07 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all is well, all year round, an abomination to the Lord, an attitude of prayer, angry tensions, as in heaven, as we forgive our debtors, be not afraid to pray, buoy us up, but deliver us from evil, but even pray, ceaselessly, celebrations, Christian, chronic illness, controlling the universe, Cousin Sol, die for our sins, disputes, earthly pilgrimage, Easter Monday, Easter Season, erroneous idea, eternal wisdom, faith, forgive us our sins, give us our daily bread, god is still on his throne, God's desire for us, God's Word, godly advice, good and bad, gratitude, hallowed be thy name, Hartley Coolidge, hope, in the face of adversity, keep prayer uppermost in our hearts, keep us strong and faithful, lead us not into temptation, life's forces, lifeline to our Creator, lifting up holy hands, live according to God's will, Lord teach us to pray, LOVE, make it a habit to pray, malfunction, men pray everywhere, Our Father which art in heaven, our loving God, our sins forgiven, our souls washed white as snow, personal satisfaction, pray if thou canst with hope, pray without ceasing, prayer is a creative expression, prayer is our lifeblood, raise our spirits, reconciled to God, right and wrong, rise triumphantly from the grave, Sacrifical Lamb, sacrifice of the wicked, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, spiritual needs, the evil one, the prayer of the upright is God's delight, the substance of faith, the wonders God works, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, to pray is right, total obedience, umbrage, unbelieivng hordes, unconditional love. the heathen, warms the cockles of God's heart, wisdom, without wrath and doubting, work dilgently
1 Thessalonians 5:17. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!
Ah Friends, it seems like the ole fella’s Easter Monday celebrations were a bit much for him, because he could not get up at a reasonable time this morning. Hn, hn! But the sad part is that the celebrations weren’t anything big, just a simple gathering of immediate family.
Now can that mean the ole fella is getting too old for even the simple celebrations? Definitely not! And I take great umbrage at anyone who endorses that erroneous idea! (smile)
For here are some great truths; the caffeine is hot and sweet and strong, and our great and LOVING God is still on His throne controlling His universe, which means all is well!
Now why wouldn’t things be okay eh, especially since the Father sent His only Son to be a sacrificial Lamb, to die for our sins, and then rise triumphantly from the grave a couple of days ago, so that our sins could be forgiven, our souls washed as white as snow, and we could be reconciled to Him?
That testimony Friends, I now put to us, should be the uppermost thought in our lives, not only at this Easter season, but all year round! We ought to let it buoy us up, keep us strong and faithful.
Just thinking about what Jesus did for us should raise our spirits to great levels and cause us to want to work diligently and ceaselessly to bring His Word and undying, unconditional LOVE to the heathen, to the unbelieving hordes.
And you know that’s all He really asks of us; to live according to His will and let others see the wonders He works in the lives of those who display total obedience to Him.
And I have a most appropriate and beautiful quote from my One More Day Devotional, Meditations for People with Chronic Illness. Someone in their innate wisdom gave me that devotional long before I even had any chronic illness. (smile) But this quote is attributed to one Hartley Coolidge, for whom I couldn’t find any proper info, although it seems he might have been the son of the famous British poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Anyway, Hartley is reputed to have made this statement which I’ve shared with you some time before, but it is so noteworthy that it needs to be shared again and again: ‘Be not afraid to pray, to pray is right. Pray if thou canst with hope, but even pray.’
Oh my people what wisdom and godly advice! Prayer should indeed be our number one response to our every problem and our every need. And further to that, here is how the devotional describes prayer. ‘Prayer is a creative expression of my spiritual needs. It offers me a deep sense of personal satisfaction and continuously reminds me of all life’s forces.’
And is that ever so true my people! Prayer is our lifeblood, our lifeline to our Creator, and it should never be broken! We can’t afford to have it malfunction in any way whatsoever, otherwise our lives will lose all semblance of hope, of right and wrong, of faith, of good and bad, of God and the evil one. That means, as our Bit so rightly informs us, we should ‘Pray without ceasing.’
Now it doesn’t mean we should always be audibly praying, but we should constantly have an attitude of prayer about us, which will help us ‘maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
That means Friends that prayer is ever so important in the life of a Christian. Even to the extent that Bruh Paul tells Timothy: ‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8)
So whatever your geographical position or location, you ought to pray, espousing a pure and truthful life, without disputes and angry tensions.
Meanwhile Cousin Sol tells us in Proverbs that ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.’ (Prov.15:8)
Yes my people, our God delights in the prayers of His people. Nothing warms the cockles of His heart like when His people come to Him in sincere prayer. Remember that is our most important line of communication with Him. Prayer is so important that even Jesus, though being of the Godhead, resorted to it each and every day, in every situation.
Mark informs us: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Jesus made it a habit to pray, to get with God before He began His day, so the Spirit of God would be there to guide and lead Him on a right and true path, give Him the wisdom to make proper decisions.
Oh Friends, so do we also need to come to God in prayer, as early as possible on each day of our lives, so that we can receive the wisdom, strength and guidance to handle our day in a way that pleases God.
And we’ll end with this eye-opening situation, where Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer. The Good Book describes it thus: ‘And it came to pass, that, as he (Jesus) was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
And he said unto them, when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil (the evil one).’ (Luke 11:1-4)
There we have it Friends, the basic foundation of our foundational prayer! So as we go about our earthly pilgrimage in this wild, woolly and wicked world, please let us never forget to keep prayer uppermost in our hearts and lives, for that is God’s desire for us, as well as eternal wisdom on our part. Much LOVE!
…to pray…to pray… and yet to pray…that is the substance of faith…
06 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great King above all Gods, almighty god, atone for our sins, aura of love, blessings, Christ's Resurrection, compassionate, confidence, day of temptation, Easter Monday, eternal life, evil powers, faith, fellowship, For he is our god, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, gospel truth, Hades, harden not your heart, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful noise, kneel beofre the Lord our maker, let us make a joyful noise, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, O come let us sing unto the lord, o come let us worship and bow down, provocation, rebellion in the wilderness, reconcile, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, shout joyfully, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Lord is a great God, the sheep of his hand, to the rock of our salvation, today if ye will hear his voice, trust, ungodly world, we are the people of his pasture
Psalm 95:1. O Come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation.
And then it was Monday Friends – Easter Monday with the joyful celebrations of Christ’s resurrection and victory over the dark and evil powers of Hades and the world still in full cry! Glory Hallelujah!
That’s only for some of us blessed ones though, unfortunately the remainder have to go back out to work today and won’t be able to participate in the Easter Monday frivolities. Oh don’t you feel so sorry for them? For sure we do, but that’s just the luck of the draw, whether where you work recognizes Easter Monday as a holiday or not.
