my fellow believers? Nothing really! That’s why on this Monday morning, even if your body, soul and spirit are not in sync, and you don’t feel like getting up to go to work, you know that that feeling can be overcome through the help of our Triune God and the singing of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
So let’s belt it out now nuh with as much enthusiasm as we 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!’
Now feel the Holy Spirit working in you: brightening up your mood, causing the adrenaline to flow as you excitedly and enthusiastically get yourself together to go out amongst the heathen and do Jesus’ work in a most diligent and excellent manner. Glory to God my people! And what work is that, some of you ask?
Well Jesus told His disciples to ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
And that same Great Commission also applies to us, but instead of going elsewhere, right now I believe we need to concentrate on fixing our own society, which has become so godless and evil and heretical, that an alarming number of us have never even heard about Jesus, in what is supposed to be, or at least once was a Christian Society.
And it all begins with us acknowledging our Bit, putting those all-important, transformative words into action. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
Ah friends, how very encouraging is our God eh? For as the scholars tell us: ‘7:14-15. While this promise was originally given to Solomon regarding the people of Israel, it is certainly applicable to all who will call on the Lord in repentance and faith. These verses stand as a high expression of God’s LOVING readiness to hear the prayers of a repentant people (cf. 6:37-39; James 4:8-10).’
And there’s no doubt that although we call ourselves Christians, too many of our actions aren’t Christian-like: we’re not humble before God; we don’t seek His face or pray like we should…and don’t talk about the wickedness that exists in our ranks. Hn! That’s why I maintain that all the recent natural disasters and physical strife are a serious warning from Almighty God.
And if you figure our Bit comes from the Old Testament so it’s outdated, then listen to James, as he talks about worldliness and pride. ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. Be afflicted and mourn (lament) and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10)
Oh friends, if we want to see brighter days and our land healed, then we’ve got to turn back to the One True and Living God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we’ve gone astray for far too long now. So let’s be wise like the Israelites of old nuh; acknowledge the warning…and repent. Much LOVE!
…God punished His chosen people…when they went astray…so why not us eh…the chickens are coming home to roost…
15 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hair of your head, a well-lived life, Abraham, be hated of all men, be merry and carefree, charter of salvation, Christians, comfort, consolation, consummation of peace, death, don't play together, don't worship well together, endurance, endured, exaltation, fellow believers, fellowship, followers of Christ, for my name's sake, glorify God, grace, heavenly advocate, hell, high priest, holy bride, holy food, hope, how to have fun, In Touch Magazine, in your patience, indispensable, indisputable, Isaac, Jesus, Jesus Christ her Lord, joyful abandon, laugh, like-minded, LOVE, most joyful people, new creation, of the ages, one faith, patience, persevering, possess ye your souls, rainy day, religious form of play, Rest in the Lord, reverence, Sabbath rest, salvation, secular people, Simon Chan, strife-filled world, Suday, sweet communion, the church's one foundation, the end times, the God of patience, the grave, the Lord's sanctuary, the promise, the Three in One, the Word of god, toil, tribulation, tumult of war, union with God, victorious, wait patiently, waiting, water and the word, wisdom, words of wisdom, worship
Psalm 37:7a. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
And this God-given Sunday might just be another rainy day in my area, like the past two days were. However friends, that should not stop us from gathering in the Lord’s sanctuary to worship and fellowship in joyful abandon, while His indispensable and indisputable Word strengthens our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, for that’s what the Lord desires of us.
And just tonight I read this interesting quote in an article titled ‘Fun Challenged’ in the September Edition of the In Touch Magazine that immortalizes what I’m talking about. The quote is attributed to the theologian Simon Chan, who says: “Christians who do not play together do not worship well together either, since worship is a ‘religious form of play.’ Both at play and at worship the Christian community enjoys its Sabbath rest.”
Now isn’t that the God-awesome truth friends? Christians should be the happiest and most joyful people on the planet because of what our great God and our wonderful Saviour have done for us! And I believe, both as Christians and as secular people, we have forgotten how to have fun, to laugh and be merry and carefree, which are all healthy aspects of a well-lived life. We’re taking our messed up, strife-filled world too seriously.
