21 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great family, a positive effect, a positive outlook on life, a smile costs nothing, abundance, as a man chastens his son, blessed day, blessings, bound, brighten someone's day, broken, chastening, clear direction, commandments, consequences, consequences of disobedience, corporal punishment, courage, creativity, crying, curse, discipline, disobedience, divine protection, enjoy a day, everyone smiles in the same language, face muscles, faith, faithfulness, favour, fearful, foolishness, for the present, frown, fruit, fulfillment, full moon, get us down, glory hallelujah, gnarled branches, God's development programme, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, grace, grievous, grin and bear it, hope, I am blessed, in the heart of a child, in the name of Jesus, Israelites, joyous, loving kindness, magnanimous, magnificent, mercy, Moses, nature, negative stuff, negative word, our heavenly Father, peace, peaceful fruit of righteousness, problems, promotion, prosper, put my hands to, quiet, righteouness, self-control, self-discipline, selfish, smile, spare for his crying, strong will, succeed, success, supernatural strength, talent, the Lord thy god chastens you, the Old Testament, this is the day the Lord has made, Thursday's Blessings, truth, unfriendly, walk in his ways, we will be glad and rejoice in it, wisdom
Hebrews 12:11. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.
Ah mih people, another beautiful day has begun! The Lord in His awesome grace and mercy has decreed that His servants will enjoy another blessed day! Glory Hallelujah!
And in spite of any negative stuff that’s coming against us, God’s children are able to proudly, truthfully and enthusiastically declare: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
Yes friends, it doesn’t make any sense to let our problems get us so down that we can’t enjoy a day in the mercy and LOVING-kindness of our heavenly Father, for He will give us the wherewithal to do it if we sincerely ask Him.
And please don’t think that only the days are beautiful, because the nights are too. This morning at 3.30 I was sitting on my porch enjoying the peace and quiet of nature. I was most surprised when I first sat down, raised my head and saw a big, bright, beautiful full moon shining down on me, through an open space between two gnarled branches of the dying ash tree in my front yard. That’s one of the reasons for my late start this morning. (smile)
Anyhow, here’s a li’l something from a plaque I have in my office. It says: ‘Everyone smiles in the same language.’ And isn’t that the glorious and indisputable truth! It certainly is!
That’s why it’s so hard to understand why we don’t smile at each other more often. In fact we smile at each other much less than we previously did. Today’s world has become so selfish, fearful and unfriendly that we find it difficult to share even a simple, easy thing like a smile, which could brighten someone’s day, and have a positive effect on him or her.
A smile costs nothing my people; just the moving of a few face muscles, and less than a frown to boot. So let’s promises ourselves to do some more smiling at each other nuh, cause it’s a language we all understand and appreciate.
And to help us keep that promise let’s lift up our spirits by declaring our Thursday Blessings, for remember, a blessing’s not a blessing until it’s declared. So as one now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Awright mih breddren, let’s go out and enjoy those blessings now, doing God’s work, smiling and sharing with those less fortunate than us, for that’s what our magnanimous and magnificent God desires of us. But remember also to keep the possible consequences of disobedience in the back of one’s mind, as our Bit informs us.
‘Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’
Ah friends, none of us like to hear those words, chastening, and discipline, much less experience them. (smile) But the fact is they are a big part of our everyday lives; a major aspect of God’s development program. (smile)
‘Hn!’ many of us sadly mutter as we contemplate that statement and some of the chastening that we’ve recently been through, or are currently going through. Unfortunately though my people that’s God’s way, and there’s not much we can do about it, except try to have as few reasons as possible for Him to chasten us.
Now let’s delve into some scriptures that show how important chastening is in God’s world. And we’ll go all the way back to the Old Testament for our first scripture. Here Moses is warning the Israelites about their future behaviour.
‘Thou shalt also consider (know) in thine heart, that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.’ (Deut.8:5-6) It couldn’t be any plainer than that friends.
Now listen to Cousin Sol, who had a lot to say on the subject. ‘Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying (don’t allow yourself to be distracted by his crying).’ (Prov.19:18) Yes my people, too many of us allow our children’s crying to dissuade us when we are chastening them.
More Cousin Sol: ‘Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.’ (Prov.22:15) Hn! And the scholars explain that verse thus: ’22:15. Corporal punishment is necessary for children due to inherent foolishness.’