However to show our solidarity with them, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much zeal and fervour. As one marvellous choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh Friends, that was pretty good, though there were a few hoarse and out of tune voices, obviously from the hard and heavy partiers. (smile) Jesus just chuckled and shook His head knowingly when He heard them.
Now that ought to get us revved up and just rearing to get out into the world and show the unbelieving hordes exactly what true Christians are like, and have them panting with longing to come to Jesus and get what we have, salvation and eternal life. That’s why my people, Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God – is so appropriate at this Easter time.
And our Bit leads it off: ‘O Come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto Him with psalms (songs) (Ps.95:1-2)
And that is very meet and right my people, since the Lord went to such great trouble to have His Son sacrifice Himself to atone for our sins. It’s a no-brainer that we should be everlastingly grateful for that wonderful action on His part. He didn’t have to do it, but He LOVED us so much that He just couldn’t live with Himself and see us simply go down to the pits and dungeons of hell with the evil Lucifer without giving us a fighting chance to do better.
And as the psalmist continues: ‘For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.’ (Ps.95:3) And isn’t that the indisputable truth my brethren? It certainly is! Who else, other than a great and compassionate God and King would have put Himself to so much trouble and heartache to give us an opportunity to atone for our sins and reconcile us to Himself eh? Definitely not some small time god and/or king, who was only interested in their own welfare.
The palmist then reminds us that: ‘In his hand (In his possession) are the deep places of the earth: the strength (heights) of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.’ (Ps.95:4-5) More gospel truth my brethren, since the Lord made the universe and all therein and still controls it with His mighty right hand!
Therefore the psalmist next words are quite in order. ‘O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation (rebellion), and as in the day of temptation (trial or testing) in the wilderness: When your fathers proved me, and saw my work. (Ps.95:6-9)
Oh Friends, that would be so foolish on our part, especially since we now know about Jesus and all the wonderful things He has to offer.
Now listen to what happened to those foolish forefathers of ours. ‘Forty years long was I grieved (was I disgusted) with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err (go astray) in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter my rest.’ (Ps.95:10-11)
And my people, our God wasn’t joking nuh, for none of those who left Egypt ever entered the Promised Land besides Joshua and Caleb. Even the great messenger of God, Moses, only saw the Promised Land in the distance from a hill top.
So my people, please don’t be taken in by the false and deceitful promises of the evil world, for our God might be very LOVING and generous and magnanimous, but He values obedience to His will above everything else, and His wrath is not something we ever want to feel.
And also, if you should hear Him knocking on the door of your heart today, be wise, please open it with a big, glorious and welcoming smile, for He is the only One who can give us all that we need, both down here on earth, and in heaven above. Much LOVE!
…when you open your heart to Jesus…all heaven shouts for joy…for one more is added to the godly flock…
05 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adoptees, atonement, became as dead men, blessings, Christ is risen from the grave, Christendom, come see the place where the Lord lay, compassion, countenance like lightning, cramp your style, death, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, earthquake, Easter Sunday, eternal life, evil cohorts, fear not ye, for he is risen, forgivenss, Galilee, glory to God, grace, Hallelujah, Happy Easter, He is not here, hell, idle tales, Jesus, Jesus Christ, linen clothes, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, Mary Magdalene, mercy, overstanding, Peter, reconciliation, resurrection, rise again from the dead, sepulchre, Simon Peter, sinless life, they believed them not, tomb, touch me not, understanding, wicked minions, wisdom, ye seek Jesus which was crucified
Matthew 28:6. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
HAPPY EASTER !
Oh Friends, it’s Easter Sunday… and the promise has come! Yes my people, the promise has come! It certainly didn’t tarry long; for Jesus Christ is risen…He is risen… Jesus Christ is risen indeed my faithful brethren!
And all God’s children burst out in joyful song: ‘He is risen, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Christ is risen! Let the whole world sing, Christ is risen, Christ is risen from the grave! He is risen, He is risen! Oh Christ is risen from the grave! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Let the whole world sing, Christ is risen from the grave!’
Oh what a joyful day in Christendom my people, for Christ’s resurrection means that He has conquered, He has mightily defeated once and for all time hell, death and the grave! He has put Lucifer and all his evil cohorts to flight, has them running for their very lives! Oh what a wonderful Lord and Saviour is our Jesus! He sacrificed His sinless life for us unworthy humans…Glory to God!
That means a whole lot of wonderful things are now open and readily available to us. We’re talking about blessings like atonement, reconciliation, grace, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, LOVING-kindness, eternal life, wisdom and understanding – or as the Rasta breddren say, ‘overstanding.’ For how can it be good if it’s under eh? Hn, hn! It has to be over to be better than average.
Yes Friends, however you want to put it, this Easter Sunday morn is a most beautiful, exciting, wonderful and promising time in the life of mankind! Even the Father is flashing a big happy smile, because He now has His BELOVED Son back, and a whole new set of adoptees because of it. Wow! The world is now a much better place!
Oh my people, let’s certainly enjoy the time, but please don’t get too carried away, because Lucifer and his wicked minions are still around, hungry and looking for any available soft spot to invade our spiritual lives. So during this weekend’s celebrations, let’s once more invoke Granny’s words of wisdom: ‘Sonny boy, please, please remember that drunk or sober, to mind yuh business!’
Oh Friends, I’m not trying to cramp your style, or restrict your celebrations, but it’s just that when we get to celebrating, especially such a joyful occasion as Jesus’ resurrection, we tend to go overboard, and that’s when Lucifer is going to trip us up and make us fall. And we definitely don’t want that at any time at all. So please be careful, do observe a modicum of circumspection in your celebrations. (smile)
Now let’s hear what the Good Book has to say about this joyous, most auspicious occasion. I’m going to try and combine the gospels so that they read sequentially. And as the scholars note: ‘All four Gospels essentially agree in reporting the facts of the Resurrection. The variety of details in each account supplement rather than contradict one another.’
Sometime during the early morning hours of the Resurrection day things got moving, as Matthew tells us: ‘And behold there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door (of Jesus’ tomb), and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment (clothing) white like snow. And for fear of him, the keepers (guards) did shake, and became as dead men.’ (Matt.28:2-4)
The scholars inform us that ‘The earthquake and the angel who rolled away the stone, did not come to let Jesus out of the tomb, but to reveal that it was empty and that He was already gone.’
Now Mark joins the story: ‘And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came upon the sepulchre (tomb) at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great (large). (Mark16:1-4)
‘And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.’ (Matt.28:5-6) ‘But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee, as he said unto you. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed:’ (Mark 16:7-8)
‘And they returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest… And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.’ (Luke 24:9,11) But ‘Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple (whom Jesus LOVED), and came to the sepulchre (were going to the tomb). So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin (face cloth) that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together (folded) in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and he believed. For as yet they knew not (understood) the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.’ (John 20:3-10)
The scholars explain: 20:8-9. Believed. For as yet they knew not: They believed Jesus was alive, not yet knowing the details of His resurrection.’
