08 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a licence to sin, a penitent heart, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, Bathsheba, be not far from me, believers in Christ, burdens our hearts, celebrations, charles stanley, chasten me, confession, crying out for rest, displeasure, fellowship, forgiveness, forgives sin, forsake sin, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, God's good graces, Holy God, I acknowledged my sin, I am bowed down, I made it through, I will confess my transgressions, in Jesus' name, iniquity, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, loving kindness, magnanimous, makes haste to help me, mine iniquity have I not hid, mourning, my wounds stink, negative consequences, O Lord of my salvation, obey God, our talk, our walk, penalties, play, psalm 38, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, repentance, rest, Selah, sin, soul body and mind, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the devil's handiwork, the one and only true living God, the weekend, them's the breaks, thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, work, working enables us to play, your arrows pierce me deeply
Psalm 32:5. 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.
Well Friends, I can just imagine how you all must be shouting it from the rooftops this morning eh: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God that the weekend is here at last! Wow! It certainly has been a tiring week! Thank God it’s Friday oui, and no more work for a couple days! The body certainly crying out for some rest!’
Ah mih people, I know that this first Friday of work in the new year has indeed been somewhat trying and tiring after all the season’s celebrations. But unfortunately, them’s the breaks. (smile) We can’t just play alone, sometime or other we need to work too.
And remember that it’s working which enables us to play. And I have to laugh how we crying out for rest, rather than the usual party scene. Hn, hn! Anyway, let’s all hang in there and chant our Friday Chant that will give us a better perspective on the weekend.
As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes friends, rest and worship are essential parts of our weekend, so that we can come back out strong on Monday and continue the cycle of building Christ’s LOVE Revolution. Remember that this is the year that the LOVE Revolution must sweep the world if we want to have any chance of turning things around.
It’s our job, as believers in Christ, to go out there and make believers of the unbelievers through both our talk and our walk. Nothing else is going to change them!
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘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.’
Ah mih people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! There’s no other supposed deity who forgives sin! Just the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Yes my brethren, our God is indeed a truly magnanimous and forgiving Deity! But that doesn’t mean it gives us the right to keep on participating in sin, because on the other side of the coin, sin bears serious penalties from a holy God.
We saw yesterday, how God’s friend and man after His own heart, Bruh David paid an enormous price for his sin with Bathsheba, although he repented and was forgiven. But his sin had caused great occasion for God’s enemies to blaspheme His name, and that was definitely not acceptable.
So though we may sincerely repent and be forgiven, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be no negative consequences. So the best remedy is to sin as little as possible. (smile) Oh we all know that that is easier said than done, but we must always give it our best effort, with God’s help of course.
Now hear this gem on sin from Cousin Sol. ‘He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.’ (Prov.28:13)
Oh glory to God my people for His mercy and LOVING-kindness! But please note that Cousin Sol didn’t just say to confess our sins, but also to forsake them, stop committing them; especially the same ones over and over. That is also a necessary part of the whole scenario my brethren.
Remember, though confessions and repentance and forgiveness are ours, it doesn’t give us a licence to sin. But when we do sin, it is essential that we come to God in repentance and confession as soon as possible, because any sin that burdens our hearts, also keeps us out of God’s good graces, and we definitely don’t want to be excluded from that.
Now let’s look at some scripture on sin and its effects on the human body and psyche. Listen to Bruh David from Psalm 38 – The prayer of a penitent heart.
‘O Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine arrows stick fast in me (pierce me deeply), and thy hand presseth me sore (down). There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest (health, peace) in my bones because of my sin.
For mine iniquities have gone over mine head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt (are foul and festering) because of my foolishness. I am troubled (bowed down) greatly; I go mourning all the day long.’ (Ps.38:1-6)
Yes friends, that’s how sin ought to make us feel, so that we can come running to God and sincerely declare: ‘For I am ready to halt (to fall), and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin…. Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.’ (Ps.38:17-18, 21-22)
Ah my fellow believers, sin is no joke, so please let’s not encourage it in our lives, because we’re liable to pay a hefty price of negative consequences if we do. As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) so wisely declares: obey God and leave all the consequences to Him. Now that is indeed the wisest way to live! Much LOVE!
…sin is the devil’s handiwork…and it can only be erased through…confession, repentance and God’s mercy…
22 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fresh box of strawberries, a pillar of salt, all things are possible with Jesus, blessings, Bruh Paul, but this one thing I do, compassion, culled, die to sin, discipleship, don't dwell on the past, experiences, experiencing His power, fond memories, forgetting those things which are behind, forgiveness, glorification, goodies, gospel truth, guilt, hampering the present, I count not myself to be apprehended, is fit for the kingdom of heaven, knowledge, Laura Palmer, look to the future, looking back, Lot's wife, LOVE, loving kindness, made like Jesus in death, magnanimous, magnificent, majestic, memories, mercies, mercurial, newness of life, no man having put his hand to the plough, obedience, One More Day Devotional, perseverance, Philippians, praise, pressing towards the mark, reaching forth unto those things which are before, resurrection, rinsed of debris, room for improvement, Secret diary of Laura Palmer, served in small portions, sharing His sufferings, shortchanging the future, sweetened judiciously, thanksgiving, the good old days, to know Christ, Top o' the morn, twin peaks, unconditional LOVE, walk with jesus, wisdom, worship, zeal
Philippians 3:13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.
Top o’ the morn, mih breddren! A glorious day lies ahead of us, filled with all sorts of wonderful goodies prepared by our wonderful God, especially for this Saturday in August 2015. Glory to God!
He is so good to us that there are no words to truly do Him justice. Magnificent, majestic, magnanimous, mercurial, come close, but still leave something unsaid. His unconditional LOVE, and the undeserved blessings, mercies, forgiveness and compassion poured out on us, especially the sacrifice of His only Son Jesus…
Oh Friends, they are indescribable. (smile) And the least we can do is return His LOVING-kindness with that of our own, to the best of our ability, through obedience, praise, worship, thanksgiving and glorification.
And having said all of that, here is an interesting quote from Laura Palmer. It seems that she was a character on the 1990 hit TV. show Twin Peaks, which apparently is being revived. I guess there is also a book called the Secret Diary of Laura Palmer with a number of her quotes.