Now we won’t get into any arguments about that particular scripture here. We’ll close with some words from Ethan the Ezrahite from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David.
‘If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgements; If they break (profane) my statutes, and keep not (obey) my commandments; Then will I visit (attend to) their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my LOVING-kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail (to be false).’ (Ps.89:30-33)
That’s the way it is my people, we just have to learn to grin and bear it. So let’s go out today and smile and be obedient to God’s word, for that is the ultimate test of wisdom. Much LOVE!
… three ways to avoid chastening…obedience…obedience…obedience…
P.S. I want to apologize for a typo I made yesterday. I gave the scripture reference for a Proverb as 13:12; it ought to have been 3:12. Now let’s go and see what games Outlook has to play with me today. They played some yesterday, but not as much as the day before. Ah Lord eh! Much LOVE!
13 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a glorious future, a load of care, alive and kicking, all is lost, angels, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed shalt thou be, blessings, burdened, cattle, Charels Stanley, comfort, commandments, consequences, count your blessings, day and night, discouraged, enthusiasm, every doubt will fly, every sphere of life, everyday actions, eyes fixed straight ahead, focusing, fractious, glad to be alive, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God is over all, God's will, great or small, halfway home, hands on the plough, hearken to God's voice, heavenly Father, help, home on high, honour, in the city, in the field, insignificant thnings, journey's end, joyful time, keep singing, kine, life's billows, LOVE, LOVE of God, loving kindness, magnanimous, magnificent, mea culpa, miracles, miserable, money cannot buy, name them one by one, new mercies, not turning back, obedient, obey God, offspring, overtake thee, praise, praise and worship, reward in heaven, see what God has done, Selah, sense of purpose, set thee on high, sincere, stipulated condition, take for granted, tempest tossed, thankful, the breath of God, the breath of life, the conflict, the cross, the fruit of thy body, truth, watches over us, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, zenith
Deuteronomy 28:3. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Welcome to another brand new day with brand new mercies and LOVING-kindness my fellow believers in Jesus Christ!
Now I’ve been guided to open today’s proceedings with this li’l ditty that we all know and LOVE, but don’t, or very seldom practice. Otherwise we wouldn’t be so fractious and miserable, and there’d be much more of the LOVE of God in us, shown through our everyday actions.
So let’s all sing now in joyful but serious and sincere enthusiasm, truth and belief, ‘Count Your Blessings.’ And let each of us count the blessings in our own lives as we sing, so that it will be more real to each of us.
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by. Refrain: Count your blessings…
When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings—money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. Refrain: Count your blessings…
So, amid the conflict whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.’
Yes friends, if we have counted our many blessings as we sang that wonderful hymn of praise and worship, I am sure that we all have been surprised and amazed at all the wonderful things our magnificent and magnanimous God has done in our lives.
The problem though is many of those things might be small and somewhat insignificant, so we just roll along taking them for granted. But just stop for a moment and consider what our lives would be like if all those blessings we’ve named were absent from our lives eh. Selah!
Yes my brethren, our lives would be nowhere near as happy and comfortable as they now are. So the lesson is to never take those small, insignificant things for granted, because that’s where God works most of His miracles in our lives.
And all God’s children loudly and gratefully declare: ‘All praise, honour and glory be to our heavenly Father, who watches over us day and night. Guides and protects us, And never lets us out of His sight!’
Ah mih people, I can’t help but be amazed at the greatness and wonder of the awesome God we serve! Now, since it’s Wednesday, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with enthusiasm, truth and a strong sense of purpose.
Wailing: ‘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 my fellow faithful believers, this world might not be the greatest, but every morning we awake, we should be exceedingly thankful for that breath of God that’s still flowing through our bodies, because it means we’re alive and kicking and have so much to look forward to as we make our pilgrim’s journey with the Lord on our side.
We just have to put our hands strong and steadfast to the plough and keep looking ahead to the promise of a great and glorious future with Jesus! Believe me friends, it will be such a joyful time! Glory Hallelujah!
That brings us to our Bit; such a glorious promise! ‘Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.’
Yes my precious people of God, like the scholars inform us: ’28:3-6. These verses contain six blessings that extend to every sphere of life.’
Now let’s check out the other five. ‘Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body (offspring), and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine (cattle), and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store (kneading bowl). Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.’ (Deut.28:4-6)
Now what could be better than that eh mih breddren? Nothing really! But unfortunately there’s a stipulated condition of God’s before all of that can happen.