‘But Mary stood without at (outside of) the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept , she stooped down , and looked into the sepulchre. (This was Mary’s second visit) and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
And when she had thus said, she turned herself back (around), and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence (carried him away), tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself and said unto him, Rabboni, which is to say Master (Teacher). Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not: for I am not yet ascended unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things to her.’ (John 20:11-18)
The scholars explain: 20:17. Touch me not is a present imperative, forbidding the continuation of an action already begun. “Stop clinging to me” is a helpful paraphrase. Compare with verse 27, where one week later, we are told He encouraged Thomas to touch Him. I am not yet ascended: “Do not worry, I am not leaving immediately.”
Oh Friends, I know that that was not perfect, but I do hope that it gives you some continuity in your reading of Jesus’ Resurrection. Now get thee out to church and celebrate, worship, and praise our wonderful God and Saviour, for the great gifts of salvation and eternal life that came our way on this special day. Enjoy yourselves with your friends and family too, but remember don’t overdo it. Happy Easter! Much LOVE!
…the greatest words ever spoken…He is risen…Jesus Christ is risen indeed…
04 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cold heart, a God afar off, Am I a God at hand, ascend up into heaven, believing in God, Christ Cathedral, christianity, climb over, common sense, Crystal Cathedral, do not let me quit, dr robert h schuller, dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Easter Saturday, esophageal cancer, faithful, fill heaven and earth, fruitful service, give up easy mentality, godly wisdom, gospel truth, Gramps Schuller, hands on, harvest season, hiding from God is impossible, Hour of Power, Hour of Power Devotional, I've been born again, if I take the wings of the morning, it will not tarry, Jeremiah, Jesus, lackadaisical, Lord when I face a mountain, LOVE, make my bed in hell, Mountain Mover's Prayer, Norman Vincent Peale, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, pass through, patience, perception, positive faith, positive thinking, Possibility Thinker's Creed, possibilties, season of the soul, shall thy hand lead me, Shepherd's Grove, spiritual life, spring time experience, strength to keep on striving, tunnel underneath, wait pateintly, where shall I flee from thy presence, whither shall I go from thy spirit, winter time, Winter's Cold, with eager expectation
Psalm 139:7. Whither shall (where can) I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall (where can) I flee from thy presence?
Ah Friends, two very important people in my life have died in the last two days. Yesterday it was Jesus, the day before it was Gramps Schuller – Robert H Schuller (1926-2015), the visionary who melded Christianity with the Positive Thinking of Norman Vincent Peale.
Gramps Schuller was the man who began a church in Orange County in California in a drive in theatre, where he would preach from the rooftop of the snack bar, while his wife Arvella played the organ. Then he went on to build a drive in church, and then the fabulous glass based Crystal Cathedral. How could you build a glass cathedral in California, with all it’s eartquakes and seismic faults, unless you had great vision and strong, positive faith in Almighty God?
I was introduced to him some years ago by my mother, via the Hour of Power programme on television, and I believe of all the ministers I’ve listened to He impressed me the most, both by what he said and how he said it. He was always enthusiastic and positive, and I know some people criticized him for that. But what’s wrong with having a positive outlook in Christianity eh?
What did Jesus preach about? Believing in God, but you can’t truly believe in anything with a negative mind set. Jesus never went around sour and miserable and negative as a lot of Christians think they should.
And here is Gramps Schuller’s ‘Possibility Thinker’s Creed,’ or what some refer to as ‘The Mountain Mover’s Prayer.’ ‘Lord, when I face a mountain, do not let me quit. Give me the strength to keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, or tunnel underneath. And if my best efforts fail, give me the patience to stay and the perception to see the possibilities of turning my mountain into a gold mine with your help. Amen.’
Now tell me what’s wrong with that eh Friends? Not a single thing! It’s certainly the attitude we supposed Christians ought to adopt, instead of the lackadaisical, give up easily mentality that so many of us have. And I can still remember Gramps Schuller some years ago reading these verses from Psalm 139, including our Bit. The way he delivered them was very expressive, and oh so powerful:
‘Whither shall (where can) I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall (where can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there, If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.’ (Ps.139:7-10)
Oh Friends, that’s obviously gospel truth, but Gramps Schuller made you feel it. I don’t know about anybody else nuh, but as far as I am concerned the Hour of Power was the BEST programme on the tube when it originated from the Crystal cathedral! I say that because it was a beautiful visual production, and you got a wonderful blend of everything; religion and church, interviews with interesting people, and by far the BEST music. The Hour of Power Choir is still my favourite.
It’s sad though that in 2011 the Crystal Cathedral had to be sold into bankruptcy because of a large debt, family feuds and other internal wrangling. It just goes to show that even in the best, or most religious families, there can be serious problems. And who do you think bought the Crystal Cathedral and renamed it Christ Cathedral? The Catholic Church of Orange County California.
Anyway, the Hour of Power Programme is still on the tube, but comes from a smaller, ex-Catholic church, called Shepherd’s Grove. It is run by Gramps Schuller’s grandson, Bobby. It doesn’t make such a big splash, as it did in the Crystal Cathedral, but it’s still amongst the best and most wholesome viewing on the tube.
Dr. Schuller was also a prodigious writer, penning some 50 books, with at least five of them best-sellers on the New York Times list. He apparently passed away in a nursing home from esophageal cancer that struck him in 2013. Regular readers of the Bit know that I hold him in high esteem and often feature some of his stuff from the Hour of Power Devotional.
Here is a passage from yesterday’s journal. It’s titled ‘Winter’s Cold,’ and it says: ‘I never fail to remind new Christians who join our church that there are seasons in the spiritual life. For most people the beginning of the Christian life is a spring time experience. The icy sea of doubt is broken; a new life springs from a cold heart. No wonder people describe it by saying, “I’ve been born again!” This is the springtime season of the soul.
When the Christian matures through the disciplines, there is growth, sometimes painful, in exposure to the summer sun and wind, and finally the ripening of the fruit. The harvest season arrives and you offer to God the fruit of a life of service. And, strangely, it is after a period of fruitful service that the winter time comes.’
Ah Friends, how true that is, especially in Dr. Schuller’s life. After a long life of service to God and many successful seasons of harvesting good fruit, the winter of his discontent set in, through illness, family and financial problems. May he rest in peace with his God.
And we’ll end today with a scripture from Jeremiah that certainly validates our Bit and the verses that accompany it. The Lord’s talking about false prophets, and asks these questions? ‘Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.’ (Jer.23:23-24)
Oh Friends, our God is certainly a faithful, hands on, always right here by our sides God, not some fly-by-night, never present deity. And if we believe that He’s omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, then there’s no place in His universe that we can ever successfully hide from him.