Remember Jesus has already been victorious over hell, death and the grave and we have every reason to rejoice. So, on this the Lord’s Day, let’s lighten up and sing this wonderful old hymn ‘The Church’s One Foundation,’ with lyrics by Samuel John Stone (1839-1900) and music by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876). Let’s raise our voices to heaven in sacrificial praise and sweet harmony, so that there can be absolutely no doubt of our sincere and everlasting allegiance to Jesus.
‘The Church’s one foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord; She is His new creation By water and the Word: From heav’n He came and sought her To be His holy Bride; With His own blood He bought her, And for her life He died. Elect from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth, Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth; One holy Name she blesses, Partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses, With every grace endued.
’Mid toil and tribulation, And tumult of her war, She waits the consummation Of peace for evermore; Till, with the vision glorious, Her longing eyes are blest, And the great Church victorious Shall be the Church at rest. Yet she on earth hath union With God the Three in One, And mystic sweet communion With those whose rest is won: O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we, Like them, the meek and lowly, In love may dwell with Thee.’
Ah mih people, what a joy it is to sing praises to our High Priest and heavenly Advocate Jesus Christ, for He has been so wonderful to us, when He did not have to! Now let’s hear some choice tidbits from His Word based on our Bit: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:’ Yes my fellow believers, those are absolute words of wisdom! And all the great men and women of faith practiced it and some even wrote about it.
Listen first to Jesus when He described the signs of the end times to His disciples. ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:19) As followers of Christ we just have to be trusting and patient and persevering, because that’s what His discipleship calls for.
Now hear Bruh Paul in his treatise to the Romans, concerning ‘Life in the Spirit.’ ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for (it)? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (eagerly) for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25) Yeh friends, true faith in Jesus is all about hoping, waiting and persevering to the very end!
And nobody says this better than the author of Hebrews. ‘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 there’s no better example of waiting on God than the patriarch Abraham. After the Lord promised to bless and multiply him, he waited for 25 years for Isaac, the promise to show up. The author of Hebrews tells us: ‘And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.’ (Heb.6:15)
And we’ll close with these words of Bruh Paul as he talks to the church at Rome about ‘Unity in Christ.’ ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime (beforehand) were written for our learning, that we through patience (perseverance) and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation (comfort) grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Rom.15:4-6)
Oh friends, that is exactly my prayer for us today; that we come together in fellowship and worship, and enthusiastically and sincerely glorify and exalt our heavenly Father, for He richly deserves our reverence and exaltation! Much LOVE!
…waiting patiently…and eagerly on God…is wisdom of…and for the ages…
14 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a leader, a star, aching back, action, aggrandizement, Anselm, apathy, blase, Christians, compete, constant communication with God, Creator, different shades, diligent, do our part, evil deeds, evildoers, fall, friend, get ahead of God, get nothing done, getting together, God is the Maker, God's help, grin and bear it, in our own strength, inspiration, inspired by the people, Jesus, laze along, lethargy, longevity, LOVE, mutual agreement, onlooker's viewpoint, our benefit, out of thin air, partnership with christ, passion, passionate, Rest in the Lord, rise to the top, save the best for last, seasons, self-interested path, sleeping-in weather, speed ahead, spoil things, stir the pot, stress, that's life, truth, up in arms, wait patiently, we need God, wet and cloudy day, working hard
Psalm 37:7a. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
Well another wet and cloudy day seems to be our lot this Saturday morning friends. Good sleeping-in weather for those who desire to do so. I tried some sleeping-in, only to get up with my usual aching back, the sad result of what seems to be too much lying down. (smile)
Ah Lord eh! How to beat it? They say that rest is so essential, but in my case there seems to be a caveat of ‘not too much at once.’ Hn, hn! But as the man says, ‘That’s life!’ We just have to grin and bear the quirks of life and move on with God’s available help.
And the trees are doing that right now, because their leaves are finally turning to different shades of brown, yellow and gold, in admittance that fall is finally here. They held out for a long while with the good weather, but like us, they know that their time has come at last.
No more trying to stretch out the longevity of their beautiful green leaves as the God designed cycle of seasons brings about their downfall for another year. And so, we as Christians need to accept whatever God has designed and placed in our lives, for He is the Maker and Creator of all that exists.
Trying to fight His plans are a waste of time. But enough palavering (smile), let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm offered us this past week, in his noble attempt to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Listen to this first one:‘A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him rise to the top.’