This one says that, ‘The past should be culled like a box of fresh strawberries, rinsed of debris, sweetened judiciously and served in small portions, not very often.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people. The past should not be dwelt upon, as so many of us do, thereby hampering the present and shortchanging the future. Like Laura says, we ought to just wrap it up nicely and occasionally trot out the good parts.
And my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness, from which I got the quote, further states. ‘Fond memories are healthy when they remind us how our lives are formed and shaped by our experiences. Memories reveal our development into the productive people we are today. Life does get better every day because we have both the joys of the present and some sweet memories of the past.’
But Friends, we MUST NOT LIVE IN THE PAST, but rather concentrate on each day as something new and alive with lots of wonderful promise. Too many of us look to the past too often and either dredge up the distasteful bits, or talk too much about the good old days.
Certainly the old days were good, but believe me my people, our best days are still out in front of us. And until we realize this, our days will be gloomy and miserable reminiscing too much on what’s already past, and not making new and wonderful dreams for today and tomorrow.
That brings us to our very appropriate Bit from Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.’
Yuh see that Friends, though Bruh Paul had reached some glorious heights in his ministry and walk with Jesus, he still maintained that he hadn’t reached where he really wanted to be. His objective is to know Christ as fully as can be; ‘experiencing His power, sharing His sufferings, being made like Jesus in death, and experiencing resurrection from the dead.
At this point in his life the apostle does know Christ, but not to the full extent possible. He has experienced His power, but not to the degree he desires. He has been made like Jesus in His death, but can still die more to sin and self. He does “walk in newness of life,” but there is room for improvement.’
And so is there for all of us my fellow believers. Those are some explanations from the scholars on verse 12. Therefore since Bruh Paul has not attained his objective, he’s intent on putting everything behind him, so that he can concentrate on what is coming on the next wave.
The scholars explain verse 13. thus: ‘3:13. Forgetting those things which are behind refers both to his religious credentials (vs. 5-6), now counted “as loss” (v.7), and to his past Christian achievements and successes. In ever pursuing his goal to know Christ, (v.10), he refuses to let past guilt pull him down, or to rest on past laurels. Either could spell spiritual disaster.’
Oh my fellow believers are we pursuing the things of Christ, pressing on towards the mark, reaching out to those things which are in front of us, not letting the past distract us from the future, wanting to know Christ so badly that we can think of nothing else?
Oh, I know that not all of us can have Bruh Paul’s zeal, knowledge and perseverance, but we can all do much better than we’re currently doing. If we are truthful with ourselves, many of us are not really concentrating on maturing in our Christian walk, but are just ambling along, without any real zeal or purpose. That certainly is not good enough Friends.
As believers in Christ, we have to have a hunger for Him, for the things which pertain to Him. ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death.’ (Phil.3:10) That’s what Bruh Paul desired, and what we should also be desirous of; that strong feeling to get to know Christ as well as we possibly can.
It’s not easy, as Bruh Paul certainly found out, but he never gave up on his quest, and neither should we, for as we know, all things are possible with Jesus who strengthens us. (Phil.4:13)
So today my brethren, please let’s stop living in the past and look to the glorious future that Jesus has in store for us. Remember too what He said way back when, in talking about the tests of discipleship. ‘No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of heaven.’ (Luke 9:62)
Yes Friends, anyone who puts other matters before God’s work, is of little use to Him. Please don’t forget that, for it’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…but his wife (Lot’s) looked back…and she became a pillar of salt… (Gen.19:26)
07 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a time of peace, a time of war, a time to every purpose under heaven, a time to hate, a time to love, afraid, and have it more abundantly, anxious, broken, Bruh Paul, celebration for peace, Christ is the only judge, church bells are tolling, Cousin Sol, cowed, depart from evil, diverse voices, do good, downtrodden, Ecclesiastes, edify another, encouraging, fearful, food and drink, friends, glory to God, God's largesse, gracious, I am come that they might have life, jeans, Jesus Christ, joy in the Holy Ghost, let not your heart be troubled, magnanimous, Mahatma Ghandi, merciful, miserable, Mother Teresa, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, one voice for peace, painted lady butterflies, peace, Peace i leave with you, Peace Pole, poor, praise, prosperity, put on our Sunday best, reassuring words, rejoice, righteousness., run life, seek peace and pursue it, shorts, sing, sloppy attire, St. Francis Parish, take the bull by the horns, the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God, the love of power, the power of love, the return of Jesus christ, the state of our hearts, to everything there is a season, we belong to each other, with loud voice, worried, worship the Lord
John 14:27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Well mih lovelies, it’s the first day of the week, Sunday! And would you know that all the church bells are tolling, inviting the faithful to come and sing and praise and worship the Lord, to fellowship with those of like belief, and receive the many blessings which come from engaging in those activities!
Wow! What a mouthful Friends, but nonetheless, very true sentiments. So let’s put on our Sunday best and get us hither to the sanctuary and rejoice with loud voice in our Creator and our God, for it is indeed the wise thing to do.
And speaking of Sunday best clothing, I remember the olden days when everybody dressed up to go to church, some possibly overdressed too. (smile) You wouldn’t be caught dead in church with shorts and jeans and sloppy attire.
Now it’s true that back then there was possibly too much emphasis on your clothing, and technically speaking, the Lord cares more about the state of our hearts than our dress, but I’m sure He still appreciates and prefers to see a congregation praising and worshipping Him looking good. It does say something about the people’s prosperity and reflects well on the Lord’s largesse.
If you see people gathering to worship a Deity and they are all looking sloppy, poor and downtrodden, why would you want to join them eh? All I’m saying though is that when we go to church we ought to look as decent as we can.
Now yesterday at our church, St. Francis in Meadowvale, we held a celebration for peace around the Peace Pole on the lawn of the property. Or as the bulletin put it: ‘The Diverse Voices in Meadowvale United in One Voice for Peace.’ We prayed for Peace in our World, our Country, in our Community and in our Families. And then we set free some painted lady butterflies to commemorate the occasion.
We were also graced with the presence of City Councilor Pat Saito celebrating with her annual barbecue and answering the many questions her constituents had. All in all, it was a very pleasant and successful venture.
Now here is one of the quotes from the peace service bulletin that I never knew, but which took my breath away and captured my heart. It’s attributed to Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) the Indian peace activist and leader of the fight for Indian Independence from Britain. He reputedly said: ‘The day the power of LOVE overrules the LOVE of Power, the world will know peace.’