Some of us foolishly try to do that though, but eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later, they will find that hiding from our God is simply impossible, and will instead run to His outstretched arms and enjoy the comfort and LOVE that’s waiting there for whosoever wants to embrace it.
That’s basic common sense and a touch of godly wisdom thrown in for good measure! (smile) Much LOVE my brethren on this Easter Saturday morning!
…just one more day…just one more day…so please wait patiently for it…with eager expectation…for it will come…the promise will come…it will not tarry…
03 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a holy and just God, accursed of God, agony, And they crucified him, atonement, Beelzebub, behold thy mother, bondage, breathed his last, Bruh David, brutality, Calvary, casting lots, crown of thorns, crucifixion, dastardly deed, diabolical, disfigured picture of Jesus, Easter Sunday, Eli Eli lama sabachthani, embrace Jesus, eternal life, eyes of faith, Father forgive them, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit, fear, fellowship, for thy know not what they do, forgiveness, free from the bondage of sin, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, gave up the ghost, generous help, Golgotha, Good Friday, greed, grin and bear it, gruesome scene, heartache, horrific, hot noonday sun, inhumanity, injustice, jeers, Jesus' sacrificial death, judgement day, lifeblood, LOVE, Lucifer, lust for power, makes countless thousands mourn, man's inhumanity to man, minions, mockery, mocking, my god why hast thou forsaken me, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, parted his garments, picture of Jesus, Psalm 22:18, reconciliation, relaxation, rest, resurrection, ridicule, sacrifice, salvation, saviour jesus christ, scourging, Simon of Cyrene, sin and suffering, sin-bearer, sins, spiritual death, sufferation, take up our crosses and follow Jesus, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that it might be fulfilled, the beginning of something good, the prince of darkness, today thous shalt be with me in paradise, torment of sin, unconditional LOVE, victory over hell death and the grave, Woman behold thy son
Matthew 27:35. And they crucified him, and parted (divided) his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted (divided) my garments among them, and upon my vesture (clothing) did they cast lots.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! And one we call Good Friday to boot. How can that be though, when such a dastardly deed, such a great injustice, a crucifixion, was perpetrated on a holy and sinless man two thousand years ago? How can it be that we call such a day good eh, especially when it was no ordinary crucifixion, but a horrific and cruel one, filled with all sorts of unimaginable brutality and inhumanity?
That’s the epitome of our saying that man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands suffer and mourn! But I guess we call it good because it was the beginning, the initializing of some thing good. Without that sacrifice on Good Friday, there would have been no resurrection on Easter Sunday, no victory over hell, death and the grave.
And it’s also good in the sense that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gave His life so that we could be free from the bondage of sin once and for all. We have to look at it that way Friends, otherwise it was just a brutal injustice.
And believe you me, Jesus paid a heavy, heavy price for our disgusting sins, for as we said above, it was no ordinary crucifixion, but a most cruel and heartless one, fuelled by fear and greed and the lust for power, the same things that are still controlling our world today.
Oh my people, please take a moment and consider the inhumanity that Jesus suffered before He even reached Calvary; the scourging, the spitting, the ridicule, the mocking, the slapping, the crown of thorns, the tearing of His flesh by the cruel whips with all sorts of sharp things attached meant exactly for that purpose.
In this modern day and age, although we’re still cruel, I don’t think we can truly capture the thoroughly disfigured and tattered picture of Jesus when He came out of Pilate’s place, then was given His cross to carry, though He could barely walk and His wounds were by then terminal. It was only a matter of time.
It’s a good thing that somebody had the bright idea to get Simon the Cyrene to help Him bear the cross, otherwise I doubt He would have made it to Golgotha that evil place of the skull, which we Christians now term Calvary, a much nicer name. Then being made to lie outstretched on two planks of wood and nailed to them with huge metal nails, in such a way that death would be painful and prolonged. Steups!
Can you imagine that gruesome scene Friends, of Jesus being put to lie down on the cross and nailed to it, then have it raised upright and what little lifeblood He had left, being set to drain slowly and painfully out of Him? And to make matters worse, they crucified Him between two common criminals. Chuh!
Ah mih people, can you look through your eyes of faith and see Jesus, all torn and tattered, just languishing up there on that cross in the hot noonday sun? Believe me Friends, it was definitely no little price that Jesus paid for the banishment of our sins nuh! That’s what you call real ‘sufferation.’ The Father really put it to Him.
In my humble opinion it did not have to be so cruel, but I guess it just goes to show how disgusting and diabolical sin is and was, and that the only way to truly get rid of it was by a serious sacrificial death of a sinless person. And unfortunately Jesus was the ONLY ONE who fit that description.
It also shows how serious the Father is and was about His dislike for sin, if He could allow such terrible atrocities to be performed on His only Son. If you think it hurts us, just imagine the heartache He must have felt nuh, seeing His Son go through so much agony, and knowing that He could stop it with a simple word, but also knowing that if He did, sin would then forever run rampant throughout His universe, with no end in sight, and the evil Lucifer would have won the war.
Being a holy and just God, He just could not allow that, so like we say, He just had to grin and bear it. And yet we still doubt His wonderful and unconditional LOVE for us!
What hurts too Friends, is that after that most expensive price Jesus paid for our forgiveness, for our reconciliation and atonement, for our salvation and eternal life, so many of us simply ignore Him, or don’t take him as seriously as we should.
That’s not only unfortunate my brethren, but rather foolish, for if we don’t embrace Jesus and all that He stands for then we’ll still end up in the pool of fire come the judgement day with the wicked Beelzebub and all his other minions, and His sacrifice would have been worthless.
Oh Friends, the Father sent His son to pay the price for our abominable sins because He did not want to lose even one of His most wonderful creations, mankind, to Lucifer. So why aren’t we being wise and truly accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour eh? That’s the multi-million dollar question?
Instead, we’re sadly moving away from Him in droves, embracing the worthless and sinful stuff of the world, foisted on us by the prince of darkness and his evil lackeys. That’s only going to bring us more sin and suffering, and it’s oh so foolish, when Jesus has already paid the price for us to be free from the bondage and torment of sin.
But yuh know what my brethren, Jesus was such a mighty and majestic man, that throughout it all He didn’t complain. He knew that that was the reason for which He was made man, and though He pleaded some with the Father to change the plans, deep down He knew that it was not going to happen, so again, like we all have to do at times, He just grinned and bore it.
He withstood the mockery and jeers and otherwise that were hurled at him while He hung there limp and helpless on the cross. The only sad words that reached His lips on the cross were as the Good Book says: ‘And about the ninth hour (noon) Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt.27:46)
Yes Friends, in that moment, as the scholars explain; ‘Here we have the high cost to Christ of His atonement for our sins, who was accursed of God as our sin-bearer, (cf.2 Cor.5:21; Gal.3:13) and suffered the agony of spiritual death for us.’