And that’s the way it’s supposed to be, since stars seek a more self-interested path, are more interested in their own aggrandizement, while leaders theoretically raise the level of their followers in whatever context in which they are leading.
And this next quote sort of upgrades the last one. ‘A leader must be inspired by the people before a leader can inspire the people.’ I guess a true leader will not want to lead those who don’t inspire him to do so.
Why bother eh, if there is no inspiration coming from those whom you want or hope to lead? For like everyone else, a leader also needs inspiration to do his or her job, and that doesn’t just come out of thin air.
Now hear this one: ‘When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you.’ I believe this means when you’re up in arms against everybody, you’ll get little or no help from anyone. But if you’re not fighting everybody, some of those you’re not fighting will consider helping you, which makes perfect sense.
And as always, I try to save the best quote for last. ‘Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress: Working hard for something we LOVE is called passion!’ Ah mih people, there is plenty truth in that statement! When we do things dear to our hearts we usually don’t feel stressed out.
So in light of that, I want to take that statement to a different level. Does our apathy and lethargy and stress-like behaviour in doing our Christian work, signify we don’t LOVE Jesus?
From a mere onlooker’s viewpoint, it would certainly seem so, because there is NO REAL PASSION in our Christian walk! But the evildoers are getting together and passionately doing their evil deeds, while we supposed Christians just seem to laze along, trying desperately not to stir the pot.
But friends, that is exactly why Jesus came to earth; to stir the pot! Back then, the status quo was unacceptable, just like it is today. I guess we blasé Christians don’t inspire our leaders, so our leaders don’t get the necessary inspiration to inspire us. Hn!
And I certainly hope that our lacklustre work on Christ’s behalf does not stem from the words of our Bit. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:’
Oh yes friends, it does mean not to get ahead of God, not to try and make things happen in our own strength, to wait for the Lord’s guidance. But while we are waiting, we must continue to be diligent and passionate in what we can do, for there is always stuff for us to do in our wonderful partnership with Christ.
Remember a partnership means the involvement of at least two entities in a mutual agreement, and usually more than one job to get done. And that’s how it is with Jesus and us. He has His part to do, and we have ours. Now sometimes we can’t do our part until He does His, but we still need to keep on working at what we can.
Some of us can’t wait and speed ahead and spoil things, while others wait too much and get nothing done. We need balance my people, and that can only be found by being in sincere and constant communication with Almighty God, and having a passion for doing His work.
Remember, ALL that God is doing is not for Himself nuh, but for OUR benefit! God needs NOTHING, for He already has EVERYTHING.
We have NOTHING, which means we need EVERYTHING. And since EVERYTHING comes from God, then we certainly NEED God! Let’s remember that and wisely put it all into the right perspective. Much LOVE!
…where there is no action…means there is no real passion…since passion…induces action…
12 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful follower of Jesus, a foolish thing, a rainy day, a sovereign Being, a wake up call, a waste of time, action, almighty god, behind the eight ball, believe, bush fire blazing, California, carnage, cease from anger, claimed numerous lives, communication revolution, courage, creativity, curse, earthquakes, engulfed homes, evil ways, evildoers shall be destroyed, extinguish His presence, faith, fellow believers, fires, foolish games, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, friends, glamourous, glitzy, God is alive and well, God is in control, God's infinite movements, God's salvation, homes, hope, hurricanes, impatience, in His own time, inherit the earth, Israelites, Jeremiah, Lamentations, livelihoods, lost their lives, LOVE, moral ineptitude, natural disasters, negative word, now-for-now living, obedience, patience, perseverance, power mongering, punishment, puny imaginations, quietly wait, rain pouring down, rebellion, repentance, Rest in the Lord, self-control, self-discipline, take better care of our planet, the back burner, the beginning from the end, the God of their fathers, The Lord is good, the soul that seeks God, the way of the world, Thursday Blessings, tragedy, trust, unpredictable weather, wait on God., wait patiently, wealth, wicked schemes, work everything out for good
Psalm 37:7a. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
It was a rainy day…a chilly one too…and mostly cloudy… Looks like today will be more of the same. Ah mih people, our weather is becoming so unpredictable that who knows what’s happening?
Meanwhile, with rain pouring down on this side of the continent, out on the West Coast, in California, another raging bush fire has claimed numerous lives and engulfed thousands of homes! Steups! So where is the rain that they need eh?
