09 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a closer walk with Jesus, abuse, aches and pains, allergies, believers, bounden duty, cause people to err, Christ's Church, Christians, come together, corruption, despicable behaviour, devour, dirty politics, earthly benefit, earthly pilgrimage, encourage in the faith, evil intentions, fall off the wagon, feel old, fellowship, felt like a million dollars, God's help, God's house, greed, hale and hearty, hate good, imperative, infidels, insensitivity, Isaiah, Israel, Israel's behaviour, judgement, justice, kindle, knidergarten, Leaders, LOVE, love evil, loving kindness, make mistakes, mano a mano, Micha, mighty task, New Year's resolution, outreach, point of interest, praise and worship God, prevalent, prosper, right perspective, righteousness., rising of smoke, Sabbath Day, strengthen our faith, strong like an ox, Sunday, take serious action, testimony, things we have to suffer, ungodly world, walking with Jesus, weak and tired, weather is for the birds, wheezing, wickedness, wickedness burns like fire, with Jesus all things are possible
Isaiah 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed.
Oh Friends, it’s Sunday morning, time for some serious fellowship with other believers in God’s house, that is if you consider Sunday to be the Sabbath Day. But on whatever day you consider the Sabbath, I surely hope that you had wonderful fellowship with other like-minded Christians.
That’s because it is very important for believers to come together, at least once a week, to praise and worship God for His LOVING-kindness, to encourage each other in the faith, to make plans for outreach, and share our Christian testimony, for that’s the only way Christ’s church is going to prosper and be of some earthly benefit.
On a point of interest, we’re now 9 days into February, how is your New Year’s resolution of having a closer walk with Jesus holding up? I hope you haven’t fallen back into your old ways and habits, now that all the celebrations have ended, because it’s so easy to do. We all start out with good intentions, but good intentions alone don’t cut it; the action’s the thing!
So please let’s make this our first monthly check on how we’re doing, re that closer walk with the Saviour. Then, let’s do whatever it takes to either bring, or keep it in line with our most worthy objective. Remember, once you’re walking with Jesus, everything else will automatically fall into place. And it’s definitely too early for us to fall off the wagon! (smile)
Ah mih people, this weather is for the birds yes! Well not even for them, because most of them fly south as soon as it begins to get cold. I’ll have to find a way to do the same thing too yes, for while I was down south, I felt like a million dollars; hale and hearty, strong like an ox, no set of aches and pains, wheezing or allergies.
Hn! But I’ve only been back a couple days and already the old aches and pains are acting up, so are my allergies and the wheezing, plus I feel old, weak and tired. Ah Lord eh! The things we have to suffer on this earthly pilgrimage!
And though I have no doubts about being able to handle it with the Lord’s help, I still believe the weather down south suits me much better than this northern one, especially when we’re expecting more of that cold, white stuff today. (smile)
But unfortunately my brethren, that is not the main concern of our earthly lives – only wish that it was. What our Bit has to say is much more important. ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed.’
Ah Friends, the truth of that statement applies to this current society, or rather current world, possibly more than it did to the people of long ago Israel. For there is such blatant corruption, abuse, insensitivity, greed, evil intentions and dirty ‘politrics’ on display worldwide by our leaders, that it makes Israel’s behaviour seem like kindergarten!
And Isaiah had the right perspective and description for our despicable behaviour. ‘For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up (rising) of smoke.’ (Is.9:18)
Yes my fellow believers, if we allow the wickedness that’s currently permeating our society to continue, eventually it will consume us like an angry fire. Now is that what we want to happen to God’s beautiful planet Earth? I don’t think so. That means we believers have a mighty task ahead of us, to clean up the all-pervasive evil that is becoming entrenched around the world, in our society, and therefore in our lives and those of our families.
As I said yesterday, it’s not an easy task, or one for the fainthearted, but please remember, that with Jesus’ backing, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! That’s why a closer walk with Jesus is imperative; to strengthen our faith and have us taking serious action against the infidels of this evil, ungodly world.
Now listen to what the prophet Micah had to say about judgement on Israel’s leaders. ‘And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes (rulers) of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgement (justice)? Who hate the good, and LOVE the evil; who pluck (strip) off their skin from off them (My people), and their flesh from off their bones;
Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the cauldron. Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they behaved themselves ill (been evil) in their doings (deeds).’ (Mic.3:1-4)
Yes Friends, that’s exactly how it will be with our evil leaders! Exactly what they’ve done to the Lord’s people, will be done to them.
Oh my brethren, wickedness is so prevalent, perverse and pervasive across our modern world that it cannot be ignored. We believers have to rise up and fight it ‘mano a mano’ with God’s help, if we want to make it a better place for future generations. So let’s ponder on all we’ve read today, then ask God’s help to take the necessary action to help make right whatever is wrong in our world. That’s a believer’s bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…wickedness may prosper for a day…but righteousness will rule forever…
04 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, appreciative, awe struck lovers, Blessed be the God and Father, coconuts, Cowie's bakery, crying in my wine, currants roll, disobedience, divine truth, fry bake and saltfish, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God of my salvation, God's majesty, God's will, grace, Grange Beach, grateful, heavenly blessings, heavenly downpour, hell fire, highlights, hoping and praying, human ingenuity, ice cream, Jesus Christ, joy of life, knowledge, lavished, lord jesus christ, LOVE, loving kindness, mauby, memories, mentally and emotionally alert, mystery, new day rising, obeys, old times, out in the cold, Paradise, peace and awe, practical application, prayers, prudence, rejoice, right course of action, righteous person, shed blood of Jesus, shower of rain, sinful selves, sinful ways, sufferation, sweet Tobago, tarts, true nature of things, unconditional LOVE, understanding, undesrving souls, wisdom, wonderful god, wrath of God
Ephesians 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s moaning in his cups, crying in his wine, because he only has two more days left in Paradise. ‘Bahhh!’ Then I won’t be able to rise every morning, come out to my balcony and greet my wonderful God and the new day rising above the trees on the eastern horizon.
In two more days, I won’t be able to gaze out at the lush greenery and rejoice in the peace and awe of God’s majesty that it provides my soul. How sad my people. (smile) But as we keep saying, while there is life, there’s always hope, and while I’m alive, I will keep on hoping and praying that the God of my salvation will enable me to live out my days, or some portion thereof, in Sweet Tobago.
If it’s His will, then it will undoubtedly come to pass. But if not, then I will just have to grin and bear it. But in the meantime, I’m making memories so that in whatever physical space or state I might eventually find myself, there will be lots of joyful and entertaining thoughts flowing through my mind. For as we all know, memories are one of the few things which never leave us. So Friends, let’s all try and make as many good memories as possible today nuh, to enliven and enlighten our later years.
And mih breddren, I made some excellent ones yesterday. I don’t remember how it all went, but these are the highlights. I took my uncle Foster down to the airport around 9 a.m. to buy his ticket back to Trinidad. We also bought breakfast down there. Oh mih people, Tobago has certainly become a real food industry place; everywhere food is being sold.