Ah mih breddren, as our Bit so sadly says too: ‘And they crucified him, and parted (divided) his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted (divided) my garments among them, and upon my vesture (clothing) did they cast lots.’ That prophecy comes from Psalm 22:18, words of Bruh David.
But you know what Friends, Jesus is so beautiful, that even on the cross He still reached out to us. He pleaded with the Lord; ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34) Then to one of the criminals who were crucified with Him and who embraced His sanctity as they hung there together, He sincerely promised: ‘Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.’ (Luke 23:43)
And to show how much He cared for His mother, the Good Book tells us: ‘When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he LOVED (John), he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.’ (John 19:26-27)
What’s left to be said eh, my people? Only this: ‘And when Jesus had cried with aloud voice, he said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost (breathed his last).’ (Luke 23:46)
Oh Friends, on this solemn Friday which we call good, and on which we didn’t even shout for joy, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ since most people are already off work, for it’s a public holiday in most places, let’s Chant our Friday Chant nonetheless as we spend the day in worship and ponder what the day means to us as a congregation, as well as individuals.
Let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Oh my people, it’s long and somewhat involved. (smile) But that’s what I was guided to write. I just hope it brings home to us the real hefty price that Jesus paid for our sins to be forgiven, and brings us ever closer to Him. Much LOVE!
…to all serious believers…today…let’s take up our crosses and follow Jesus…for that’s what he desires of us…
02 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: action, all things work together for good, Anselm, be brave, be content, be strong and of a good courage, beseeched the Father, Bruh David, buckle down, challenge, Christian, comfort, controversy, convenience, Cousin Sol, covetousness, endured, even unto death, fear not neither be dismayed, fight for what we know is true, fly by night operator, give up, God's will, gospel truth, great drops of blood, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, his sweat, Holy Thursday, I will never leave you, inner circle, Israelites, Jesus never wavered, Jesus talked His talk, Jesus walked His walk, Jesus' crucifixion, Jesus' death, Joshua, LOVE, loving kindness, mental anguish, mettle, modern day life, Moses, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, our duty as believers, prayed fervently, promise of Almighty God, quit you like men, roll over and play dead, rough times, sacrifical death, selfish desires, serious agony, sins, stand fast in faith, stand up strong and steadfast, sterner stuff, sufferation, take away the cup, tarry ye here, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord goes before thee, the Lord will be with thee, the measure of a man, the sacrificial Lamb, them that love God, thy will be done, to them called according to His purpose, true images of Christ, watch with me, watch ye, wisdom, words of advice
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Well Friends, it’s finally Holy Thursday; the day before the Big Day, meaning Jesus’ crucifixion. It ought to be a day of heartfelt prayer and introspection, pondering exactly what Jesus and His unbearable suffering and His sacrificial death truly means to us.
Remember, Jesus wasn’t some fly by night operator. He talked His talk, but even more importantly, walked that talk! And we need to check up on ourselves to see whether we are doing the same, or simply just talking the talk and not backing it up with sincere action.
Just think about Jesus’ mental anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before he was sacrificed for our abominable sins. The Good Book tells us he prayed, prayed fervently, saying to His inner circle of Peter, James and John: ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here and watch with me.’ (Matt.26:38)
He even beseeched the Father a couple times to take away the cup, relieve Him of His duty to die as the sacrificial Lamb. But please note Friends, that in each case He ended with the fateful words, ‘Thy will be done.’ (Matt.26:39,42)
Yes Friends, though Jesus’ soul was in serious agony, to the point where ‘his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground,’ (Luke 22:44) yet He never wavered from the plan the Father had set for Him.
Oh my people, are we made of such mettle, of such sterner stuff? Do we faithfully resign ourselves to God’s will, even though the circumstances are extremely difficult, and sometimes look impossible?
Oh, I know it’s not always easy to do, but it is our duty as believers to buckle down and do God’s will, forgetting our own selfish desires. And that’s the only way we will ever become true images of Christ, as God desires us to be.
Modern day life is so easy that we complain about simple set backs or difficulties. But my people, that’s not being like Jesus at all! And my Friend Anselm’s quote for today, inspiring us for a better tomorrow is a rather appropriate one for our purposes.
It says: ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Our true measure of a man, of a Christian is where we stand when the challenges and controversies face us. Do we give up, roll over and play dead? Or do we stand up strong and steadfast and fight for what we know is true and what we sincerely believe in?
You know we ought to be in the latter group, as Christ was. Look at the ‘sufferation’ He endured for our sakes, without complaining. That’s how we are expected to operate too, though we will never reach to the heights that Jesus did.
And the wonderful thing about it all my fellow believers, is that we have the sincere and faithful promise of Almighty God in our Bit to help us through whatever comes against us. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Wow! How cool is that eh people! And a few verses before that, Moses told the Israelites: ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.’ (Deut.31:6-7)
So Friends, in just three verses, Moses told both the Israelites and Joshua that they had to be strong, face up to their tasks like good soldiers, because if they did, the Lord their God would certainly look after them.
Oh my people, the same promise is extended to us today. Bruh Paul puts it like this: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Acts 8:28)
So when ever we are called by God, His LOVING-kindness will always be with us, regardless of the way the situation looks. We need to remember that and act on it my brethren.
Now listen to what Bruh David told Cousin Sol when he handed over the building of the Lord’s temple to him. ‘And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.’ (1 Chr.28:20)
Oh Friends, oh Friends, what wonderful words of advice from a father to a son! And that advice must also reverberate amongst us today. It’s also what the Lord told Joshua, as we saw yesterday. ‘Be strong and of a good courage.’ (Josh.1:6) And Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men (be brave), be strong.’ (1 Cor.16:13)
Oh Friends, I can’t think of a better way to end this morning than with those words of encouragement, which we so badly need in these generally rough times, and on this occasion when we remember and relive Jesus’ upcoming death.
Please be strong and of a good courage, for that’s mark of a true Christian, and also the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness…and be content with such things as ye have…for he hath said…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee…’ (Heb.13:5)
01 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Father who cares, a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night, alive and kicking, almighty god, ambassadors for Christ, And the Lord he goes before thee, April Fool, as I was with Moses, bondage, christ is alive, comfort, crumbling state of mind, discontent, doomed to death, Easter, encouraging, eternal life, eternal separation, eternity, evil minions, faith, fear, fear not neither be dismayed, freedom from sin, friends, gladness, glory to God, go astray, God's grace, gospel truth, grace, greatest gift ever offered to man, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, heartache, heartbreak, holy spirit, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Jesus is for real, Joshua, lie down in green pastures, LOVE, merciful and gracious God, mercy, Moses, negative emotions, on the cross at Calvary, paths of righteousness, physical action, power, precautions, promises, reconciliation to God, reignite God's image in our hearts, rekindle God's fire in our souls, righteousness., sacrifical death, salvation, solace, stand on His ever-faithful promises, strife, the Lord's work, the most important person in the universe, the worst fate, transforming peace, truth, turn to God, unconditional LOVE, ungodly world, uplifting words, Wednesday, wisdom
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Well Friends, it’s a beautiful Wednesday morning in Holy Week! The sun’s shining, the birds are a singing, but sadly, all’s not right with our world. It is filled with too many negative emotions and the strife and discontent that they bring. But it’s important to realize that our great God is still on His throne watching over things, in full control of it all.