Mama Mia! I like it! And it’s also very true. The only problem though, is when will that blessed day come eh? Most likely not before the majestic return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who spoke the most celebrated words on the somewhat ephemeral and hard to capture or attain subject of peace.
Listen to our Messiah in today’s Bit. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’
Wow, mih breddren! What encouraging and reassuring words! And please notice the most important words in the promise ‘not as the world giveth…’ Yes Friends, our Leader is not of this world, so the peace He offers is way different to that which the world acclaims. And because His peace is different to that of the world, we don’t need to be worried, anxious or afraid of anything or anyone in the world.
Now how do you like them beans eh? (smile) I LOVE them, and sure hope you do too, because if you don’t, then your life here on earth will be miserable and fearful. And that’s definitely not what our Saviour came to give us. He said: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
Yes my people, our Saviour came that we should enjoy this earthly life, not to live it cowed and broken. That’s why when we are filled with the peace that He offers, we won’t be terrified of life, but will take the bull by the horns and run life, instead of letting life run us.
Oh Friends, like the ole fella’s in fine form this Sunday morning, obviously being led by the Holy Spirit. Glory to God! Now let’s look at some scripture passages that deal with the very elusive term called peace. And we’ll set the scene with the well-known words of Cousin Sol in his role as the Preacher or Teacher in Ecclesiastes.
‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven… A time to LOVE, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’ ((Eccl.3:1, 8) There’s no disputing those facts Friends, the only problem is that the time for peace seems to be taking rather long to come.
Then we have this very wise advice from Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:14)
Yuh see my brethren, peace is something we ought to actively seek out, to pursue, for it doesn’t just come about automatically. It is a lifestyle that we definitely have to be actively interested in and then get actively involved in. And the peace we’re talking about here is the peace of Jesus, not that of the world.
And we’ll end with the words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. He’s talking about Christ being the only judge, therefore we should not judge each other, in this case in the things that we eat. ‘For the kingdom of God is not meat (food) and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost… Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify (build up) another.’ (Rom.14:17, 19)
Oh Friends, with those wise words and thoughts uppermost in our minds this Sunday morning, let’s ponder them as they pertain to our individual lives nuh, and then make the necessary improvements, of course with the help of our magnanimous, gracious and merciful God. Much LOVE!
…if we have no peace…it is because we have forgotten…that we belong to each other… (Mother Teresa)
03 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a spring chicken, abominable sins, and all these things shall be added unto you, and he shall bring it to pass, Anselm's Quote, Beelzebub, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, celebrity status, Christians, commit our lives to Jesus, Commit thy way to the Lord, committments, confuffle our minds, damnation, death, delight thyself in the Lord, dishonour, dog eat dog world, eternal separation from God, eternal soul, eternity, ever-faithful God, feed on his faithfulness, fold of Jesus Christ, glad to be alive, halfway home, hankering after, hellfire, honour, humble apologies, I'm not turning back, jehovah god, lack of committement, laziness, LOVE, Lucifer, magnanimous, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, omnipotent, power, Scrip-Bit Culture, selfish mode, sensible approach to life, staying loyal, the breath of life, the cross of Calvary, the desires of your heart, the things of the world, the will of God, there's no giving up in Christ, things of God, trust also in him, trust in the Lord and do good, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh Friends, that’s something I’m calling our Wednesday Wail! (smile) I haven’t decided yet whether it will be a part of our Scrip-Bit Culture, like our Friday Chant and Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It’s just something I was led to pen before going to bed this morning.
And by the way, my humble apologies for this really late Bit. I had a busy day yesterday and didn’t get to bed till real late this morning, and since the ole body is no longer a spring chicken, (smile) it obviously needs more rest than before.
And truthfully, I don’t see much sense in forcing myself to get up if I am not going to be in good shape to write something sensible. Better it’s a little late and I’m truly refreshed in mind, body and spirit.
So my mea culpas. (smile) It was just one of those days, which do happen occasionally, and might just happen more often as the summer weather picks up. Don’t worry though, the Bit will always be there.
Now here’s an interesting and very relevant quote from our Friend Anselm, whose avowed purpose is to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And it says: ‘Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do, long after the mood you said it in has left you.’
And that is gospel truth my people! It’s what we ought to do, especially as Christians. However in this golden age of dishonour and lack of commitment, that statement doesn’t factor into the thoughts of the majority of the society. It’s truly become a dog-eat-dog world, where we’re only interested in ourselves and what we can do for us.
And we live in such a feel-good society that we make promises and commitments on the spur of the moment, without thinking things through, then later realize that we can’t keep our promises and just ignore them. Whatever happened to the days of honour eh? When a man’s word or handshake was a certain commitment?
Hn! Sorry Friends, those days seem to be long gone. Now we’re simply into selfish mode, where ‘I, me, myself and I’ are the all-encompassing factors of today. But my people, as true followers of Jesus Christ we are expected to be different, different from the world in which we live.
Bruh David wisely informs us in our Bit. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ Ah Friends, if more of us would adopt that bit of wisdom, our world would be such a wonderful place!
But we can’t give up on it, because there’s no giving up in Christ. We have to keep on dreaming the dreams of improvement and working diligently with Jesus to bring them to pass. That’s the only way things will ever get better.
And if we listen to what Bruh David said just before our Bit, we’ll realize the immense wisdom in his theory. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps.37:3-5)
Oh mih people, mih people, why aren’t more of us adopting that most wise and sensible approach to life here on this much traumatized earth eh? My only answer is that we are still allowing the things of the world; the material possessions with their bright and shiny facades, the hankering after power and celebrity status to ‘confuffle’ our minds and souls.
Consequently, though we may not want to, in these tough times, we continue putting the flimsy and non-lasting things of the world before the eternal and oh so important things of God.
Unfortunately, Beelzebub still has too many of us eating out of his lying and deceitful hand. It’s time we stop that my brethren, and instead look to our Creator and faithful Provider, Jehovah God. For when our days on earth are up, we won’t carry any of the things of Beelzebub with us, but if we look to God, we will have rewards stored up in heaven for the hereafter.
The only things Beelzebub has to offer are death, damnation, hell-fire and eternal separation from God. I doubt that we really want to experience any of those things, but it’s what is going to happen if we refuse to seriously and sincerely commit our lives to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, the One who sacrificed His life on the cross of Calvary to pay for our abominable sins and redeem and reconcile us to our heavenly Father.