We dropped him home, then came home ourselves, and had breakfast; fry bake and saltfish, washed down with some cold, gloriously tasting mauby. Hn! Then after writing the Bit, we headed for the beach.
In my contrariness (smile) and since I was the only one bathing, I went to Grange Beach, far from the madding crowd, and also close to an area in which I wanted to check out a friend. I was the only person on the beach, and though the tide was coming in, making the water somewhat choppy, I enjoyed myself. And while there, under a clear blue sky, a shower of rain suddenly came down.
Now the forecast had called for rain all day, but that was the first time we’d seen any. And Friends, just like there’s nothing sweeter than playing mas in rain, so there’s nothing better than being in the sea during a heavenly downpour! The pellets of heavenly blessing just kept falling on my head, as I laughed and swam, while the Duchess hid out in the car.
And since it didn’t make sense to come out of the water and get wet again in the rain, I just stayed there until the rain ended, some ten to fifteen minutes later. By the time I came out, an older Indian gentleman had set up a coconut stall by the side of the road, next to the beach, and since we hadn’t had any coconuts yet, we decided to check them out.
They weren’t bad, but the amusing thing is that while enjoying the nuts, the rain came down again. The wife ran back to the car, while I stood out there in my bathing trunks and my already wet towel around my neck, enjoying the coconut and chatting with the gentleman.
Some ten minutes later the rain ended and we headed out to find this friend, whom I’d been unable to find a couple days earlier. But this time with better directions, I eventually found him. His name is Rees Jack. Apparently he suffered a stroke some two months ago, which unfortunately left him with little movement on his right side. But thankfully, otherwise he was mentally and emotionally alert, and still full of the joy of life. We had a short but excellent visit, recalling old times.
That reminds me of another old friend that I’d visited two days before. His name is Harvey Anthony, and he’s sort of housebound too, the result of an infected wound on his right foot, which isn’t healing as it should because he’s also a diabetic.
Friends, please remember them in our prayers. Ask the Lord to heal and comfort them in their time of trial and need. For remember that prayer is the greatest power on earth, and that the prayer of a righteous person can be very effective.
Now after visiting Rees, we stopped in at Cowie’s Bakery in Carnbee, one of the oldest, and in my youth, the most popular bakery in Tobago. And though they now seem to be a shadow of their former selves, with much more competition around, they still have some of the finest baked goods around. Their butter bread is still to die for, while their coconut tart is the best I’ve tasted so far, and their currants roll is still mouth-watering.
After that, the Duchess and I ran around looking for food, but couldn’t find anything to thrill us, and we ended up in the mall, sitting on high chairs at a high table, eating ice-cream and gazing like awe-struck lovers into each other’s eyes. Hn, hn, hn! She might not agree with that description though. Then we came home and sampled the delights from Cowie’s Bakery. Now those were major good memories I made yesterday.
And finally let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’
And my fellow believers, as our Bit so wisely points out, and as I keep asking everyday, how can we not LOVE and serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, when He’s done so much for us, simply because of His great, unconditional LOVE for us undeserving souls?
Yesterday we talked about His redemption, forgiveness and showers of grace, through the shed blood of Jesus. Today let’s continue with a couple more verses of Bruh Paul’s first letter to the Ephesians, outlining how Jehovah God had planned to, and eventually redeemed us.
‘Wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence (understanding); Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.’ (Eph.1:8-9)
Ah Friends, yuh see again, that all the Lord has done is through His own LOVING-kindness, not through any actions on our part. In fact our actions would normally have caused Him to eradicate us. But His LOVE was so strong and awesome, that it caused Him to come up with a plan to save us from our sinful selves.
Now let’s hear the scholars’ comments on those verses. ‘1:8. This verse could be rendered, “He lavished upon us this grace which consists in all sorts of wisdom and prudence (or, insight). The word ‘wisdom’ refers to a knowledge of the true nature of things; prudence has to do with the practical application of this wisdom leading to the right course of action. But the specific “wisdom and prudence” Paul has in view here concerns a future aspect of God’s will, as delineated in verses 9,10.’
And re ‘1:9. This verse more precisely identifies that “wisdom and prudence” (v.8) that God lavished on us. This “wisdom and prudence” have to do with God’s making known unto us the mystery of his will. “Mystery” here refers to a divine truth that is incapable of being discovered by human ingenuity and that, until recently, has been kept secret. Why did God disclose this mystery to us? It was according to (because of) his good pleasure which he hath purposed (planned) in himself.’
So there we have it my fellow believers! God planned His plan, and when the time was right, laid it out one step at a time to his greatest creation, mankind. So why aren’t we more appreciative and grateful eh? I can’t explain it.
I can only say that if we don’t change our sinful ways and turn back to Almighty God soon, then many of us will be left out in the cold, or rather in the eternal ‘sufferation’ of hell fire. And I don’t think that is going to be a fun time. So please let’s err on the side of caution and wisdom. Much LOVE!
…to him who obeys the call of disobedience…will the wrath of God surely fall upon…
03 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adventures, almighty god, arguments, atonement, aura of love, bachelors, believers, benefits, bless, Blessed be the God and Father, blessings, captive, celebrations, Christ's blood, cold, common sense, confidence, Cross of Calvary, dancing, dark, disagreements, dungeons of hell, enemy's wiles, eternal life, eternity, forgiveness of sins, forsake, forsaken, future, God's favour, God's help, God's little Acre, good works, goodness of god, greatest gift, grin and bear it, harmony, heaven's happy today, heavenly Father, heavenly places, holy acceptance, holy spirit, home cooked food, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, lord jesus christ, loving kindness, Lucifer, memories, memory lane, obedience, Oh Lord God Almighty, Peyton Manning, planet earth, ponder, recollection, reconciled, redemption, rejuvenation of spirit, reminiscing, renewed vitality, sacrifice, sanctified, significant events, sinful state, singing, soulful, special relationship., spiritual blessings, Super Bowl, sure conquerors, tete a tete, the North Country, them's the breaks, two step dance, weary souls, wisdom
Ephesians 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday… And poor me, ah crying because is only three days left before I have to leave God’s Little Acre and return to the cold, dark, North Country. Steups! But what yuh going to do eh? Them’s the breaks! So you just have to grin and bear it. And most importantly, I know that our great and wonderful God will bless me wherever He leads me on His beautiful planet Earth.
So there’s really no need to worry, although the hot sun is much preferable to the cold one. (smile) Anyway, yesterday was a great day in memory lane travel. After writing the Bit, I went by Aunt Cicely for some home-cooked food. And it did taste better than and different to the store bought stuff I’ve been living on for most of the last two weeks.
Then my Uncle Foster came over and spent the night with us. We watched Barbados beat T&T in regional cricket competition, and Seattle blow out Denver in the overhyped Super Bowl. I felt real sorry for Peyton Manning though, because from the first snap of the ball, which went over his shoulder into the end zone, before he even appeared ready for it, you could tell that it would be a rough day for him.