Listen up: ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.’ (Deut.28:1-2)
Yes Friends, for the blessings to flow, we need to be obedient to God’s will and purpose! But the beautiful part is that when we’re obedient, the blessings shall overtake us! We don’t have to go chasing them, they will chase us, and eventually overtake us! Glory to God my people!
So please, let’s be wise today, be obedient and sincere, and dwell on God’s word, so that the promised blessings can run us down and overtake us. Now that is indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) so rightly says…the best way to live this life…is to simply obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…
P.S. Sincere mea culpas. The computer and I were both slow this morning. (smile) Much LOVE!
02 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mustard seed, affection mind, Anselm, aspires to inspire, attributes of God, believe, bread, brethren, cast out a demon, character, christ lives in me, Christian, circumstances, Colossians, crucified, depressed, desires, disarray, doubts, downcast, earthly things, faith, faithfulness, fellowship, fine spirits, forefathers, forgiveness, freed, Galatians, God's Word, grace, heavenly things, hid in Christ, holy spirit, hope, impossible, inaudible, incredible, intimate with God, invisible, Jews, justification, knowledge, live by faith, live in the flesh, magnanimous, magnificent, majestic, medicine, meditating, mercy, miracles, move mountains, nothing shall be impossible, pandemic, power, prayer, reading, Redeemer, signs, sin, sinful life, son of god, spiritual realm, starve to death, strife, Supreme Being, taking care of, the bread of life, the law, truth, unbelief, unbelievers, unconditional LOVE, virtues, watching over, wilderness, wisdom, wonders, work wonders
John 6:48. I am that bread of life.
Welcome to another Saturday morning on God’s great earth my friends! Hope it finds us all in fine spirits, and if not, by the time we are finished here, I know those spirits will have miraculously been lifted by the Holy Spirit that indwells us, as we talk about God; His holy word, His unconditional LOVE, His freely offered grace, His undeserved mercy, His never-ending forgiveness, and His eternal faithfulness!
Now that alone should lift our spirits this Saturday morning my people! Wow! What a majestic, magnificent and magnanimous God we serve my fellow believers! I don’t see how any of us can stay depressed and downcast for very long with such a Supreme Being watching over and taking care of us.
It’s just not possible if we concentrate on all the wonderful attributes of our God, instead of the prevailing unfortunate or uncomfortable circumstances surrounding us.
And my Christian brethren, I have the right medicine for what we’re talking about. It’s contained in a recent quote from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. And this time I think he’s done a heck of a job.
Listen to this quote. ‘When we do what we can, the LORD will do what we can’t. FAITH hears the inaudible, sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible!!! Feed your FAITH, and your doubts will starve to death.’
Oh my people, my people, what glorious, indisputable, gospel truth! Faith is that good my brethren. That’s why they say it can move mountains and work wonders. What did Jesus say to His disciples when they asked why they were unable to cast out a demon?
‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible unto you.’ (Matt.17:20)
Yes friends, it only takes a little faith to do plenty things, and just as that little mustard seed grows into a big tree, so can our faith, if we’ll allow it do so by reading and meditating on God’s word, through fellowship with other believers and personal prayer…but first we have to believe.
Without belief nothing happens in the spiritual realm of Jesus. And that is borne out by our Bit. ‘I am that bread of life.’
It’s a simple, but true statement, but Jesus had a most difficult time getting His people to believe Him. In spite of all the signs and wonders and miracles He did, they still refused to believe. But they certainly wanted the physical bread they thought He was offering them.
Steups! Those long ago Jews, especially the leaders, were certainly a hard-headed, stubborn bunch of people. Just look at how their forefathers behaved in the wilderness although the Lord was looking after them.
Sadly though, we have a lot of unbelievers around today too. In fact too many of the world’s population are unbelievers, that’s partly why our world is in such complete disarray and strife is pandemic.
Anyway, let’s look at a couple of scriptures that corroborate our Bit. First up is this verse from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, where he is saying that justification is not of the law.
He solemnly declares: ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (by faith in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’ (Gal.2:20) Yes friends, Bruh Paul was not living by the law again, but through faith in Christ.