Oh Friends, so many of us today, especially our young people, are leaving the straight and narrow pathways of God for the wide and destructive highways of Lucifer that it’s heartbreaking. Lucifer will not keep the promises he makes, because he is a liar and deceiver, but our omnipotent, magnanimous and ever-faithful God will, because that’s just the kind of Deity that He is.
Oh my people, the Bit’s already pretty late, so I won’t prolong it, I’ll just end with these faithful and wise words of Jesus, which we all know, but find it difficult to put into action. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yes Friends, if we continue seeking the will of God, then all the worldly things we need will be granted to us. And the beauty of getting the worldly things we need from God and not Lucifer, is that when we get them from God, they last and we prosper, unlike those things gained from the evil one.
So please people, let’s wake up and smell whatever it is we need to smell and/or see, and quickly get ourselves back into the wonderful fold of Jesus Christ nuh, for that is everlasting wisdom. Much LOVE!
…when we walk with Lucifer…we stand to lose everything…including our eternal soul…but when we walk with Christ…oh such a beautiful eternity stretches out before us…
P.S. Sorry for not changing the date on the second heading of the Bit yesterday, but that’s what comes from laziness, just copying and pasting. Not that too many of you noticed. (smile) Much LOVE!
02 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all generations shall call me blessed, almighty god, awesome truth, blessed is the man that trusts in God, carried to the fountain, earthly pilgrimage, empty pitcher, excitedly, faithfulness, fall, fatted calves, Fill Me, filled the hungry with good things, filled with love and truth, for he satisfieth the longing soul, friends and neighbours, God is ever-faithful, godly purpose, grace, Gramps Schuller, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, healing in his wings, help, Hour of Power Devotional, hungering, hungrily, in the reverence of God, jehovah god, life force, Lord God of Abraham, LOVE, loving kindness, magnanimous, man-made idol, Mary, mother of Jesus, my soul doth magnify the Lord, my spirit rejoiced in God, no good thing will he withold, no need to worry, O taste and see that the Lord is good, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, praise the Lord for His goodness, promises, righteous right hand, righteousness., robert h schuller, sincerity, sons of Korah, soul, stumble, sun, thank you, the breath of life, the children of men, the fear of the Lord, the growing flower, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the Lord will uphold them, the Magnificat, the mountain springs, the Sun of righteousness, the thirsty deer, them that walk uprightly, there is no want to them that fear God, thirstily, thirsting, this time of prayer, turns hungrily to the satisfying sun, undivided attention, unreliable, untrustworthy, wisdom, wonderful works
Psalm 107:9. For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Welcome Friends and neighbours to another terrific Tuesday! The breath of life is still flowing through our bodies, which means there is still a godly purpose for our being. Let’s diligently search out that purpose, then seriously put it into action.
On that note, the day didn’t begin too well for me, because when I came down here to write, my trusty desktop computer began giving problems, wouldn’t allow me to go to Outlook, for whatever reason, thus I had to resort to my laptop. That meant I lost valuable time fooling with it. But the Lord in His absolute wisdom knows what’s happening and is on the problem, (smile) so I have no need to worry.
Consequently, let’s turn to Him with this soulful prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional titled ‘FILL ME.’ I believe we’ve shared it before, but it’s definitely worth sharing again.
Please pray with me: ‘O Lord, like the thirsty deer which goes to drink from the mountain springs; like the growing flower which turns hungrily to the satisfying sun; like the empty pitcher which is carried to the fountain to be filled; so I come, O God, knowing that in this time of prayer my soul will be filled with your LOVE and truth. Thank you! Amen.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth my people? It surely is! Whenever we turn to the Lord in sincerity and faithfulness, we are filled with His wonderful LOVE and truth. So please this morning, let’s seek him hungrily, thirstily and excitedly like the deer going to drink from the mountain springs and the flower that’s turning with so much joy to the sun to boost its life force.
Like those other aspects of God’s creation, we too need to seek His face so that our souls, our life force can be renewed and strengthened, especially in these rough and trying times. And all of this hungering and thirsting after righteousness (smile) complements our Bit quite nicely.
The psalmist quite rightly declares: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’
Wow Friends! What absolute and indisputable truth that is! Our God is a real, living, feeling, hearing and seeing Deity, magnanimous in His grace and mercy, and ever-faithful to His promises! And those who sincerely seek him, WILL receive His undivided attention and His awesome help to fix whatever is wrong in their lives.
And before we go further, let’s make one thing very clear: there is none other than Him who can meet our needs, all our needs that is. So please don’t go looking to man to help, for man is unreliable, untrustworthy and cannot guarantee any support they may offer. But he Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can, because He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent!
And now that we understand that Almighty God is the first and last place we must seek help in our earthly pilgrimage, regardless of the matter, big or small, important or unimportant, let’s look at some scriptures that support the truth of our Bit.
First off, the Sons of Korah, in Psalm 84, faithfully proclaim: ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:11-12)
Oh my people, we cannot find more truth than that anywhere in this universe! The Lord WILL NEVER turn away those who seek Him sincerely and diligently! Please remember that, and let it permeate all your doings.
Now listen to Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.’ (Ps.34:8-11)
Oh Friends, there’s not much more to say. Bruh David has said it all in so few words. However, until we learn the fear, the true reverence of God, in worship, in praise, in humility and faithfulness, we will not be able to access those wonderful attributes of His.
Meanwhile the prophet Malachi confidently proclaims: ‘But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall (fatted calves).’ (Mal.4:2)
Yes my brethren, our wonderful God has made provision for all those who turn to Him in sincerity and truth! And that particular promise has already been fulfilled with the coming of Jesus.
Now hear these words from Mary, the mother of Jesus, when she visited with her cousin, Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and they discovered that both were pregnant through exceptional, God induced circumstances. Elisabeth had been barren and was now well advanced in age, somewhat late to become a mother, if we reason without God’s awesome input.
From this meeting came Mary’s glorious response, known as the Magnificat, in which she praises the Lord. ‘And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his handmaiden (servant): for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones), and exalted them of low degree (the lowly).