Seattle however did deserve to win with their excellent play, both on defence, offence and special teams. That’s how teams are supposed to play; with all aspects positively contributing to the overall effort.
But Friends, yuh know in all the reminiscing that’s been going on for the past two weeks, last night’s was the most important, because my Uncle Foster and I had a very special relationship when we lived bachey (as bachelors) in Trinidad in the early 70’s. We made so many memories, or as he termed them adventures, that some he mentioned, I had no recollection of them whatsoever. He obviously remembers more of them than I do.
And yuh better believe that the Duchess and him had their own private tete a tete, reliving their own memories, since she was always his favourite. And though I tried to stay out of their business, they still found some way to gang up on me, like they did in the past. Anyway, it was a most excellent time, with some of everything involved, even serious arguments. But the disagreements didn’t last long, because that’s the way we’ve always been.
And now Friends, on this Monday morning in early February 2014, let’s raise the roofs of both heaven and earth, with a miraculous rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Let’s make it so sweet, that our Father in heaven will automatically get up from His throne and passionately begin singing the music and doing a feisty two step dance to it. (smile)
And remember my fellow believers, we can do anything with His help. So let’s sing up a godly storm. On three: one, two, three: ‘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 yes mih people! We did it! We did it! The soulful harmony touched our heavenly Father’s very soul, and had him up singing and dancing His own version of the two step. And can the Father move! You bet!
During that time, Jesus stood aside smiling, clapping and urging Him on, for it had been a long time since He’d seen the Father so happy that He wanted to bust a move. So we know for sure that heaven will be a somewhat happier place today, but what about planet earth eh?
It won’t be so great unless we believers get out there and work some good works for Jesus! And since we have the Father prepped and in the mood for celebrations, we can’t afford to let Him down now. So please Friends, let’s try our very best to walk worthy of Him today nuh.
And how can we even contemplate doing otherwise after looking at our Bit and the resultant benefits and blessings that flow from it? ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’
So let’s continue from where we left off yesterday; talking about how He predestinated us as His adopted children through Christ, through His fatherly LOVING-kindness. And why did He do all that?
‘To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (bestowed grace – favour – on us). In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.’ (Eph.1:6-7)
And since the scholars have excellent explanations of those verses, let’s hear them. ‘1:6. The reason God predestined us to be His sons (v.5) is expressed in the words to the praise of the glory of his grace, that is, in order to magnify the splendour of His goodness to us. Wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved may also read, “which (grace) He has bestowed on us by the Beloved.” Through Christ, we are the recipients of God’s unmerited favour.’
And there can be no argument about that Friends, for all our blessings, etc. etc. come straight from the goodness of the Father’s heart. That should be obvious, since in our natural, sinful state, we could never do anything to earn or even deserve His holy acceptance.
And re verse ‘1:7. Redemption referred to the release of a slave or captive upon receipt of ransom. But the following words, the forgiveness of sins, show “redemption” is used here in a moral sense. Christians are therefore released from their enslavement to sin and the resulting divine wrath. Redemption is effected for us through his blood, that is, by Christ’s atonement secured by His death on the cross.’
Oh my brethren, what else can we say but oodles of heartfelt ‘thank you’s’ to Almighty God, for the greatest gift ever bestowed on mankind, Christ’s atonement for our abominable sins on the cross of Calvary! What a blessed day! For without it, we would all be staring at a dark and disastrous eternity in the dungeons of hell, with Lucifer as our evil leader and companion.
However, fortunately for us, with Christ’s selfless sacrifice, His shed blood paid once and for all for all our sins, and now we’re able to look forward with great joy to spending eternity in heaven, holy, sanctified and reconciled to our Creator and Provider!
Wow! What a blessed future awaits us! So please my fellow believers, today, let’s ponder on those significant events, and try, with God’s help obviously, to bring our lives into line, into obedience with His plans for us. That’s the height of wisdom and common sense! Much LOVE!
…he who forsakes His Maker…will be forsaken by His Maker…as simple and straightforward as that…
18 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: beach, bless, blessings, call on God, Canada, captive's soul, christianity, Christians, clean spirit, confidence, connection to our heavenly Father, Connie Francis, contented, cut to the chase, dire siutations, direcct my prayer, drunk or sober, dry and thirsty land, early in the morning, fallible men, fight against God's will, friends, good news, good Samaritans, grace, guilty, hear my voice, heartfelt prayer, hot to trot, hunger and thirst for God, importance of prayer, joyful lips, learned my lesson, lifeline, longing flesh, look up, lost my way, LOVE, loving kindness, magnanimous god, man-made devices, mercy, mind your business, North country, onipotent, overflowing with thanksgiving, power and glory, praise, prayer, refuge, remember the cold, right heart, righteousness., satisfied soul, spirituality, strong breeze, sustenance, take my own advice, thirsty soul, umbilical cord, vacation, warm wind, wedding ring, wisdom
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning , O Lord; In the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Well Friends, the good news is that we’re somewhat earlier than we were yesterday, but we’re still not as early as I would like. Hopefully though, we’ll get better every day, and though I’m not making any promises because I’m on vacation – va-ca-tion – as the old pop song said, (smile) which I believe was sung by Connie Francis.
Anyway, at long last, on my third day in Paradise, I finally got the salt water that I’ve been so avidly desiring. I never rushed into it, partly because of the internet problems I was having, and also because I’ve learned my lesson from the time I went to California a few years ago.
That time I was real hot to trot, and though the sea was some distance away, and everybody else was too busy to accompany me, I jumped in the car and headed for the beach. Disappointingly, I ended up on a dismal patch of sand on the Pacific side, with cold, rough water, lost my wedding ring of thirty something years, then also lost my way back home.
But as always Friends, the Lord sent a couple of good Samaritans to help me out, and I returned home safely, having given my family some anxious moments. So now, with that lesson in mind, a rather expensive one, I’m trying my best not to fight against His will. Hn! Hn! I even ended up on two obscure beaches today since I didn’t feel like handling the crowds on the popular beaches.
The first, Arnos Vale beach, was a little too rocky and unpredictable underfoot for my liking. So after having a dip there, we hit Grange beach, which had better footing. And though they were both less than calm, I enjoyed Grange more because of the more sandy and predictable footing.
But brother, this area I’m in always seems to have a strong breeze blowing. Around 3 a.m. this morning, I was outside on the balcony and the wind was blowing so powerfully, that you would have thought a storm was blowing. It reminded be of the winds back in the North Country – only this wind was warm! (smile)
And as I was telling the Duchess earlier on, I feel somewhat guilty, because since I’m down here I don’t even remember the cold up in Canada. But as she so wisely said, I’d better forget the guilt and enjoy it, because we’ll soon be back in the cold. So I’m going to listen the duchess – as I always do anyway. (smile)
However my people, let’s cut to the chase and get into the Bit. I’m expecting some friends to come by and visit later, and today I intend to take my own advice; drunk or sober mind your business. Unfortunately I didn’t do that yesterday, so the Bit didn’t get done till very late, and I’m not going to allow it to happen again today.