Listen to this explanation from the scholars’. ‘2:20. To be crucified with Christ means the believer has been freed from the law and from the ruling power of sin that was aroused by the law. Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me is interpreted: “And I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Since the believer has been freed from the law and sin, the old sinful life no longer asserts itself as formerly.
Instead, “Christ liveth in me,” that is, Jesus cultivates within the believer (Paul) His own desires, virtues, character, and power, thus morally transforming him and working through him in others. Paul lives his current Christian life by the faith of (in) the Son of God, that is, by depending on Him for strength and all necessities.’
And so should we my people, if we are true believers in Christ. Now hear how Bruh Paul tells it to the Colossians. ‘Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.’ (Col.3:2-4)
Ah my fellow believers, it’s truly time to stop concentrating on, and being preoccupied with earthly things and look to things in heaven instead, since we have been reborn in Christ, who now sits in heavenly places.
And the scholars’ explain. ‘3:3. Your life is hid with Christ in God (or, “Your life is deposited with Christ, who is in intimate relation with God.”) As all wisdom and knowledge reside in Christ (2:3), so the believer’s new life is stored up in Him.
This means that the Christian life belongs to the spiritual or heavenly real. Jesus is in intimate relation with God; so are His followers. Since the Colossians now belong to the heavenly realm and are intimate with God, they should seek those matters and interests pertaining to heaven and not to earth.’
So friends, what’s it to be eh? Are we going to live our lives in and for Christ, as a new creation, or are we going to let the law and its sinful attributes turn us back to our former ways?
I do hope that we’ll ponder all that we’ve said and then make the wise decision to live in and for Christ! Much LOVE!
…glory be…our Redeemer lives…and we live in Him…and through Him…and for Him…
23 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, a strong will, abundance, adoration, affliction, appreciation, belief, blessed, blessed be God, blessings, breath of life, broken, celebrate, character, characteristics, characterized, christianity, Christians, comfort, comforted of God, courage, created in God's image, creativity, cry in the desert, curse, direction, divine protection, enjoy, enthusiasm, ever-Loving, faith, family, favour, forgive, friends, glory, Glory be, grace, graciously given, have nothing, health, holy spirit, honour, Hour of Power, I cry unto thee daily, I lift up my soul, in affliction I call, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, light, LOVE, magnanimous, magnificent, mercies, mete and right, my comfort by day, my Saviour, My song in the night, my soul's delight, negative word, New Testament, not walk with thee, O Jesus, omnipotent, planet earth, plenteous in mercy, praise, praise and worship, promotion, prosper, ready to forgive, rejoice, Satan, saving grace, self-control, self-discipline, sin, sincerity, sonship, spoon feeding, spunk, succeed, success, supernatural strength, talent, tender love, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of All Comfort, the soul of thy servant, the source, this is the day the Lord has made, Thursday 's Blessings, thy face to see, tribulation, wander, we are nothing, we will be glad and rejoice in it, wisdom
2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.
Oh my people, our wonderful God has seen fit to bless us with another marvellous day on planet earth! Glory be!
So let’s reciprocate nuh, first by joyfully declaring, as the psalmist did: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24)
Yes friends, it’s only mete and right that we celebrate and enjoy what our God has graciously given to us!
And to further show our appreciation, let’s sing this li’l soulful ditty I heard on the Hour of Power the other night. There was another song I had planned to use, but after hearing the sweet, soulfulness of this one, which I didn’t know, I had no choice but to change my mind. (smile)
It’s simply titled ‘My Song in the Night.’ Please sing with me. ‘O Jesus my saviour, my song in the night. Come to us with thy tender LOVE, My soul’s delight. Unto thee, O Lord, in affliction I call, My comfort by day, And my song in the night.
O why should I wander, and not walk with thee, Or cry in the desert, thy face to see? My comfort and joy, my soul’s delight. O Jesus my saviour, my song in the night. My comfort and joy, my soul’s delight. O Jesus my saviour, my song in the night…in the night…in the night…in the nightttttt…’
Ah mih breddren, how wonderful it is to praise and worship our omnipotent, magnificent and magnanimous God! For without Him, we are nothing, and have nothing!
He is the undoubted source of all that we are and have! We are wonderfully made in His image, and also bear within us His awesome breath of life and Holy Spirit! If you take away those things you are left with absolutely nothing!
So it is essential for us to praise and glorify Him in all that we do, if we want to keep on enjoying His godly mercy and saving grace so generously given to all who sincerely seek it.