Sometimes, when we see all these natural disasters happening, it gets real hard to trust and believe and wait on our great and good God.
Oh, deep down, we know that He is in control and that all things will eventually work themselves out for good, but nonetheless we don’t want to see our fellow believers suffering such unbelievable tragedy. It hurts us to the very core of our beings, especially when we project ourselves in their positions.
And the number of folks who have lost their lives, homes and livelihoods in the last few months, to fires on the west coast of Canada and the U.S, and to hurricanes in the Caribbean and Southern U.S and to earthquakes in Mexico, is simply staggering.
I don’t know if so much natural carnage has ever occurred in such a short space of time in so many places before. But friends, all we can truly do is take better care of our planet and place our total faith and trust in the One who created us and the entire universe; Almighty God!
And as I keep reminding us, all of these natural disasters might just be a wake up call from God to cut out our intolerable evil ways and return to following Him in true repentance and obedience.
The Israelites suffered severe punishment whenever they drifted away from the God of their fathers, so why can’t it happen to us too, since we have also put God on the back burner of our lives, with every intention to totally extinguish His presence and place in our society.
Obviously that’s a very foolish thing to do, but nevertheless, many of us have done it, or are in the process of doing so. The way of the world; it’s glitzy and glamourous things and wealth and moral ineptitude have bedazzled us into thinking that God is a waste of time.
But my fellow believers that’s the furthest thing from the truth! Our God is alive and well, keeping a very watchful eye on everything, allowing mankind to play their foolish games of power mongering and rebellion.
He knows the beginning from the end and has all His plans laid out and will eventually bring them all to fruition…in His own good time! Now that last phrase is the all-important one… in God’s own time.
Remember God is a sovereign Being, full of might and power, whose thoughts and ways are much higher than ours. So in our finite and puny imaginations we can never truly understand His infinite movements and the time line for them.
Thus, regardless of how religious and holy and righteous we are, true wisdom can only be shown when we adhere to the immortal words of our Bit, which flowed from the pen of Bruh David as he wrestled with the same feelings and constraints that we are currently wrestling with. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:’
Oh friends, we’ll never find out how true those words are until we put them into action! Our God has made numerous promises, and He will keep them ALL, but in His own time and His own way! Until we learn to recognize and accept that, we’ll remain continuously behind the eighth ball.
Now listen to how Bruh David continues after our Bit: ‘fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only cause harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:7b-9)
Oh mih breddren, we all know how true those words are, so why aren’t we practicing them eh? Because we have been overwhelmed by the world’s impatience and desire for everything as soon as possible. Now-for-now living characterizes our society. We need to have everything immediately! That’s the unfortunate result of our technological and communication revolution.
Now hear this scripture that truly tells it like it is. Jeremiah, in his lamentations, tearfully but truthfully declares: ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:25-26) How much clearer can it get eh my people?
But before we go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, there is one proviso to it all; waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean sitting on our fannies and doing nothing. It means still doing what is necessary, working, persevering in God’s will. For that’s when the Lord showers down these heavenly blessings on us.
So let’s shout them to the world, so that others can see the goodness of God and thus wisely desire to embrace Him too. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
The next step is to now go out and bless others, because blessings are meant to be shared. Much LOVE!
…only as believers show patience and perseverance…will they be truly blessed…
11 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a good attitude, a horrible pit, a new song, arrows, be patient, belief, breakthrough, character, customary occurrence, doing God's will, don't rush God, dr robert h schuller, ever-faithful God, exemplified, expereience, fall morning, fall weather, fallen leaves, fear, for talk sake, frustrations, give God time, glory hallelujah, glory in tribulations, God is working everything out, green leave, grow, halfway home, heard my cry, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, hurts, image of Christ, impassable, inclement weather, joy, justification, king of Israel, learn nothing, less grateful, lonely hearts, looking straight ahead, LOVE, medical problems, miracles, miry clay, moments of grief, mountains don't move evernight, my hands are on the plough, not looking back, on the other side, onto a new road, out of a rut, over the mountain, patience, perseverance, poignant statement, praise to God, rebellious, resentments, Rest in the Lord, rough times, sand, scars, shirt-sleeved affairs, sinful ingrates, sinless Son Jesus, slings, spoil us, spoon-fed us, stick closely with God, surrender, test of faith, testing, the breath of life, the right time, the right way, the romans, to a glorious future with Jesus, trials, tribulations, trust, trust in the Lord, under the weather, wait patiently, wash away hurts, Wednesday Wail, winter demise
Psalm 37:7a. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
Ah friends, it’s a gloriously wet fall morning in my neighbourhood! The fallen leaves are all plastered to the ground, wet and soggy. And surprisingly, many of the trees still have lots of green leaves, because the chilly fall weather has not hit us continuously as yet.