We might not understand why He’s allowing all the negativity to continue, but rest assured that He, with His higher wisdom and understanding, knows what He’s doing. That’s the only way we can endure the evil and ungodliness that’s currently festering the soul of our world.
I guess the ole fella’s a bit tardy this morning too. But there’s good reason for my tardiness. I was about the Lord’s work, at a meeting in the church last night, which finished later than I expected, and by the time I got home and did my own thing, it was minutes to two in the morning.
And that’s no April Fool’s joke, it’s the gospel truth. (smile) And the ole bod refused to get up until it was well rested and refreshed, able to take on the rigours of writing the Bit. So what can I say eh? (smile)
But Friends, can you imagine that’s it’s already April? The year of 2015 is surely winging its merry way along without any thought to whom or what it leaves behind. Therefore, I beseech us to take the necessary precautions not to be caught up in that situation.
We have to be aware of what’s going on around us and play our part, which is an ambassadorial role for Jesus Christ. We have to get out there and let the world know that He’s alive; alive and kicking, kicking very hard too.
And especially at this most important time in our Christian Calendar, Easter, we’ve got to shout it out, let the world know that Jesus is still the most important person in the universe, and without Him in our lives, we are doomed to death and eternal separation from God Almighty!
And as I keep reminding us, that’s the worst fate that can ever befall a human being. So please, let’s get a move on in our personal lives nuh, let’s rise to the glorious occasion and show the unbelieving world that Jesus is for real, that what He stands for is of much more benefit than what the ungodly world and its evil minions have to offer.
Jesus‘ free gift of salvation through His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary, engendered by God’s grace and unconditional LOVE, beats anything that this sinful world has to offer. It’s the greatest gift ever offered to man; freedom from sin, reconciliation to God, and eternal life with Him.
What could be sweeter and more fulfilling than that eh mih people? NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
So let’s not forget that and allow the world to fool us into thinking that its earthly benefits are better than the heavenly ones. Our salvation and where we spend eternity depends on it.
Enough with the preaching though, (smile) let’s hear this most appropriate plaintive cry from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘At Such Times,’ and says: ‘God, there are times In the midst of heartache and heartbreak When there is no comfort, no solace Anywhere at all.
There are times When in my crumbling state of mind I feel I can no longer endure – Not for a day, not even an hour. It is at such times, O God That I draw heavily Upon your unfathomable LOVE. At such times I explore Your transforming peace.
At such times I live By the power and promises Of a Father who cares infinitely more Than I can begin to grasp or comprehend. Today, dear God, is a “such time.”
Oh my fellow believers, isn’t that beautiful? It shows us exactly where we need to turn and what we have to do when times get rough, as they so often are in our present age. Turn to God and stand on His ever-faithful promise! It has worked for numerous believers for eons, and will continue to work until time everlasting!
And the promise for that poem is our Bit for today: ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Oh my brethren, what encouraging and uplifting words! Only a powerful Deity, One who is confident and comfortable in His own figurative skin, can make such a bold and forthright promise! And it sets the tone for all our endeavours even up to this day, centuries after it was made.
And our God not only talks, but takes firm action on behalf of His people, as He did with the Israelites when he brought them out of bondage in Egypt, by putting the words of our Bit into physical action.
Hear these words from the Good Book. ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex.13:21-22)
What a merciful and gracious God we worship my Friends! And the good thing about all that is that He is till leading us today, not necessarily by pillars of clouds and fire, but in so many different ways, individually and collectively. The problem though is that we are often too busy or lazy to hear and see His leadership in our lives.
But Friends, I want to tell us that that is an integral part of our earthly lives, and until, and unless we embrace His grace and mercy and listen to His direction and plan for our lives, we will most definitely go astray and not live the life that He had planned for us.
Now let’s end with another scripture verse of enormous proportions, of wonderful encouragement and promise. This is when the Lord promoted Joshua to the Israelite leadership after the death of Moses. The Lord told him, man to man: ‘There shall not be any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh.1: 5)
Oh my people, my people, what a glorious promise, one that the Lord fulfilled in spades. Once Joshua stayed faithful and followed His lead, all things worked together for his good. The same still goes for us today, my brethren.
Once we walk faithfully with the Lord, He will be faithful to us and lead us in the paths of righteousness, making us to lie down in green pastures, beside restful waters, and restore our souls, all for His name’s sake. Glory to God my brethren!
So please, let’s take firm hold of the promise in our Bit today and go out and be the best we can be for Jesus. I pray this in His holy name. Amen! Much LOVE!
…Oh Lord…please reignite your image in our hearts…rekindle your fire in our souls…so that we can LOVE You as we ought to…and do Your bidding without fear…but with gladness and joy…
30 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, bated breath, blessedness of forgiveness, blessings, cleansing, cleansing blood of Jesus, complaining, confess, daily grind and common task, deceit, divine instruction, energy, eternal life, evil, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, guile, gusto, happiness, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, heaven, holy spirit, humble servants, if we confess our sins, iniquity, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, loving god, loving kindness, moaning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Palm Sunday, personal witness, prayer, psycholigical effects, rejuvenation of spirit, righteousness., salvation, sin, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, succour, summer drought, the fool says there is no god, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, transgression, trust, ungodly world, vitality, wisdom
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Well my people, unfortunately the weekend is now over. Chuh! Hope you had a good, godly and restful one, and that you joyfully participated in the Palm Sunday celebrations of your church. Now though, it’s time to get back to the daily grind and common task that that wonderful day called Monday brings. (smile)
Ah well, we don’t have much choice but to go out and labour if we want to make a living, so why make it even more difficult by moaning and complaining when we don’t have much choice in the matter eh? It makes no sense at all. So the sooner we come to terms with it, the better it will be for all of us.
And to help us do just that, let’s voice our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with great gusto and tremendous energy…. Hn, hn! Awright, I know that many of you can’t get up to that kind of speed yet, so don’t worry, just give it your best shot.
Altogether now: ‘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 that wasn’t too bad at all Friends! It wasn’t spectacular, and didn’t draw any encores from heaven, but it was better than I expected. (smile) So now that the adrenalin is fuelling us, let’s get up to true speed by doing what our Bit advises, so that we can clear our souls, make them right with the Father, and thus be truly empowered to go out and do a wonderful job for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, namely living a life that will encourage others to want to know Him.
‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Oh Friends, those are such mighty words of truth that they leave no room for any doubt whatsoever! That is exactly why we have been exploring our souls during this Lenten season, trying to clean them up, and why we’re waiting with bated breath for the duration of this Holy Week, when Jesus sacrificed His sinless life so that if wanted, our souls would be washed clean of sin and we’d have a chance to be reconciled to our heavenly Father.
That’s what Good Friday and Easter Sunday are all about my people; the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins and live eternally with our LOVING God!
But please note my brethren, we have to want that cleansing badly enough to first believe in Jesus, and then embrace that opportunity with serious action. It doesn’t just fall in our laps. We have to play a wise and sensible part in the partnership. God has done His part; providing salvation, it’s now up to us to accept or reject it.
And believe me Friends, there is no greater joy to be had on this earth than forgiveness of sins. Listen to Bruh David tell it from Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness. ‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not (does not charge his account with) iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile (deceit).
When I kept silence, my bones waxed (grew) old through my roaring (groaning) all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture (my vitality) is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found; surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.’ (Ps.32:1-6)
Oh my people, my people, what joyful words! And the scholars explain them better than I can. ‘Psalm 32. The psalm describes the blessedness of forgiveness as no other does. This is the theme of especially the first five verses, which include the happiness of the forgiven man (vv.1-2), the physical and psychological effects of unconfessed sin (vv.3-4), and the simple remedy of confession to obtain God’s forgiveness (v.5).
On this basis David can experience prayer (vv.6-7), divine instruction (vv.8-9) and personal witness (vv.10-11).’
Now if that was good for Bruh David, why wouldn’t be good for us eh Friends? In fact it should be even better for us since we now have the overwhelming sacrifice and cleansing of Jesus’ precious blood. So please my brethren, let’s wisely look to Jesus for succour and salvation nuh. It’s the only way to get to heaven and enjoy eternal life! Much LOVE!
…the fool hath said in his heart…there is no God…and that’s exactly why he is a fool…
26 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, abyss of sin, all is well, allergies, as wool, ask for guidance, atonement for sins, be acceptable in thy sight, be reasonable, believers in Jesus, bloodguiltiness, Bruh David, caffeine, cleanse, come to God, condemnation of sin, confess our sins, confession, covenants of God, devoured by the sword, do what is right, dominion, dungeon of sin, eat of the good of the land, errors, eternal damnation, forgiveeternal life, friends, glorification of God, glory hallelujah, God's gracious invitation, good for the soul, gospel truth, guilt, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, hearsay, if we confess our sins, iniquity, innocent, Isaiah, Israel, keep a sharp eye, late morning, late nights, life-changing grace of God, living colour, living truth, LOVE, love is like wildflowers, Love makes the world go round, loving kindness, magnanimous god, mercies, money, money makes the world go round, most wonderful God, obedience, obediently, our Lord and Saviour, penitent heart, personal experience, pilgrim's journey, prayer, presumptuous sins, put God first, reason together, rebel, red dye, red like crimson, Redeemer, refuse, repent, repentance, riding with Jesus, running around in the rain., Sacrifical Lamb, scarlet, secret faults, selflessly, sin, sorrow, strife, surrender your life to God, the meditation of my heart, the mouth of the Lord, the words of my mouth, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, transgression, travelling companion, truth, turn to God, watchword, white as snow, willing, wonders
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Ah Friends, it’s just one of those late nights that naturally morphed into a late morning. And running around in the rain yesterday didn’t help matters any, as my allergies are threatening to act up. (smile) But not to worry; the caffeine is hot, strong and sweet, and we’re riding along with Jesus, which means that all is well. Glory Hallelujah!
We couldn’t want, ask for, or find a better companion to journey with through this confused, troubled and sinful world. And the word for today is ‘LOVE!’
Oh my people, for serious believers in Jesus, LOVE should be our watchword each and every day, because that’s the quality that our Lord and Saviour put forth the most when He came to earth to be the sacrificial lamb for the atonement of our sins.
If He hadn’t LOVED us dearly and deeply, He would have remained resting on His laurels in heaven. But instead, He selflessly and obediently became man, became one of us, so that we could be released from the dark and dangerous abyss of sin in which we were then floundering.
Unfortunately though, too many of us are still floundering in that dark dungeon of sin. However, in keeping with our talk on LOVE, let me share a few words from my ‘p.s. I LOVE YOU’ poster, designed to bring out the LOVE in us. It says that, ‘LOVE is like wildflowers. It’s often found in the most unlikely places.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth Friends! LOVE, the real thing that is, often crops up in places we least expect to find it. So please, in our travels today, let’s be aware, let’s keep a sharp eye out for the LOVE we might find in those unusual places.
And though some say that it’s money which makes the world go round, I believe it’s LOVE! Just look at the numerous households and places where there’s plenty money, but also lot’s of strife and little or no LOVE.
Meanwhile, in so many other households and places, where there’s little or no money, but the absence of strife is very notable, and true LOVE abounds in abundance! (smile)
Oh Friends, our God is a most wonderful God, please believe that! But you won’t really experience Him in all His glory until you truly surrender yourself to His will and wise plan for your life. That’s when He shows up in bright and living colour!
In other words, God makes His move when we do as our Bit advises: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
And that’s the living truth, my brethren! I wouldn’t lead you astray. I’m talking from personal experience, not hearsay. When you put God first in your life and sincerely and diligently work towards obedience and His glorification, you’ll see wonders that you never dreamed of, or even imagined possible!
Yes Friends, until we come to God like Bruh David did in Psalm 38 – The prayer of a penitent heart – and earnestly declare: ‘For I am ready to halt (fall), and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity, I will be sorry for my sin.’ (Ps.38.17-18) We won’t fully experience the mercies and LOVING-kindness of our magnanimous God.
And He makes that abundantly clear from this passage in Isaiah, where he calls for repentance from His sinful people, Israel. ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat of the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:18-20)
Oh my brethren, it couldn’t be put any clearer and simpler than that. And believe me, that provision still stands today. That’s one of the reasons why our world is in such a disastrous mess; we are refusing and rebelling against the Lord.
And the scholars give us some good information, re those verses. ‘1:18-20. The prophet’s appeal to come and reason together reveals God’s gracious invitation to all men. It literally means to be “reasonable” by repenting and turning to God.
Their sin is described as scarlet and red like crimson, referring to their bloodguiltiness before God. The term crimson also means “worm,” referring to the colourfast red dye of the scarlet worm.
The eradication of this stain turns it snowy white and is symbolic of the life-changing grace of God, which delivers men from the guilt and condemnation of sin. Thus the prophet reminds his readers that God stands ready to cleanse and forgive all who turn to Him.’