So here goes: ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning , O Lord; In the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
Yes my brethren, prayer is our lifeline, our umbilical cord, our connection to our heavenly Father! And the good thing about it is that we don’t need any man-made devices to call on Him, just a right heart and a clean spirit.
So what scriptures pertaining to the importance of prayer in a believer’s life are we going to look at today? Let’s start with Psalm 63, where Bruh David talks about God satisfying the thirsty soul. That’s something he wrote while hiding out in the wilderness of Judah from his enemies.
And he begins it with this powerful verse: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where there is no water.’ (Ps.63:1)
Then not satisfied to stop just there, he continues to pour out his heart to his God. ‘To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary (so have I looked for thee out here). Because thy LOVING-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.’ (Ps.63:2-5)
Oh my fellow believers, is that the way we feel about our God? Is that the way we hunger and thirst for Him and His righteousness? And are our souls contented with His grace and mercy, so that we can praise Him with joyful lips? That is how it ought to be my brethren! And if we aren’t doing and feeling those things, then we’re foolishly missing out on a lot of God’s good blessings.
As the scholars say: ‘Psalm 63. The location of the writing of the psalm is described generally as in the wilderness of Judah. Unlike many of the psalms written in these dire situations, however, this psalm is overflowing with thanksgiving rather than lament and petition. David declares his longing for spiritual renewal (vv.1-2), he expresses his thankful mood (vv.3-6), he gives voice to his trust in God (vv.7-8), and he announces his hope for the future (vv.9-11). Enemies are mentioned only in passing (vv.9-10).’
Oh mih people, would we have been able to show such trust, desire and LOVE for God under such dire circumstances? I truly doubt it. We find it difficult to praise and thank Him when things are going well, much less when they are rough. But Friends that’s the attitude true believers ought to be able to display. In rough times we ought to have enough confidence in our omnipotent and magnanimous God not to whimper and turn turncoat.
And that’s the biggest problem with Christians today; we talk the good talk, but when the rough times crop up, we don’t run to the one place and person who can truly provide refuge and sustenance; our wonderful God. Instead we quickly turn to the cheap, perishable man-made devices and seek help from powerless, fallible men like ourselves. That’s not wisdom Friends.
So I’m saying to us today, that the first place we must turn in ANY kind of situation, is to Almighty God, our Creator, Provider and Protector!
That’s what He is there for. He prides Himself on being able to help His children, and if we don’t turn to Him FIRST, He feels very disappointed and offended. If He wants us to turn to other men for help, then He will direct us to them, after we talk to Him.
And that my people is one of the reasons why we and our resultant world are in such bad shape, we simply don’t talk seriously and enough to Father God. I’m therefore asking us today to try and change that unwise attitude by turning to Him for help and guidance in every situation, through constant, genuine, heartfelt prayer, for that is wisdom at its finest. Much LOVE!
…only sincere prayer to our heavenly Father…can set the captive’s soul free…
12 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adoration, always pray, amazing, anger, armour of god, author of all truth and wisdom, awesome, baby Jesus, battle dress, be obedient, Beelzebub, belt of truth, best action, breastplate of righteousness, bundle of joy, Christmas, chuckling, consciousness, curiousity, definitive statement, devious schemes, dine, disgusting truth, doubts, enthused, Ephesians, evil things of the world, excited, excitement of Jesus, faithfulness, fear, fight a good fight, foolish, friends, guidance, helmet of salvation, help, Holy will, I stand at the door, immediate action, in Jesus' name, incomparable God, indisputable truth, infused with strength, inquisitiveness, invitation, Jesus Christ, Joseph, joy, knock, lifeblood of our souls, look up, Lord and Saviour, lose heart, LOVE, loving kindness, lusts of the flesh, Mary, medicine, military overtones, most excellent, my heart, my voice, negativity, not faint, on the right foot, open the door, parable, positive start, Praise the Lord, prayer, proclamation, resist the enemy, Revelation, reverence, Salvation Army, sandals of peace, self-pity, sense of urgency, serve, shield of faith, spiritual armour, sword of the Spirit, tactics, testimonial, the Holy Spirit, tied up in knots, ungodly, unwise, wiles of the devil, wily, wise man, wonder, Word of God, worship
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, what an awesome, amazing and incomparable God we serve and worship!
And recognizing the indisputable truth of that statement, all God’s people at once responded with a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord God Jehovah! For He is truly mighty, and indeed worthy of our reverence and worship!’
And I know that because of the fastness, the curiosity, your natural inquisitiveness, (smile) you’re wondering what brought on that beautiful burst of adoration. Well nothing more than His LOVING-kindness and faithfulness!
A short while ago, as I was getting ready to write the Bit and pondering what to put in the preamble, I opened a desk drawer looking for paper, and lo and behold, I came upon this Christmas tract put out by Sally Anne (the Salvation Army), and right at the end was this short but beautiful poem that touched me, and I immediately knew that I had to share it with you.
A title isn’t listed, but the author’s name is Christina G Rosetti. The poem is printed above what looks like a charcoal drawing or dark picture on a white background, of a new born babe peacefully lying in a bassinet made of reeds or some other fibrous material that can be plaited together, with the mother sitting on the left side, while the father kneels on the right, both tenderly and LOVINGLY gazing down at their new bundle of joy, much like how Mary and Joseph must have gazed down at baby Jesus with wonder and LOVE. (smile)
And having set the scene, this is what the poem says: ‘What can I give Him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would give Him a lamb; If I were a wise man, I would do my part. But what can I give Him – I give Him my heart.’
Oh mih people, there’s no better gift that we can give to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, than our hearts; the very lifeblood of our souls! In fact, that’s all he ever asks of us. As He so generously offers in Revelation. ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ (Rev.3:20)
What an invitation, Friends! It’s the door to our hearts that Jesus is knocking on! How can we ever refuse to open it eh? For it’s the BEST INVITATION THERE IS!
Sadly though, millions of people around the globe are indeed refusing it every day. How unwise and foolish of them! Instead they are accepting Lucifer’s deceitful invite to sample the evil things of the world and the ungodly lusts of the flesh. But that’s a story for another day, so let me leave it alone, before I get carried away. (smile)
Let’s belatedly turn to our Bit; a glowing proclamation and testimonial of Bruh David, from his prayer for protection. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
Again my people, once we’ve given our hearts to Jesus, that is the BEST ACTION we can take at the beginning of each and every day!
Why? Because it gets our day off on the right foot, gives us a positive start. We get infused with strength and guidance from the Holy Spirit right from the get go, before the wily Beelzebub can get into our consciousness with his negativity and have us all tied up in knots, with doubts, fear, anger and self-pity.