And it all segues in so nicely with our Bit: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.’
And you know, during that same Hour of Power programme, I heard the interviewed guest mention how important that passage of scripture was to him in his men’s ministry. And friends, it’s also very important in ours. Why?
Listen to the verse that follows it. ‘Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor.1:4)
What a wonderful method our God has set up friends: first He comforts us, so that we can comfort others with the comfort that we have received from Him! Praise His holy name!
No other supposed deity does anything like that. ONLY our great and ever-LOVING God! So why wouldn’t we give Him praise and thanks, and honour and glory eh! No reason whatsoever!
And the scholars have this to say about our verses. ‘1:3-4. Blessed (Gr. eulogetos, “well spoken of”) is used in the New Testament of God, (e.g., (Eph. 1:3). It is a term of adoration and praise.
The Father of mercies: The mercies in view here include everything from deliverance from the world, sin, and Satan, to participation in sonship, light, and life. But the force is even more than this. The stress is that the Father is characterized by mercy. (c.f. Ps. 86:5; Dan.9:9; Mic.7:18).’
Yes friends, mercy is one of the unalterable characteristics of our God, which means that it must also be one of our character traits too, if we’re to be true believers and followers of His.
Yuh see how effectively our God works in our lives. He gives us comfort and mercy so that we can then share it with others in need of them. How awesome is our God eh! Oh glory, glory!
And though I wasn’t planning to do it, I will indulge in a little spoon-feeding. (smile) Here is the scripture mentioned above from Psalm 86. ‘Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily (all day long). Rejoice (make glad) the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps.86:3-5) I just added verses 3-4, so we could get a better idea of what’s happening.
And no my people, I haven’t forgotten. I’m getting it right this week. (smile) It’s Thursday, so let’s go home appropriately declaring our Thursday Blessings. So with plenty sincerity, spunk, enthusiasm, faith and belief, let’s do it nuh!
‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, let’s go out today, clothed in all those blessings and show the world the true nature of Christianity, as Jesus desires of us! Much LOVE!
…we Christians are so blessed…that we don’t know what to do with all the blessings…
03 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a fine time, be sober, beginning work, believers in Christ, blasphemed, calm, Christ's sufferings, circumstances, difference, distraught, dominion, duty, ending work, fellowship, fervent charity, fiery trial, focused, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glad, glorified, glorify your Father, glorious kingdom, glory, glory to God, God's child, God's grace, good cheer, good stewards, good works, grumbling, heavenly Father, hobnobbing, hospitality, in Jesus' name, in the midst of the storm, Jesus Christ, joy, let your light shine, LOVE, magnanimous, magnificent, mature Christians, minister, multitude of sins, oracles of god, overcome, parents, peace, perspective, praise, prayer, refreshed, rejoice, relaxation, renewed, rest, sing psalms, sing unto him, suffer, talents, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the ability, the end of all things, the nature of the beast, the weekend, things of the world, tribulation, understanding, watch unto prayer, week of work, wondrous works, work, worthy to be praised
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Oh friends, oh friends, it’s the big day…Friday!
And everybody burst out into song: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God for the weekend! We’ve waited all week for this! A fine time will be had by all! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend yes!’
Oh my brethren, it’s certainly interesting how Fridays make such a big difference in our lives. I just wish we could get Monday to make such a difference. (smile) But I guess, because of the nature of the beast, a time for ending work will always be more welcome than one to begin work.
In any case, let’s chant our Friday Chant so than we can get a better perspective on the situation. Chanting: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, furthering God’s kingdom is our duty, and we can’t perform that duty properly unless we’re well rested and properly focused. And that we definitely can’t get from hobnobbing a whole lot with the things and people of the world.
Now here’s an interesting little poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that shows the amazing difference between man and God. This one is titled ‘You’re in My Way.’
And it reads thus: ‘This morning, Lord I heard a distraught mother Say to her lively son “You’re in my way – move.” This very same morning You said to me “You’re in my way – stay.” How good it is to be your child.’
And that’s no lie my people! It is truly awesome to be a child of God! Whereas earthly parents want us to get out of their way, our heavenly Father wants us to be in His way! Glory to God!
And the Bible verse associated with that poem is: ‘Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of his wondrous works.’ (1 Chr.16:9) And is that ever what we should be about my people!