And Friends, today, I’m re-reminding us of all of that! So please pay serious attention, for it can mean the difference between eternal life and eternal damnation!
And we’ll end with these most appropriate words from Bruh David from Psalm 19 – The creation and covenants of God. ‘Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great (much) transgression.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps.19:12-14)
Yes Friends, that is what we need to do today, as we make our pilgrim’s journey through this wicked and deceitful world! Let’s confess our sins, then ask for guidance to do what is right in the sight of the Lord.
If we’re sincere in our requests and desires, then His mercy and LOVING-kindness will be showered down on us, for that’s the faithful kind of Deity He is! Much LOVE!
…confession is good for the soul…and repentance leads to eternal life…
25 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 1 John, Adam and Eve, adulterous affair, agreed to disagree, almighty god, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, Bathsheba, belief in Jesus christ, best interests, blot out my transgressions, boss around, Bruh David, cancer, caring Deity, cleanse me from my sin, cleansing, come short of God's glory, confess sins, confession, confession of sins, conspirational tones, constant in our human nature, cover sins, Diana Chung Rampersad, draped him up, earthly suffering, eternal life, eternity, evil, faith, foolishness, for all have sinned, for mine own sake, forgiveness, forgiving nature, forsake sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, heavenly peace and joy, heinous sin, I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions, if we confess our sins, iniquiry, Jesus Christ, joy, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, loving kindness, magnificent and magnanimous God, mercy, Nathan, obey God, peace, power, prosper, provision, remember thy sins, reserve a spot with Jesus, reunion in heaven, roommate, scourge of this generation, see eye to eye, serve, shock, sin, sinful nature, sinfulness, strength, successful surgery, surprise, surrender, susceptible to sin, tender mercies, the answer to all our prayers, the cross at Calvary, the prayer of the righteous, the shed blood of Christ, the straight and narrow path, the truth is not in us, time of mourning, to stand strong, transgressions, Uncle Charles, unconfessed sin, unfortunate news, unrecognizable, Uriah, wash me, wasted away, we deceive ourselves, wisdom, wrath
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s heart is somewhat heavy this Wednesday morning after learning yesterday afternoon of the passing of my surrogate sister Diana Chung Rampersad in Trinidad.
You know it was one of those totally unexpected things. I saw the flashing red message light on the phone and idly wondered who was calling about what. Can you imagine my shock and surprise when I listened to the message bearing that most unfortunate news? She was younger than me. My condolences go out to her husband and two children and the rest of her family.
Ah Lord eh! And the sad part is that when I was in T&T last month I called her a couple times and left messages, but got no reply. I wondered why, but now I know that she was sick, on her death-bed with the scourge of this generation, cancer, in one of its many forms.
And it doesn’t seem as though the usual treatments made any difference to her condition. And I can imagine how wasted away she looked. For those of you who have had contact with the disease, you’ll know that it just eats you away, until sometimes you become unrecognizable. And she was always such a bright and perky person.
I first met Di many years ago when she became my mother’s roommate up here in Toronto. And though we didn’t always see eye to eye, we sort of agreed to disagree for my mother’s sake. I must say though that she cared a lot for my mother, even trying to keep that very independent lady on what she considered the straight and narrow path, which led my mother to refer to Di as her grandmother.
She was the only person who could boss around my mother and get away with it. Hn, hn! Sometimes though, Di would come to me and say in conspiratorial tones, ‘Randolph, your mother is something else yes!’ and then outline some unexpected doings of my mother.
My mother always considered Di to be the daughter she never had, and Di played that part very well and very faithfully, to the point of coming up here from T&T when my mother died and helping me with the funeral arrangements and cleaning up of her apartment.
Consequently, I can imagine their reunion in heaven must be a big one. They both have ended their earthly suffering and gone on to their heavenly peace and joy. There’s nothing better we can ask for.
This past week the Lord has also called home the fathers of two of my other friends, but they were somewhat older and been sick for a while, so it wasn’t so unexpected. I pray for all the families involved, that the Lord will give them the necessary strength and faith to stand strong in their time of mourning.
And last, but definitely not least, I pray for successful surgery in the U.S on my brother’s legs, for some vein problems. He had one leg done yesterday, and will have the other done tomorrow. Please offer a pray for Him too, since there’s great power in the prayer of the righteous.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, the same as yesterday. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Oh Friends, I don’t know about you all nuh, but I am ever so glad and grateful for that very forgiving nature of our God! It means that though we make mistakes, we don’t have to fear His awesome power, His wrath, because it is always clothed in LOVE and forgiveness.
And since we have a sinful nature by birth, it means that we will always be susceptible to sin. And as John wisely says in the verse before our Bit: ‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.’ (1 John 1:8) And that’s a fact my people. ‘For all have sinned, and come (fallen) short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23)
So sin is an unfortunate constant in our human nature since the fall of our forefathers Adam and Eve. But our God is such a wonderful and thoughtful and caring Deity, that He has made provision for our sinfulness, through the shed blood of Christ on the cross at Calvary and through our confession of those sins.
Listen to Cousin Sol from Proverbs 28. ‘He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.’ (Prov.28:13)
Oh my people, my people, what news can be better than that eh? Only eternal life through Jesus Christ! No other Deity operates like our great God! And yuh tell me I wouldn’t LOVE and serve and surrender my will to Him! Chuh! Pure foolishness my brethren, pure foolishness!
Right there is the answer to all our prayers: forgiveness of sins through confession, and eternal life through belief in Jesus Christ! That surely is the way, my people. There’s no other way on this fallen earth that makes any sense.
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Bruh David as he pleads for cleansing and forgiveness after his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, and arranging to have her husband Uriah killed in battle. He thought that he had gotten away with it, but when the prophet Nathan draped him up about it, he realized that the Good Lord had seen and taken notice.
So he pleads in Psalm 51: ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgression: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified (found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest.’ (Ps.51:1-4)
Yes Friends, though Bruh David had committed such a heinous sin, once he sincerely confessed it before Almighty God, he was granted mercy. The same thing goes for us even today. But we must confess the sins to be forgiven. ‘Unconfessed’ sin is definitely not in our best interests.
Now please don’t think that we won’t have to pay for our sins, because there are always consequences to them, but once confessed and forgiven they are thrown away, never to be remembered by God. Listen to this promise from Isaiah. ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.’ (Is.43:25)
Oh my brethren, we can’t ask for anything better than what our magnificent and magnanimous God has offered and provided; forgiveness from sin and eternal life through Christ Jesus.
So please let’s stop playing the fool here on earth with all its bright and glittering sin and shame, and instead get serious about our heavenly lives, reserve a spot in eternity with Jesus, for that’s the ultimate wisdom. Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) would say…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…that’s the best way to live this earthly life…
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