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.’ (Luke 1:46-55)
Oh what beautiful sentiments and praise my people! And that from a teenaged girl from a backwater town. I never intended to include the whole thing, but after reading it, I just couldn’t help myself, (smile) it was so beautiful.
Anyway, we’ll conclude for today with the time honoured advice that it is much more beneficial to stay tuned to Almighty God, than any man-made idol. Much LOVE!
…he or she who walks faithfully with Jehovah God may stumble…but will NEVER fall…for the Lord will uphold them with His righteous right hand…that’s His faithful promise…
13 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a very present help in trouble, action, all the time, almighty god, artesian well, blessed, blissful, Bonjour, boost our spirits, breathed with God, Bruh David, close to Almighty God, contentment, deity, disobedient, encouraging words, ever-faithful and true, ever-LOVING God, fears, fears faded away, for me to know, from whence cometh my help, gigantic thoughts, glory, glory of God's revelation, glory to God, God is our refuge and strength, God's grace, God's sustaining power, gospel truth, Gramps Schuller, hanging over our shoulders, He that keepeth Israel, heavenly wisdom, Holy smokes, I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, in living colour, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, incredible happenings, it is true, Jeremiah, joy, jump off the page, keep an eye out, let all flesh bless his holy name, let go and let God, LOVE, magnanimous, magnificent, majestic Deity, man's earthly purpose, marvellous, melted like wax, my help comes from the Lord, nor the moon by night, open hearts and minds, open the windows of our souls, opened windows, personally vouch, poured into my heart, promises, Revelation, salvation, saturated my mind, seek God, sheer joy sprang forth, sleep, slumber, smile, speak the praise of the Lord, Thank You Lord, the clincher, the greatest thing ever, the Lord is gracious, the Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade, The Lord preserves those who love Him, the Lord shall preserve thee from all evil, the Lord shall preserve thy soul, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, The sun shall not smite thee by day, the valley of despair, threatening clouds, thy foot to be moved, thy right hand, to guide and keep us, truth, walked with God, Wednesday, what a great day to be alive, wide, You did all the rest, you to find out
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in time of trouble.
Bonjour, my Friends and neighbours! What a great day to be alive! It’s a wonderful Wednesday morning, and I’m here to boost our spirits and try and get and keep us closer to Almighty God. Yes my people, I’m here this morning to remind us of the marvellous, magnificent, magnanimous and majestic Deity we serve and worship!
He is just the greatest thing ever! And is He ever faithful and true to His promises! And I can personally vouch for that. Let me give you a recent example. Now, whenever I read my devotionals, I keep an eye out for anything that seems worthy of sharing, but oftentimes I don’t even need an eye open, because they simply jump off the page at me.
Yesterday, while reading, I idly wondered what I would write about today. Soon thereafter though, I came across this poem in the One year Book of Bible Promises that seemed interesting enough to share, but the clincher occurred when I read the promise that it was based on; none other than our Bit. Holy smokes!
I obviously chuckled and said a thankful ‘Thank You Lord!’ That’s because I took it as a sure sign He wanted me to share the poem. And never wanting to be disobedient, (smile) here it is in living colour. It’s titled: ‘You Did All the Rest.’
And it says: ‘O Lord God! I did what you asked me to do: I just opened windows Wide… Wide… And You did all the rest! You poured into my heart A blessed, blissful contentment. You saturated my mind With gigantic thoughts of You. You struck an artesian well within me Until sheer joy sprang forth.
You led me out of the valley of despair Into a succession of incredible happenings. Problems which seemed insurmountable Melted like wax before my eyes. Fears faded away like threatening clouds. You startled me You amazed me With the glory of your revelation.
It is true Gloriously true – I have literally walked and breathed with God. I just opened windows Wide… Wide…God. You did all the rest!’
Oh mih people, that’s exactly how our ever-LOVING God operates, when we genuinely seek Him with open and sincere hearts and minds! And I’m sure many of you readers can attest to that fact this morning. Isn’t it wonderful to serve such a Deity? It surely is!
So this morning Friends, let’s throw open those windows of our souls wide, wide, so that God can come in and do the rest nuh. For like our Bit so truthfully declares: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in time of trouble.’
But you know what too my brethren? God isn’t only a refuge and strength and help in times of trouble, but ALL THE TIME! In good times, in so so times, as well as bad times, He’s always there to guide and keep us! Glory to God!
But note though, we have to open up to Him completely, and like Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) said yesterday, let it all go, allow Him to work at His pace, in His time, without continually hanging over His shoulder and trying to tell Him what to do. We don’t like others hanging over our shoulders telling us what to do, so why should our Creator like it eh?
Now let’s look at some scriptures which support our contention – no sorry, not contention, but truth. Listen to the psalmist, re God’s sustaining power. ‘I will lift up mines eyes unto the hills (mountains) from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (to slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’ (Ps.121:1-8)
Oh my people, what wonderful promises our mighty God makes! And He faithfully keeps everyone of them. Hn, hn! I wasn’t planning to use the whole psalm, but after reading it, I had no other choice seeing that it was chocked full of God’s grace and power.
Obviously the psalmist wasn’t expecting the hills themselves to help him, but sees them as more of a reflection of the power and majesty of the One who made them.
Now hear the prophet Jeremiah as he expounds on the situation. ‘Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer.13:23). Gospel truth that Friends!
Now let’s end with some wise and encouraging words of Bruh David from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear (revere) him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145:18-21)
Oh Friends, what beautiful and true declarations! Please, as true followers of Christ, let’s go out and put them into action today nuh. For that is indeed heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to praise and glorify God…that is man’s earthly purpose…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella didn’t get to bed until minutes to three this morning. Don’t ask what I was doing either. That’s for me to know and you find out. (smile) Much LOVE!
18 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, ask for help, by strength shall no man prevail, by the power of god, Christmas, confronting struggles, contrite heart, Controller, Creator, eternal life, flee before thee seven ways, forgiveness, generosity, glory hallelujah, God is a good god, God will never turn us away, God's good to the very last drop, grace, Hannah, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, humble spirit, I can do all things through Christ, I will never leave you, in all truth, Jesus Christ, leads and guides, lean not unto thine own understanding, life might not be fair, living our faith, LOVE, loving our god, magnanimous, magnnificent God, mercy, our Lord and Saviour, pilgrim's journey, provider, salvation, setting a good example, silent in darkness, song of praise, spiritual Leader, spreading the gospel, the Birth of Christ, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the Lord gives wisdom, the Lord shall preserve thy going out and coming in, the power to rise above, trust in the Lord with all thy heart, victory, work diligently
Psalm 121:8. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Aye Friends, on this Thursday morning, a week before Christmas, I have something very important to remind us of; that Almighty God, our heavenly father is a good God! Please don’t let anyone fool us into thinking otherwise. Life might not be fair, but believe you me, the One who created us is good indeed!