Now let’s get to our Bit, which should be finished today…no promises though, because one never knows what can crop up at the last minute. (smile)
Here is Jesus’ positive directive. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
And this morning we’re going to look at some scripture from 1 Peter where he talks about being good stewards of God’s grace. ‘But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover the multitude of sins.
Use hospitality one to another without grudging (grumbling). As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles (utterances) of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in ALL THINGS may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Pet.4:7-11)
Yes friends, that is how we ought to behave as mature and true Christians; in LOVE, in prayer and hospitality, sincerely using the talents granted unto us, so that whatever we do, our heavenly Father will be glorified. Remember, it’s ALL about Him, not about us!
And Peter continues: ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part, he is glorified.’ (1 Pet.4:12-14)
Oh my people, I know those are some hard scriptures to accept, but accept them we must if we want to be true believers and truly glorify God! It’s a simple philosophy; if you suffer for and with Christ, then when His kingdom comes you will rejoice with Him.
And remember Christ didn’t say that bad or wrong things wouldn’t happen to us down here on earth, but rather He warns of tribulation. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
However my brethren, if we stay in Christ, we can have peace despite our tribulations, despite the fiery trails that try us, because He has already overcome the world. So although times will occasionally be rough, let’s not focus on our circumstance, but on our magnanimous and magnificent God, who is able to give us peace and calm, even in the midst of the storm.
And all God’s people declared, loud and proud! ‘Praise His Holy Name, for He indeed worthy to be praised!’
Yes friends, our God is indeed worthy to be praised, so let’s go out today and do whatever He’s called us to do nuh, with a song of praise in our hearts and mouths and His wonderful peace in our souls. Much LOVE!
…our God offers such a high level of peace…that it verily surpasses our finite and limited understanding…
20 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a colt, a day of celebration, a delight, a joyride, awesome God, before they spring forth, believers, Blessed is he, Christian society, church, confidence, crucify him, daughter of Zion, day of rest, delight thyself in the Lord, die on the cross, energy, enthusiasm, eternal life, face the upcoming week, feed thee, free gift, freedom, give thanks, glorify God, glory hallelujah, grace, he is just, He is love, heaven, Holy Trinity, honourable, Hosanna in the highest, humble, hypocrites, ingrates, Israel's king, Jerusalem, LOVE, lowly, lust, magnanimous, magnificent, majestic, mighty, my holy day, new things, Palm Sunday, peace, pleasure, pomp and pageantry, power, praise, prince of darkness, refreshed, rejoice, rest, ride upon the high places, riding an ass, right relationship, righteous, Sabbath, sacrifice, salvation, six days, spring, strength, Sunday, the foal of an ass, the former things, the god of Abraham, the Good Book, the heritage of Jacob, the holy of the Lord, the mouth of the Lord, the seventh day, the things of the world, thy king cometh, turn away thy foot, turncoats, washed clean, wisdom, worship
Zechariah 9:9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Welcome friends to the first day of spring in the North Country, although it’s still pretty chilly outside. (smile) It’s also Sunday my people, which means it’s time to get thee hither to church, to gather with other believers to praise and worship and give thanks and glorify Almighty God and receive His power, strength, energy, wisdom, confidence and enthusiasm to face the upcoming week.
Now this is not my suggestion, but God’s command: ‘Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day, thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. (Ex.23:12)
And in modern day Christian society we have chosen Sundays to be our day of rest and worship, and in a convoluting kind of way, also the first day of the week. The important thing though, is that we take off one day a week from our labour and rest and worship the Lord as a group, regardless of which day it might be.
Now listen to this other scripture about the observance of the Sabbath from the prophet Isaiah. ‘If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth (the hills), and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob, thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.58:13-14)
What more can we ask for re the observance, the celebration of the Sabbath eh my brethren? Nothing at all! The Lord has promised us a joyride if we faithfully observe it. (smile)
And fortunately, today also happens to be Palm Sunday; that magnificent day of celebration, when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was ushered into Jerusalem in kingly fashion, but on a humble donkey, where the people spread their garments and branches they cut down from trees along the roadway for Him to ride over.
‘And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.’ (Matt.20:8-9)
Oh my people what a day of celebration that must have been in ole Jerusalem. Notwithstanding, that a week later the same fickle souls were then fiendishly crying out ‘crucify Him, crucify Him!’ That just shows what a bunch of ingrates and turncoats and hypocrites we are.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. (smile) Today, let’s enjoy the pomp and pageantry that was Palm Sunday, for it will be indeed a fleeting, though rather important moment in time.