That is why my people, it’s ever so important that the first set of clothes we put on every day is our battle dress, our suit of spiritual armour. As Bruh Paul told the Ephesians. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (devious schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph.6:11)
And the scholars define that verse thus: ‘6:11. Put on (Greek ingressive aorist imperative) denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”): Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’
And is that ever the disgusting truth my brethren! And for those of you who don’t know or are too lazy to read it, the description of the spiritual suit of armour is found in Ephesians 6:13-18.
But I spoil you all so much, (smile) that I’m going to give you a brief description of what they are: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith, and the mighty sword of the Spirit, the omnipotent Word of God.
Oh Friends, I’m so excited and enthused and chuckling as I write this Bit, that I’m not sure if I’m on course or not. And the truth is, I really don’t care, because I know that it will turn out all right… no, not just all right, but most excellent, through the Lord’s guidance and help. So how can I not praise and serve and worship and LOVE Him eh?
Ah Friends, that is what happens when you get caught up in the excitement of Jesus!
But yuh know what mih breddren? I think we’ve run out of space and time for today. (smile) But we’ll close with the definitive statement on prayer that totally supports our Bit.
And as we like to do whenever possible, it’s from none other than our Master, Jesus. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1)
Immortal words of awesome truth and wisdom Friends, straight from the author of all truth and wisdom! We certainly can’t do any better than that. So please, from henceforth, let’s begin each day with prayer nuh.
And it doesn’t have to be anything lengthy, just acknowledging that the Lord is the strength and joy of our life and that during the ensuing day, we’ll try to walk and talk and be obedient to His holy will, be worthy of being called His child. By so doing, right from the outset, we’ll be filled with strength, truth and wisdom, spiritually enabled to fight a good fight in Jesus’ name, each and every day.
Oh my fellow believers, that’s such tremendous wisdom, that I don’t even know how to categorize it! (smile) It’s surely been a smiley day, but that’s a great medicine for anything that ails us, and besides it’s also the cheapest. Much LOVE!
…there’s no greater power in this world…than sincere prayer…
31 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2013, 2014, Abraham, actions dispute claim, actions speak louder than words, all the law, anger, angry spirit, avast security system, Beelzebub, calamitous, christianity, cops, courageous, deceitful, disatrous, do as God commanded, do the right thing, don't turn aside, don't worry, drink, drunk drivers, drunk or sober mind your business, eat, evil, evil cohorts, faithfully believe in, fellow believers, focus on Almighty God, forgiveness, Gentiles, Granny's advice, great god, have success, headeaches, heavenly Father, hope, in the church, interceded with god, Internet Explorer, intimate walk with Jesus, jesus name, Joshua, kingdom of god, LOVE, Love god ourselves and neighbours, loving kindness, lying, mantle of leadership, mercy, Moses, needs, negative emotions, New Testament, New Year's Eve, New Year's resolution, Old Testament, our benefit, prosper, rampant, rant, reverence, righteous people, righteousness., ringing in the New Year, run around, save the world, second chances, seek, seek God, serve and worship, sincerity, Sodom, strong, tenderness, to the left, to the right, topsy-turvy, ungodliness, wear, wisdom, wise, wrong foot
Deuteronomy 5:32. Ye shall (carefully) observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
Oh Friends, sorry this is somewhat late. I wanted to wish you a Happy New Year’s Eve, but right now my spirit is somewhat angered. I’ve been using a free avast security system on my desktop computer for a while now, just simple net surfing stuff, and I never really had a problem with them. However, they’ve been bugging me to buy their advanced system, so since I’d been using their protection for free and it wasn’t bad, I decided to do the right thing and purchase their system.
Lo and behold this morning when I came down to write the Bit, I decided to finally download the new avast system. Hn! What a mistake! It seems to have downloaded the system properly, but then said it need to close so everything could take effect. So I agreed to do it then. But upon rebooting I could not get back into Internet Explorer, which I use. I tried several times, but with no luck.
Then I tried logging in with Firefox, and was successful. However I don’t like the other servers. That’s just me. (smile) Then when I tried to contact avast, I got the usual run around, with oodles of screens to fill out questions, to which I’ve had no reply, except acknowledgement of my query.
Then when I got on to my laptop, which I’m on now, I got on to Internet Explorer without a problem, so I decided to check the site showing on my desk top, only to find that the avast system was blocking Internet Explorer from opening up. So the long and short of the story is that I’m on the verge of cancelling the avast system.
Ah Lord eh! Yuh see why I don’t like computers and all the nonsense they entail! And they never seem to cause problems until you need them most. Steups! And that’s my rant for the day. (smile)
Now dear Lord, please free up the ole fella’s mind, take away the anger and all the negative emotions, so that I can write a Bit worthy of You. In Jesus’ name, I pray.
So what’s new and exciting in your lives this New Year’s Eve morning, my fellow believers? (smile) I surely hope it’s better than mine, for who needs the unnecessary headaches eh? Life is already filled with enough necessary ones. Many of you will no doubt be ringing in the new year at some party or other, but please remember Granny’s advice: ‘Sonny Boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.‘
And we all know that this is a time when Beelzebub is at his deceitful and lying best. So let’s not begin the new year off on the wrong foot, getting trapped by him and his evil cohorts.
As for me, I’m going to be doing my usual stay at home thing, spending it with my family. Going out in all the cold weather isn’t appealing anymore, and then you have to be careful with the cops and the drunk drivers on the road. Plus it’s supposed to snow in my area today. Who needs the headache eh, when I can enjoy it just as much at home?
Anyway, let’s finally get to our Bit. ‘Ye shall (carefully) observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.’
Ah mih people, we couldn’t have a better Bit to ring in 2014! Why, you ask? Because it brings, and hopefully keeps our focus on Almighty God, whom we claim to so faithfully believe in. Unfortunately though, too many of our actions dispute that claim. And remember that actions do speak louder than words.
Just look at our world, at the church, the body of Christ nuh. We certainly can’t say that we’re living up to our Bit, to God’s Word, to our promise to faithfully serve and worship Him? Evil and ungodliness are so rampant all over, even in the church, that it would be difficult, like when Abraham interceded with God to save Sodom, (Gen.18:22-32) to find enough righteous people to save our world.
However Friends, we’re indeed fortunate to have a God who gives second chances, and while we’re alive it means that there’s still hope for us. But for that to happen my people, we have to have a serious return to the dictates of Christianity; faithfully LOVING our wonderful God, ourselves and our neighbours.
We desperately need to do as the Lord instructed Joshua when he took over the leadership mantle from Moses. ‘Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success) whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:7)
Oh my fellow believers, it doesn’t get any simpler or plainer than that! And if like some, you believe that’s Old Testament stuff, then listen to Jesus saying the same thing.
‘Therefore take no thought (don‘t worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.‘ (Matt.6:31-32)
There we have it Friends, the New Testament version, of doing what the Lord commands, then all your needs will be met! And isn’t our God a great God? I couldn’t have chosen a better ending for this last Bit of this topsy-turvy, often disastrous and calamitous year of 2013.