In fact, our God is extremely good, awesomely good, abundantly good… and all the other excellent words that describe generosity, grace, mercy, LOVE, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life.
Mama Mia! Anyone who could, and would offer all those rich and rewarding blessings, for free to boot, just had to be good! He just couldn’t be anything else. And that’s exactly what our God is – as they would say, He’s good to the very last drop. (smile)
But seriously though my people, we need to remember that we serve a magnanimous, majestic and magnificent God, Creator, Controller and Provider!
And in addition to Him, we also have the other two thirds of the Holy Trinity; Jesus Christ, our spiritual Leader, Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit, the One who does all the leg-work, dwelling in believers, helping them to make a successful pilgrim’s journey, here on Planet Earth.
That’s why we can boldly reaffirm this affirmation. ‘I can have victory in my life by dealing with the things that are keeping me from God’s best. I am confronting my struggles head-on so I can overcome them.
God has given me the power to rise above. He has given me the strength to focus on Him and push through. Nothing will hold me back. This is my declaration of what I can do through Christ.’
Yes Friends, let’s believe all that and work sincerely and diligently towards that outcome, for as the Good Book tells us: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13)
Don’t ever forget that! Christ enables us to handle various circumstances in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, who leads and guides us in all truth. We just have to come to Him with a contrite heart and a humble spirit and ask for His help.
He will NEVER turn us away, for He has also made the very significant and encouraging promise to never leave nor forsake us. (Heb.13:5) And we all know that He is indeed faithful, who promised.
So this Thursday morning, as the tumultuous year of 2014 draws to an end, let’s bolster our courage, our faith, our trust and our belief in Jesus Christ, whose birth we are in the midst of celebrating, so that we can go out there and build His church, enlarge His earthly body and further His LOVE Revolution, which is the only movement that can save our sinful, evil and ungodly world from death and eternal destruction.
Remember too that the Father doesn’t want to lose even one of His human creation to the evil Lucifer. That means we have to work diligently to bring the heathen, the unbeliever to belief in Him. And we can only do that successfully by setting a good example, by living a life that’s worthy of Him.
That means truly LOVING our God, sincerely LIVING our Faith and diligently SPREADING His Word!
That brings us to the marvellous promise contained in our Bit. ‘The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’ And that’s no lie Friends! It’s all based on God’s sustaining power.
Moses informed the Israelites of this fact a long time ago. ‘Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten (defeated) before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.’ (Deut.28:6-7)
What a promise my people; the Lord will rout our enemies if we hearken unto His voice and obey His commandments!
Meanwhile, in support of this topic, Cousin Sol tells us: ‘For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up (stores up) sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler (shield) to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgement (guards the paths of justice), and preserveth the way of his saints.’ (Prov.2:6-8)
And the good news there my brethren is that we are His saints! Glory Hallelujah!
And Hannah, Samuel’s mother put it this way in her song of praise and glory for the Lord granting her a son when she seemed destined to a barren and childless life. ‘He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.’ (1 Sam.2:9)
Now listen to Peter’s two cents worth. (smile) ‘Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.’ (1 Pet.1:5) Yes my brethren, it is indeed by the mighty power of God that we are able to lead safe and secure lives down here on earth!
And we’ll close with these awesome words of wisdom from Cousin Sol that fit every situation and circumstance in our lives. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body) and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:5-8)
And that my people is the gospel, gospel truth!
So now, may the Lord bless and keep us safe and secure as we go out to put all that stuff into practice today, and may He cause His bright and smiling countenance to shine on us, give us His heavenly peace and fill our hearts with joy, until we meet again tomorrow, if that’s His plan. Much LOVE!
…only by walking sincerely with Jesus…can we truly reap the benefits of all His promises…
13 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grateful heart, a pleasant personality, advocating on our behalf, as for me and mine, beauty, behold the days come, Bruh David, Christmas, covenant, Davidic covenant, debt, everlasting rule, father and child relationship, glory, glory hallelujah, God's LOVING-kindness, goodness, house of Judah, I will be pleased, I will make a new covenant with Israel, Israel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus' miraculous birth, Jesus' Second Coming, joy, judgement, justice, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, magnanimous, messianic era, One Year Book of Bible promises, peace, peace floods my tranquil heart, praise me joyfully, Praise the Lord, promise, repayment, righteousness., saith the Lord, Saturday, sitting at the father's right hand, sleep in late, talk with me intimately, Thank you Jesus, thankful, the birth of Jesus Christ, the House of Judah, the hubbub of confusion, the Lord our righteousness, the righteous Branch of the Lord, those who delight to please God, triumph, trust me totally, walk in the light of God's presence, warm love that flows from Jesus, we shall follow Jesus, what a wonderful God we serve and worship
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.
Well my brethren, it’s Saturday morning, and life is moving right along, exactly the way it was planned to unfold. Some of us can afford to sleep in late, while others unfortunately have to get up and do stuff, either at home or out in the community.
But please, whatever we do today, let’s do it with a grateful heart, a pleasant personality and a warm LOVE that flows from Jesus, because that’s what he expects of His followers, especially as we are celebrating the two thousand and fourteenth anniversary of His wonderful and miraculous birth, this Christmas season.
And all God’s children sang out: ‘Praise the Lord! Glory Hallelujah! Thank You my Lord and Saviour Jesus!’
Oh Friends, there’s so much we have to be thankful for, especially in Jesus, that we can’t even consider repaying the debt we owe, it’s of such great magnitude. But as I said recently, Jesus is not really interested in debt repayment since He knows we don’t have the wherewithal to do so.
He just wants us now to simply live lives that glorify Him and our heavenly Father, with the help of the Holy Spirit that indwells us. And this poem from the One Year Book of Bible Promises nicely points that out.
It’s titled – I Will Be Pleased. ‘Lord, this fresh early morning As I sit in our quiet living room You’ve just reminded me Through David the Psalmist That there is incomparable joy For those who delight to please You – For those who are thinking about ways To follow You more closely.