Most of the days are still fairly warm, shirt-sleeved affairs. But it’s coming…eventually all those leaves will fall to their winter demise.
And it seems that both my computer and I have been negatively affected by the inclement weather. For the last ten minutes or so my trusty machine has been rumbling along doing its own thing, with very slow response to my commands.
I know it gives me a couple moments of grief every time I turn it on, but today’s spell seemed rather long. I am also a tad under the weather, just a tad though, (smile) possibly because of a late night early morning scenario.
And all I can say is that the Lord is testing me even before I write, as I contemplate writing something on patience. But that’s a customary occurrence; either before or after I write, I get tested on whatever I’ve written, so I can’t really complain.
Anyway, here is what I want to write about patience. It comes from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr.Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, and most likely I’ve shared it before, but we still need reminders on certain topics every so often, throughout our earthly days.
And Gramps Schuller puts it this way. ‘Be patient; God is working everything out. At the right time and in the right way everything will evolve beautifully. Don’t try to rush God. Mountains don’t move overnight. Give God time to work His miracles.
I have seen God dissolve resentments, resolve frustrations, fill lonely hearts with new LOVE, and wash away hurts like a new wave washes away scars on sand scratched by children’s sticks. God can get you out of a rut, onto a new road, and over the mountain that seemed impassable, if you will be patient.’
And all of that is ever so true my believing friends! God can move mountains immediately, if He so desires, but that will just totally spoil us and we’ll learn nothing from the experience. We would’t grow and become the true image of Christ if God just spoon-fed us all the time.
He didn’t spoon feed His wonderful sinless son Jesus during His earthly sojourn, so why do it with us sinful ingrates eh? We’d just become more sinful, rebellious and less grateful, if that’s at all possible.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:’ Oh, I know the verse contains more than that that, but right now we’re only concerned with the patient aspect of it. And waiting patiently on our God, is one of the best moves we can ever make in this life my brethren.
Now after making that poignant statement in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – Bruh David comes back in Psalm 40 – Praise for answered prayer – and joyfully proclaims: ‘ I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.’ (Ps.40:1-3)
Yes friends, we are amongst the many who have seen Bruh David’s faith, trust, and patient waiting on the Lord, and how he eventually exalted him. Remember it was several years and many heart-rending trials and tribulations between the time that Samuel anointed him as the next king of Israel, before he actually ascended to the throne.
And even more importantly, those trials and tribulations were what made him the good king and leader that He was. For as Bruh Paul so rightly said to the Romans in his talk on the results of justification.
‘And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience (produces perseverance); and patience, experience (character); and experience hope.’ (Rom.5:3-4)
Yes my fellow believers, patience is not only waiting, but also persevering, keeping keeping on during the struggles, because that’s when and how we build character. And we see it all exemplified in the life of Bruh David.
Now note Bruh David wasn’t perfect, he had his wrongdoing too, for which he paid dearly, but overall he stuck as closely as possible with the Lord, enduring the slings and arrows that came upon him with the Lord’s help.
Likewise my faithful brethren, if we stick closely with our God, don’t complain too much through the rough times and keep doing His will, He will eventually bring us out much better on the other side.
And don’t think that I’m just talking for talk sake, because right now I am going through the biggest test of faith in my life with a host of medical problems. So I am also in the process of learning to wait patiently on the Lord and to persevere with a good attitude while waiting with hope and joy for my eventual breakthrough.
And now, as true Christian soldiers, let’s go home proudly declaring our Wednesday Wail. ‘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!’
Wow friends! Believe me, our God is a great and good and ever-faithful God, please put your total trust in Him. It will be the best decision you ever make! Much Love!
…belief…surrender…trust… patience…and a topping of LOVE…the Christian’s way to glory…
P.S. Yes, it’s long and late, but I like it. (smile) Much LOVE!