Please my people, please let’s make 2014 a much better year in seeking God and His righteousness that we did 2013 nuh. Remember it’s all for our benefit, especially our children. There’s nothing the Lord wants from us except our sincereLOVE and reverence, but we need oh so much from Him; His mercy, His tenderness, His forgiveness, His LOVING-kindness, etc.etc.
So let’s be wise this new year and return to Him with a new found sincerity. That’s truly wisdom at its highest. Much LOVE!
…there’s only one New Year’s resolution that’s necessary…to develop a closer and more intimate walk with Jesus…for then…as promised… everything else will be taken care of…
17 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, actions, better example, bidding, blessing of the Lord, camels, chance, changing times, Christmas Season, comprehend, disappointed, discrepancy, divine appointment, divine decree, divulged his purpose, donkeys, draw nourishment, drives people crazy, embryonic ideas, ever-Loving, faithful and fulfilled prayer, faithfully, fellow believers, first and foremost, fits the needs, flocks, focused, forms, fully know, god, God's plan, gold, gold bracelets, gold nose ring, Gramps Schuller, guidance, hard done by, hearts, heavenly Father, herds, higher thoughts, inescapable truth, Isaac, Jesus Christ, Laban, lifeline, live our faith, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, luck, maidservants, makes rich, master, material welath, mature in Christ, menservants, Mesopotamia, methods, minds, mysterious ways, Nahor, no sorrow, notable impression, novel way, omnipotence, parameters, prayer, quench thirst, Rebekah, right direction, Rober H Schuller, selfish and petty requests, servants, shapes, shekel, sick, silver, sizes, souls, spread the word, the answer, the antidote, the Good Book, the power that pulls everything together successfully, tired of snow and cold, True LOVE, umbilical cord, unborn infant, uncertainty, undeniable truth, unfathomable, vice-versa, weather people, wife
Proverbs 10:22. The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Oh Friends, I don’t know about you all nuh, but I’m tired of the snow and cold already! And that’s only the first big snowfall and cold spell of the year. I guess I’m tired mainly because I had to be out and about in it all.
But here this, the weather people are forecasting above freezing temps and rain for later this week! That discrepancy and uncertainty is what drives people crazy and also gets them sick, because they don’t know how to properly prepare for the weather in these changing times.
However Friends, I also have the answer, the antidote for it all; prayer!
And like Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) describes it in his devotional for yesterday: ‘Prayer is the umbilical cord that allows you – with your embryonic ideas – to draw nourishment from a source that you, like an unborn infant, can neither see nor fully know or comprehend – God our heavenly Father! Prayer is the power that pulls everything together successfully.’
And that’s a novel but absolutely true way to put it my people! When I read it yesterday, I just knew that I had to share it with you. And would you believe that I’ve been reading that devotional for a number of years now, and that idea did not even sound familiar when I read it yesterday.
Ah Lord eh! Makes you wonder what I’m thinking about when I read them. (smile) I guess though, that I wasn’t mature enough in Christ for it to make a notable impression on me, before yesterday. But who knows, since our God moves in such mysterious and unfathomable ways with His higher thoughts and methods.
Anyway, the important thing is that I’ve finally recognized it, so let’s turn to our Bit. ‘The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.’
More undeniable truth my brethren! For when our God blesses us, we know that we are blessed, and He doesn’t include any sorrow in it. Now maybe the sorrow will come before, or even after the blessing, (smile) but the blessings are usually blessings alone.
And we’ll continue from where we left off yesterday, with Abraham’s servant being sent to his master’s home country, Mesopotamia, to find a wife for Isaac from his brethren. And Friends, it’s not by luck or chance, but rather by divine decree and guidance, that Abraham’s servant ended up in the city where Nahor, Abraham’s brother dwelt.
Neither was it luck or chance, but divine appointment, that caused Rebekah to come out and fulfill all the conditions that the servant had desired of the Lord in prayer.
Oh mih people, yuh see the wonderful and inescapable truth of what we’ve been saying above, about prayer being the lifeline, the umbilical cord to God! The servant prayed faithfully, setting some parameters, and asking the Lord to send someone favourable to fulfill them.
And I like how the Good Book says that before he was even finished making his requests known to God, that Rebekah showed up. (Gen.24:15a) Oh my brethren, we can’t ask for a better example than that of faithful and fulfilled prayer!
And if you read what transpired afterwards, as I asked you to do yesterday, (Gen.24:16-25), you’d have seen Rebekah offer the servant drink, as well as offer to quench his camels thirst. And when she’d fulfilled her pledge, he gave her an expensive gold nose ring, weighing half a shekel, approximately $960.00, since a shekel of gold is worth around $1920.00. To that he added 2 gold bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight. Do the math my people.
And after he enquired about her family, she then ran home and told her family about the strange happening that had befallen her. That brought her big brother Laban out to meet the servant. And to make a long story short, (smile) they invited him to lodge with them. He graciously accepted the offer, and after the camels were looked after, they set food before him, but he refused to eat before he divulged his purpose. (Gen.24:28-33)
‘And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses (donkeys).’ (Gen.24:34-35)
What I want us to note here my fellow believers, is the difference in blessings. In the first scenario, the Lord showed the servant favour by granting his prayerful request, while in the second, He gave Abraham material wealth.
So not because our Bit says that the blessings of our God make us rich, it doesn’t necessarily mean material wealth. The blessings of our great and wonderful God can come in all shapes, sizes and forms, whatever suits His purpose. His omnipotence and LOVING-kindness don’t limit Him to any one kind of blessing.
And that’s something all believers ought to fully understand. Not because we pray for material wealth or any other kind of blessing means that we’ll automatically receive it. We’ll be showered with whatever fits the needs of God’s plan for our lives.
And until we fully understand and appreciate that point, we’ll always feel disappointed and/or hard done by our God. But we need to remember that God’s not there to simply do our bidding, to serve our selfish and petty requests.
On the contrary, we are here to serve His desires; to LOVE Him, to LIVE out our Faith, and to SPREAD His Holy Word! At times though, we seem to forget that HE is the MASTER, and we are the SERVANTS, not vice versa!
And on that oh so important remembrance, we’ll close for today. I don’t want to give us too much to ponder on, (smile) just enough to keep us focused in the right direction – on Jesus Christ, our ever-LOVING Lord and Saviour. Much much LOVE my fellow believers!
…this Christmas season…let’s show the world what true LOVE is all about nuh…by keeping Jesus first and foremost…in our hearts, minds, souls and actions…
14 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: absolute truth, advantage of knowledge, affliction, all generations, baring our souls, come first, comforting words, Creator, defence, divine truth, earthly life, elementary observation, encourage, epic writing, evil, faithfulness, God's Holy word, God's wisdom, God's word shall stand forever, good and sensible life, heaven, heaven and earth shall pass away, heavenly Father, human creation, incontestable fact, irrefutable, Jesus Christ, logically speaking, LOVE, loving kindness, make known with my mouth, mercy, money, my delight, one truth from the Bible, ordinances, perished, pondering, principal thing, protective shade, psalm 119, put the cart before the horse, regular reading, scripture, Sherlock, singing God's praises, straight from the horse's mouth, studying of the Good Book, supreme ruler, testify, the BIBLE, the flower fades, the grass withers, the law, time immemorial, tome of directives, two-faced world, understanding, ungodly world, useful things, wisdom gives life, wisdom of man, workings of the world
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, on this cold and windy Saturday morning in this 2013 Christmas season, with a severe snowstorm in the offing, I’ve been directed to remind us of two highly important things in this our earthly lives.