Lord, the day stretches out before me. In a few brief moments I must arouse my family And face again the noise, the distraction The hubbub of confusion. But while we are still alone Just the two of us, my Lord While your peace floods my tranquil heart Please tell me what I can do This duty-packed day To follow you more closely.’
And here’s the Lord’s reply ‘Dearly LOVED child Praise me joyfully Talk with me intimately Trust me totally And I will be pleased.’
Matter fixed my people! Yuh see, our God is just looking for a warm and LOVING father and child relationship; walking and talking with Him in complete trust and surrender. What more can we ask for eh? Not a whole lot nuh!
And the Bible Promise for that poem was: ‘Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.’ (Ps.89:15, NIV)
And Friends, our God is so magnanimous that He even made us a big promise in our Bit, way back in olden times. ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.’
And we all know the beginning of that covenant was fulfilled with the birth of Jesus Christ, but will not be completed until His Second Coming, this time in glory and triumph to begin His everlasting rule.
Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! I can’t help but point that out whenever I consider how good He’s been to us, though we are definitely unworthy of His LOVING-kindness.
Now listen to Jeremiah again, as he expands somewhat on our Bit, where it’s promised that a descendant of Bruh David will be king. ‘Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgement (justice) and righteousness in the land (earth). In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.’ (Jer.33:14-17)
Oh Friends, that promised king is our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And He’s just biding His time, sitting at the Father’s right hand, advocating on our behalf, waiting patiently and eagerly until the Father decides the time is right for Him to launch the final sortie. (smile)
Now here is some important info from the scholars re the covenants. ’33:14-17. The provisions of the Davidic covenant remain in force as they are incorporated into the new covenant. The phrase the days come refers to the messianic era, when the righteous Branch of the Lord will grow up unto David.
Jeremiah looks forward to the time when the Messiah, Israel’s Shepherd and King will sit on the throne of David in fulfillment of the promises of the Davidic covenant. His reign will be a time of renewed peace, justice and righteousness. The Messiah’s title The Lord our Righteousness will also be given to Jerusalem because the Righteous One will be there.’
Oh Friends, how can we not grasp and hold on tightly to that marvellous promise eh, especially when we see its fulfillment being wonderfully orchestrated and embodied in the person of Jesus Christ? We’d be foolish not to!
And I know that many do not accept, in fact angrily reject Jesus and all that He stands for. But all I can say to them is wake up and smell, see and taste the beauty and goodness and LOVE that’s Jesus!
To think or believe otherwise is simply the wisdom of a fool! Let’s sincerely hope that we don’t ever fall into that foolish category. Much LOVE!
…the world can say what it wants…but as for me and mine…hn…we will follow Jesus right through to eternity…
15 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man under authority, all things are possible to him that believes, almighty god, as thou hast believed, awesome power, battery operated clocks, because of your unbelief, belief, came to Jesus for help, Capernaum, cast out into outer darkness, comforting, communing with the Father, condemnation, electrical power, electricity, faith, faith can move heaven and earth, flashlight, foolishness of Isreal's rejection, from the east and west, Gentiles, gnashing of teeth, grievously tormented, hope, I am not worthy, I have not found so great faith in Israel, if thou canst believe, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ingathering of the Gentiles, Isaac and Jacob in heaven, Jesus, Jesus had all the power of God behind Him, Jesus' Second Coming, keep on believing, LOVE, loving kindness, magnanimous, magnificent, make a positive difference, Mark 9:23. Jesus, Messiah, my servant should be healed, nothing shall be impossible to you, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, outer darkness, paralyzed, prayer and fasting, preaching of the gospel, punishment, put out the garbage, realm of sickness and death, reassuring, remove hence, second death, shall sit down with Abraham, sick of the palsy, simply believe, so be it done to thee, speak the word only, that's my story, the children of the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, the Roman centurion, to go to bed late is to be up early, unexpectedness of life, warm the cockles of Jesus' heart, weeping, Wiliam Shakespeare, working out things for good, ye shall say to this mountain
Mark 9:23. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Ah mih people, the unexpectedness of life eh! That’s why we have to live and enjoy it while there’s still time. I went to bed last night, or rather this morning, at minutes to two, after being outside on my porch with Jesus, silently communing with the Father, as a gentle, latter autumn rain fell in my area.
Yes Friends, it was Jesus and I out there, for if we say He lives in us, and He is always with us, walking and talking with us, that means everywhere we go, He is there too. And that’s so comforting and reassuring!
So I get to bed at that early hour (smile) – remember Willie Shakespeare’s adage – to go to bed late is to be up early- and a couple of times I wake up to look at the clock radio on the far night table next to the Duchess’ side of the bed. But neither time could I see anything, which left me wondering why she would turn it off or unplug it.
But lo and behold, one of those times I sat up and looked around me, only to find that there was darkness all around. For a few seconds I was mystified… then it dawned on me that there was no electrical power. So obviously all the clocks that worked with electrical power were dead, and I had to grope around to find a flashlight to look at one of the battery-operated clocks.
Oh I have several clocks in my bathroom and bedroom, and all of them tell a different time. (smile) It was then around 5.30. I looked out the window, and out there everything was dark too. With no other alternative, I simply, and gladly went back to bed. What else could I do without electricity eh? (smile)
However, the ole body didn’t surface again until minutes to eight, and then I had to put out the garbage and stuff, because I heard the trucks rolling around the neighbourhood. So it’s not until minutes after eight that I’m starting to write the Bit. Now that’s my story… and I’m sticking to it! (smile)
I had some other stuff in mind to open with, but it seems the Good Lord wasn’t in favour of that, so we’ll leave it for another day. Anyway, we’ll continue with our Bit on faith and belief. ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’
Yes my brethren, through faith and belief in Almighty God, ANY and EVERYTHING is possible! Please don’t ever doubt that, because we have a God who created the universe and all therein, a God who is omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present!
That means He’s all-powerful, as well as being here, there and everywhere at the same time, working out good for those He has called and who sincerely believe in Him. Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve my fellow believers!
And it’s truly sad that more of us don’t truly believe in His awesome power and LOVING-kindness, for then our lives and world would be so much better!