09 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24/7 society, a wake up call, a warning, aura of love, Babylon, blessings, bondage, boundary, calamity, Christians, Columbus Day, confidence, covenant, disaster, drink the sweet, drunk or sober, earthly journey, eat and drink, eat the fat, Egypt, enthusiasm, evil, feasting, festivity, for whom nothing is prepared, forsake our evil ways, freedom, friends, from whom all blessings flow, generosity, giving thanks, glorious kingdom, go your way, God's Word, good graces of almighty God, grace, Granny's warning, holy spirit, humble servants, hurricane Nate, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, Louisiana, LOVE, magnanamity, mind your business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither be ye sorry, praise God, recovery, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, repent, rest, salvation, send portions, sharing mode, showered down, spiritual armour, standard of living, steadfast faith, taunts, thanks and praise, Thanksgiving Day, the goodness of God, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the power to get wealth, this day is holy, trials, tribulations, truth, undisputed God, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom
Nehemiah 8:10. Then he said unto them, go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
So friends, it’s Monday…But the good news is that both in Canada and the U.S it’s a public holiday. In the U.S it’s Columbus Day, celebrating the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in the 1490’s. Meanwhile, in Canada, we’re celebrating our Thanksgiving Day with feasting and festivity, and hopefully thanks and praise to Almighty God for all the blessings He’s recently showered down on our land.
Let’s also be thankful that hurricane Nate did not do much damage to the part of Louisiana that it passed over yesterday. Ah Lord eh! Hopefully this will be the last storm for this year, for the area could not handle much more disaster. Don’t forget to include in our prayers those who have recently suffered serious setbacks and that they are on their way to recovery and rebuilding their lives. Remember too the ones who are still undergoing trials and tribulations.
And let’s hope that all this unexpected calamity serves as a wake-up call for us to repent, to forsake our evil ways and get back into the good graces of Almighty God, for it’s difficult not to consider the unparalleled circumstances that have recently afflicted us as a warning from Him. So let’s pray that we will take the warning to heart and wisely make amends for our sinful ways, and once again make Him the undisputed God of our society.
Anyway, it’s Monday, which means that in our 24/7 society, some people must go to work, regardless of the public holiday, and there’s no time harder to get up and go out to labour than on days like these, when the majority of people are off. So let’s send them out on a high note with a wonderful rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
In strong voice now, with lots of enthusiasm: ‘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 as always, the voices of those not going out to work are the loudest and most raucous since many of us have already been celebrating for the past couple days. (smile) And whether you like it or not, I have to remind us of Granny’s warning; that drunk or sober we need to mind our business very closely, as too much celebrating can make us cross over the Christian boundary line without even noticing it, thus giving the enemy a gleeful chance to invade our space, something we want to avoid at all costs.
That brings us to our Bit, the words of Nehemiah to the people of Israel after they had rebuilt Jerusalem and had heard for the first time God’s Word read from His Holy Book by the scribe Ezra. ‘Then he said unto them, go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
It was indeed a day of rejoicing for those Israelites, many of whom had recently returned from captivity in Babylon and were enjoying freedom for the first time in many a day, if not the first time in their lives. We should also be in rejoicing and sharing mode, but more importantly, making sure that we give God His rightful deserts of thanks and praise for bringing us to this high standard of living, for it’s only through His generosity and magnanimity that it’s possible.
Remember what we sang yesterday? ‘Praise God from whom all blessings flow…’ And that’s the truth in spades! For as the Good Book tells us: ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut.8:18)
Yeh friends, the Lord brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt and kept them in the wilderness for forty years, then enabled them to go into the Promised Land and take it over. Without His help, none of that would have been possible. Likewise without God’s help, our current prosperity would not have ever been realized.
So I’m imploring us, that as we gather today, with friends, families and neighbours, let’s spend some time remembering and talking about the goodness of God towards us, and giving Him appropriate thanks and praise, glorifying and exalting His precious name, for each and every one of us has so many things to be thankful to God for in this our earthly journey. We didn’t reach this stage of evolution through our own efforts, but through God’s blessings. Consequently we ought to show the necessary gratitude. Much LOVE!
…it’s not about eating and drinking…but giving thanks…to be able to eat and drink…there is a big difference…
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