Now the first reminder is that the Bible is God’s Holy and unchangeable Word to us, still fresh as when He first gave it, many many centuries ago. And if we read it, we will most certainly find God’s wisdom laid out in its pages.
And that’s not only divine truth my people, but also a major part of why we’re not, as a society, attaining more successfully to wisdom. We’re simply not reading God’s Word enough, so how can we ever hope to become truly wise eh? For without true wisdom we cannot successfully navigate the deceit, the lies, the evil machinations and all the other negatives that come against us in this godless world.
And the second thing I’ve been guided to point out is that ‘One truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man!’ Now isn’t that also the God-awesome truth my breddren? It surely is! And besides, it’s the most important truth you’ll hear today!
And what does all that add up to eh? When we are filled with God’s wisdom and truth from His Word, it enables us to lead a good and sensible life. As Cousin Sol so wisely declares: ‘For wisdom is a defence (a protective shade), and money is a defence: but the excellency (advantage) of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.’ (Eccl.7:12)
And that’s definitely more divine truth my people! A lot of stuff might be good or bad for us, but when we have excellent knowledge through God’s Word, of the workings of the world and this earthly life, then it puts us a step or two ahead of those without it.
Oh Friends, this crazy, evil and ungodly world unfortunately has us putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. That means we do everything else first, then if we have a spare moment, and feel so inclined, we might just open the Good Book and quickly peruse a few pages. But that’s ever so wrong my people! The Good Book should ALWAYS COME FIRST in our deliberations!
For logically speaking, if it’s so full of wisdom and knowledge and understanding and all those other good and useful things, how can we go out into the current two-faced world and lead a wise and sensible life without first consulting that mighty tome of God’s directives eh? Ole Sherlock would certainly have considered that an elementary observation my brethren. (smile)
And having done as directed, let’s turn to our Bit: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
Now that, my Friends, is one of the many worthwhile things regular reading and studying of the Good Book will have us consistently doing. And there’s nothing like singing the praises of our most wonderful Deity, whose faithfulness and LOVING-kindness has been proven from time immemorial, right down to this very day.
And I know that many of us can personally testify to that irrefutable, incontestable fact. And just to prove that all we’ve said above is the absolute truth, let’s look at some scripture on the topic from God’s Holy Word.
And we’ll begin with some verses form that epic bit of writing, Psalm 119, where the author boldly proclaims: ‘For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled (stands firm) in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth (stands). They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants. Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.’ (Ps.119:89-92)
And that, my fellow believers still applies to all who populate the earth today!
Now hear this short but mighty verse from the prophet Isaiah, re comfort and trust in the Lord. ‘The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.’ (Is.40:8)
Oh mih people, mih people, what strong, faithful and comforting words!
And if you think that the Lord didn’t truly imbue Isaiah with such a worthy insight, then listen to God Himself, through His Son Jesus, tell it like it truly is. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ (Matt.24:35)
There’s no need to say anymore my brethren, for you’ve heard it straight from the horse’s mouth, Jesus Christ incarnate, who WAS, IS and WILL ALWAYS BE the Creator and Supreme Ruler of this universe!
Nuff said for today, my Friends. Now let’s spend some time pondering what we’ve read and heard and hope that it will encourage us to come together more often with our heavenly Father, reading and studying His Word, and also baring our souls to Him, so that we can all attain to greater wisdom, for that’s what He truly desires of all His human creation. Much LOVE!
…Wisdom is the principal thing…therefore get wisdom…and with all thy getting…get understanding… (Prov.4:7)
13 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: awesome majesty, bear burdens, Bruh David, called to courage, change, Christmas Season, contemplation, covenant, cry in distress, deliver us from sin, descendants, do not be afraid, eternal death, eternal life, Ethan the Ezrahite, ever-faithful God, everlasting faithfulness, faithful, faithful promise, faithfulness, fear, fellowship, Firday 13th, for ever, forgiveness, foundation of the earth, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generations, generous help, God's sure promises, gospel truth, grace, greatest gifts to man, grow old, heaven, Jesus Christ, jesus name, joyfully shouting, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving, loving kindness, magnanimous god, make known, merciful, no labour, omnipotent, perseverance, pilgrims, proudly, ravages, refreshed in soul, relaxation, renewed, respect, rest, right track, salvation, seed, smoke, sojourn, stand strong, steadfast faith, superstition, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Lord's mercies, time to sing, true, true believer, ungodly earth, vanish away, veneration, weekend, wisdom, work of thy hands
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday…Friday the 13th! Now does that raise fears in your spirit, re it being an unlucky day? I surely hope not, because there’s absolutely nothing to fear from a Friday that falls on the 13th day of the month.
It’s just a bunch of superstitions dating back to who knows when and where! They can’t even decide where it originally came from. So we’ll repeat, there’s nothing to be afraid of on this Friday 13th December 2013, or any other Friday 13th at all!
And that’s especially so if you’re a true believer in Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord and Saviour. He’s faithfully promised to save us from any evil, so there’s nothing to be afraid of. And just in case you’re one of those who have difficulty handling a Friday 13th, then you’re probably suffering from ‘Paraskevidekatriaphobics.’
Yes Friends, it’s a big word for a fear that ought not to exist! So please keep joyfully shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ because whether it’s called black, or misfortune, or unlucky Friday, it’s still the day before the weekend, and there’s no labour for two, whole, big, long days! (smile)
And to keep us on the right track, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much affirmation nuh. ‘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.’
Now that’s the right way to view the weekend my people! And in conjunction with our Bit, we shall certainly stand strong this weekend.
Our Bit comes from Psalm 89, which deals with God’s sure promises to Bruh David. It’s a contemplation written by Ethan the Ezrahite, a man of much wisdom, (1 Kin.4:31) and also one of the singers in Bruh David’s band. (1 Chr.15:19)
So he was well qualified to declare in the opening verse: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
And this Christmas season my brethren, is certainly a time to sing of and make known to all and sundry, the great mercies and the everlasting faithfulness of our omnipotent and magnanimous God!
Look, He promised to deliver us from sin and its ravages, death eternal, and in response sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to do it, thus giving us the two greatest gifts ever known to man; salvation and eternal life! Wow! Now how can we not jump and shout for joy at those two life saving and life giving situations eh?
And as the psalmist continues: ‘For I have said, Mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.’ (Ps.89:2-4)
And all of that is gospel truth my Friends! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to these scriptures which declare and establish that LOVING-kindness and faithfulness of our eternal God.