And we’ll continue to check out a couple of instances where faith and belief made a substantial difference in certain people’s lives, as they came to Jesus for help. The first is about the Roman centurion.
The Good Book tells it this way: ‘And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy (paralyzed), grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant should be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.’ (Matt.8:5-13)
Yes Friends, yuh see what faith can do! It can help you move heaven and earth! And per the scholars: ‘8:5-9. The centurion (comparative to a sergeant –major’s rank today) was impressed with Jesus, whom he likened to himself as one under authority. He recognized that in dealing with the realm of sickness and death Jesus had all the power of God behind Him.’
And ‘8:10-13: The words from the east and west, are taken form Psalm 107 (with allusions also to Is.49:12; 59:19; Mal.1:11). Here Christ is referring to the ingathering of the Gentiles through the preaching of the gospel, culminating in their final gathering at the time of His Second coming.
The children of the kingdom refers to those to whom the kingdom really belongs. Outer darkness refers to the condemnation of the second death. There shall be…gnashing of teeth: There (in that place) is used emphatically to draw attention to the fact that such severe punishment is in fact reality.
Even though he was a Gentile, the servant was healed because of the faith of the centurion. The contrast to this incident drawn by Jesus emphasizes the foolishness of Israel’s rejection of Him as Messiah.’
And sadly my people, today we are still perpetuating that foolishness of Israel, by rejecting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour! How foolish eh, after all the examples and pratfalls we’ve experienced over the years?
Anyway, time and space are against us, so we’ll close with these famous remarks of Jesus to His disciples, when they could not heal the sick youth with the dumb spirit that we talked about yesterday.
‘And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible to you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt.17:20-21)
There again we have it Friends, Jesus telling us about the importance of prayer and fasting, albeit in a sincere manner. So today, as we tend to Jesus’ business, let’s go forth in faith, hope, LOVE and belief, so that we can make a positive difference in our fallen world, and thus warm the cockles of Jesus’ heart! Much LOVE!
…the first step is to simply believe…then the next one is to still believe…then to the others…just keep on believing…
19 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pleasant dream, blessed, bondage of labour, cause his face to shine on us, commandments, communicated with our Creator, Cousin Sol, crown of glory, dark and dreary night, depart from evil, diligently seek wisdom, drift aimlessly, father of patience, fear of the Lord, fellowship, fools despise wisdom, forgiving, fount of all wisdom, Friday chant, friends, fun, generous, generous help, God's gift, good understanding, goodly shepherd, goodness, grace, greetings, honour, illuminating sunshine of Jesus, in league with God, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Job, knowledge, lost sheep, LOVE, Loving Deity, lustful worldly activities, magnanimous, may the Lord bless and keep us, merciful, ornamnet of grace, our Lord and Saviour, permeate our souls, powerful, rejuvenation, relaxation, rest, right perspective, salutations, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Holy One, the Lord's praise endures for ever, the peace that surpasses all understanding, the reverence of God, the weekend, time for partying, understanding, ungodly world, wisdom, wisdom of a fool, wise
Psalm 111:10. The fear of the Lord (an awe-filled reverence toward the Lord) is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Greetings and salutations my people, on this new and blessed day of September 2014! Tell me, have you communicated with your Creator as yet for today?
Well, if you haven’t, then take a moment now to tell Him thanks for bringing you safely through the dark and dreary night, into the bright and illuminating sunshine of His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Then you can boldly and sincerely declare: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God that the weekend is upon us, and we’ll soon be free from the bondage of labour… if only for a couple of days! Indeed, we must thank God that it’s Friday!’
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant, so that we can have the right perspective on how to use the weekend. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my brethren, it’s very important that we view the weekend in the right manner; as a time of rest and rejuvenation, not merely a time for partying and engaging in other lustful worldly activities. Remember, when you use the weekend properly, then the new work week unfolds calmly and smoothly, like a pleasant dream. (smile)
That brings us to our Bit: ‘The fear of the Lord (an awe-filled reverence toward the Lord) is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.’
Oh Friends, those words are ever so true! If the reverence of God doesn’t permeate our souls, then we’ll drift aimlessly for ever, like lost sheep in the dry and waterless wilderness, without a goodly shepherd to look after us.
But when we truly reverence our great and wonderful God, then we see Him for who and what He really is: a wise, powerful, merciful, forgiving and LOVING Deity, generous and magnanimous to a fault. As so many other men of God have stated, that’s where all wisdom begins, my brethren!
Now let’s have a quick look at some of the scriptures that tell us so, beginning with the father of patience, Job, as he talks about wisdom being God’s gift. After asking the profound question: ‘But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?’ (Job 28:12) He goes on to detail where it cannot be found. (Job 28:13-21)
Then he finally declares: ‘And unto man he (God) said, Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’ (Job 28:28)
And if you don’t believe Job, then listen to Cousin Sol, proclaimed the wisest man ever. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
Yes my people, when we submit to Almighty God with a healthy fear of awe and reverence, then our eyes, hearts, minds and souls are opened, and we are able to discern wisdom and truth and knowledge, as decreed by our heavenly Father, not as the evil and ungodly world considers it.
And Cousin Sol later on, again wisely informs us on the subject: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy (Holy One) is understanding.’ (Prov.9:10)
Oh my brethren, it’s therefore obvious that true wisdom and knowledge and understanding are all tied up with knowing our Creator, and unless we are in solid league with Jehovah God, the ONE who created the universe and all therein, we cannot attain to those things.
And as Cousin Sol seriously warns us: ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou doest embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov.4:7-9)
Yes my Friends, that’s what happens when we diligently seek wisdom; she just overwhelms us with goodness! So why aren’t more of us seeking it eh; godly wisdom that is, not the wisdom of the world?
I guess because too many of us tend to turn away from anything that smacks of God. And that definitely is not true or real wisdom my people! It’s the wisdom of a fool, for they despise true wisdom and instruction, as Cousin Sol says earlier.
And on that note we’ll close for today, because the rest of what I have to say will definitely make the Bit too long, and I know that our attention span is short on most days, but especially so on Fridays, when the weekend beckons. (smile)
So may the Lord bless and keep us as we walk faithfully with Him today, and may he cause His favour to shine on us, and give us His wisdom and peace that passes all understanding. Much LOVE!
…how can a mortal human ever attain wisdom…without a true and stable connection to the fount of all wisdom…the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…
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