Psalm 102, a cry in distress, puts it thus: ‘Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed (descendants) shall be established before thee.’ (Ps.102:25-28)
Who says our God isn’t merciful, LOVING, faithful, omnipotent and true eh! He certainly is my people, as all of us can attest to in so many aspects of our lives!
And we’ll end today with this outstanding verse from Isaiah, where the faithful are called to courage. ‘Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax (grow) old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished (broken).’ (Is.51:6)
Oh my people, please hang on tightly to those words of our ever-faithful God, because it’s in His words, His promises, that we find courage, perseverance and steadfast faith to bear our burdens as pilgrims on this evil, ungodly earth!
And we’ll have more corroborative scripture on this topic tomorrow to boost our spirits, provided the Lord’s in favour, of course.
But till then my Friends and fellow believers, please, please, let’s stand steadfast and strong, and sing staunchly and proudly of our God; of His mercies, His LOVING-kindness, His forgiveness, His grace and all the other wonderful stuff that He’s so faithfully and LOVINGLY provided to help us on our short sojourn here on earth. Much LOVE!
…when God’s people stand strong…in faith…LOVE…and mercy…the whole world takes notice…and stands up in respect, in veneration…of His awesome majesty…
04 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admonish, admonishment, adultery, all aspects, anointed, Bathsheba, Beelzebub, bitter fruit, blameless, blaspheme, blot out, broken spirit, Bruh David, burnt offerings, circumstances, cleanse, confess, confidence, confronted by sin, contrite heart, cried out to God, death, deny sin, depressed, despise, deterrent to willful sin, disrepute, distraught, emotions, enemies of the Lord, evil, fasted, fat of rams, forefather, forgive, forgiveness, forgiving Deity, God of truth and justice, God's only Son, gracious, house of the Lord, hurt, in thy sight, iniquity, integral part, Jesus, judge, justified, kinsman, life, listen, long and short of the story, loving kindness, lustful desire, merciful, mercy, mourning, necessary adjustments, obey, pain, pleas for help, practical application, prayer for cleansing, price to pay, promise, Psalm 51, punishment, remember our God, repentance, repented, righteousness., sacrifice, scot free, seed of sin, sin, Sin does not pay, sinful traps and snares, sinned abominably, situations, Solomon, sonner the better, sordid manner, sorrow, thanks and praise, tragic liaison, transgressions, tremendous price, ungodly behaviour, unrighteousness, walk with god, wonderful god, worshipped, wrongdoing
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 mih people, the Bit will most likely be late today since I had a late night, and the body wasn’t too thrilled about getting up in the early hours of the morning. (smile) But all thanks to our great and wonderful God, we’re finally here and motoring on. Please give Him some thanks and praise for that.
And today we’ll continue with Bruh David’s story, how his life changed for the worse because of that lustful desire he couldn’t control; sleeping with Bathsheba, and the sordid manner and great lengths he went to, to have her for his own.
However Friends, one of the most important things to notice in that story is that when confronted by his sin, Bruh David admitted it. ‘And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.’ (2 Sam.12:13)
Yuh see God’s reaction to Bruh David’s admission; life… not death, as he deserved. But he wasn’t going to get away easily. For Nathan continued: ‘Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.’ (2 Sam.12:14)
So mih breddren, though Bruh David was allowed to live and continue to reign as king, he didn’t get away scot free from punishment for his ungodly behaviour. In fact he ended up paying a tremendous price. Now here are the scholars’ take on those verses.
’12:13. David genuinely grieved and repented (cf. Ps.32:5; 51:3-14) However, the seed of sin was immediately to bear bitter fruit, for the child born of the adultery became grievously ill and died (vv.15-18).
12:14. David’s sin had brought the name of God into disrepute. Such knowledge ought to serve as a deterrent to willful sin on the part of believers (cf. 1 Tim.5:14; 6:1).’
Please read those references Friends, for they are quite informative. And we all know how Bruh David fasted and prayed and cast himself upon the earth during the child’s sickness, and refused to be comforted. His people were even afraid to tell him when the child died, figuring that he would become even more depressed and distraught.
But Bruh David sees them whispering and figures out that the child has died, and when they confirm it: ‘Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required (requested), they set bread before him, and he did eat.’ (2 Sam.12:20)
Ah Friends, in all of that sorrow, Bruh David still remembered His God, and the first thing he did after cleaning up himself was to go to His house and worship Him. In our times of sorrow we ought also to remember our God.
And please note too his logic when asked by his staff about his strange behaviour; sort of mourning when the child was alive and coming out of mourning when he died.
‘And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God, will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.’ (2 Sam.12:22-23)
The long and short of the story though my people, is that SIN DOES NOT PAY!
And though we will always receive forgiveness for our repentance, the Lord will usually require, or requite some punishment for our transgressions. And usually the sooner we own up to the wrongdoing, the better. The worse thing we can ever do is deny our transgressions.
That’s the beauty of Bruh David’s walk with God; though he sinned abominably, he came clean when confronted with it, and the Lord was merciful and magnanimous enough to not take away everything from him. In fact He even gave him another child from Bathsheba, Cousin Sol (Solomon), the richest and wisest king ever to sit on Israel’s throne, and in the end Bruh David was a kinsman, forefather of God’s only Son, Jesus.
And we’ll end with some passages from one of Bruh David’s greatest psalms, Psalm 51; A prayer for cleansing, something he wrote after His tragic liaison with Bathsheba.
‘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 transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified (be found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest…. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps.51:1-4, 15-17)
Oh Friends, that’s possibly another reason why the Lord LOVED Bruh David so much and kept blessing him. He never shied away or tried to hide his hurt, his pain, his sin and whatever emotions he was feeling at a particular time. He always cried out to the God of his fathers whether in a good or bad situation with thanks and pleas for help.
And that’s how the Lord wants it with us too, my people. We need to cry out to Him with praise, thanks and pleas for help under any and all circumstances, good, bad and/or indifferent, for the Lord wants to play an integral part in all aspects of our lives.
So let’s remember that, and don’t try to hide or run from Him, but come to Him with confidence with whatever is troubling us, for He has promised to cleanse and forgive us once we confess our wrongdoing. And He is ever-faithful to keep His promises.
But please remember too that there’s usually a price to pay for wrongdoing, for though our God is a great, merciful and forgiving Deity, He is also a God of truth and justice, and disobedience must be paid for if He is to retain His righteousness, as Bruh David notes in the psalm above, (vs.4).
That brings us to the end of this promise Friends. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Let’s hope we learned from it, especially from the practical application of it in Bruh David’s life, and will make the necessary adjustments to our own lives, so that we don’t fall into the same sinful traps and snares of Beelzebub.
For that will only further complicate our lives, bring God’s Word into disrepute and cause Him to admonish us. And if there’s one thing we can certainly do without is His admonishment. Much LOVE!
…to obey is better than sacrifice…and to hearken (listen)…than the fat of rams… (1 Sam.15:22b)
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