And the breathtaking aspect of the day, is as the Good Book says: ‘And all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek (lowly), and sitting upon an ass (donkey), and a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Matt.21:5)
Oh my people, how wonderful is our God eh, who can foretell stuff centuries and eons before they come to pass! ‘Behold the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.’ (Is.42:9)
And the Lord did tell us about Palm Sunday long before it happened. The words of our Bit spell it out loud and clear: ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’
What an awesome God we serve and worship my people! No other supposed deity has done, or can do those things; only the Almighty and Everlasting God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
‘And all God’s people joyfully sang: ‘Praise Him, praise him, Glory Hallelujah, He is LOVE, He is LOVE!’ That He certainly is my people!
Now here is some info from the scholars. ‘9:9-10. The ass (donkey) was an animal of peace. The kings of the earth come to bring destruction and devastation: Israel’s King comes to bring peace. The prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.’
Yes my people, our God is so mighty, majestic, magnificent and magnanimous that I can’t understand how so many of us can fail to appreciate, LOVE, serve and worship Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls nuh!
He has never lied to us, never led us astray, has proven His great and unconditional LOVE for us unworthy reprobates by sending His only son Jesus to die on the cross so that we could be free, washed clean of our disgusting sins, thus reconciling us to Him, bringing us back into a right relationship with Him, offering us a free gift of grace that leads to salvation and eternal life with the Holy Trinity in heaven till time immemorial!
What more does He have to do to convince us eh mih breddren? The only thing left is for us to be able to worship the prince of darkness and lust after and enjoy the things of the world and still get to heaven. But I can assure you friends, that’s NEVER going to happen.
The Lord in His righteousness and holiness and justice could not agree to that. Yuh see the great heartbreaking lengths He went to, to secure our freedom; sacrificing His only Son? Now if it were possible to get into heaven another way than through Jesus sacrifice, don’t you think He would have taken it?
Anyway, that is all now hypothetical; Jesus was sacrificed to pay for our sins, and He’s the ONLY way to get to heaven. So let’s go out and celebrate, have a wonderful Palm Sunday, sing and praise and joyfully shout ‘Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord!’ Much LOVE my fellow believers!
…sing and rejoice…O daughter of Zion…for, lo, I come (am coming)…and I will dwell in the midst of thee…saith the Lord… (Zech.2:10)
17 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 123 Newsletters, asaph, backsliding, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, calypsos, chosen for his inheritance, Christian time, conduct, confession, day of abundance, Editor Bob, enjoy the day to the fullest, give ear, God is the judge, good fortune, green, growth, have fun, hear O ye kings, Holy Trinity, indigo glow of the sky, Irish Angel's Blessing, Irish folklore, joy, Lenten season, leprechaun, magnanimous, magnificent, mindset, mischief-making, Moments of Leisure, monetary, o ye princes, offering praises, patron saint of ireland, perfection of life, Pot o' gold, praise and thanksgiving, praise is comely, pro-actively cultivate, prosperity, reflections, relationship with god, repentance, shamrock, signs, sing praise to the Lord, sing unto him a new song, spread luck, St.Patrick's Day, symbolism, take life easy, the salvation of God, thethe word of the Lord is right, this is the day the Lord has made, topsy turvy world, truth, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Whoso offers praise glorifies me
Judges 5:3. Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes: I, even I, will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY !
Well a Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all you fine Irish and non-Irish folks out there! It’s time to enjoy the luck o’ the Irish! (smile)
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated every year on March 17; the feast day of St. Patrick the patron Saint of Ireland. According to history though he was not Irish, but was born in Britain in 385 AD and brought to Ireland as a slave when he was sixteen. Six years later he escaped and became a priest, and per a vision, he returned to Ireland to Christianize the Irish people.
According to legend, St Paddy used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish people by showing them the three-leafed plant with one stem. And it eventually became the national flower/emblem of Ireland.
Another part of St. Paddy’s legend claims that he drove the snakes out of Ireland, although some biologists claim there were never any snakes in Ireland. (smile) St. Patrick died on March 17 461 AD.
And today I want to share some words of wisdom from Editor Bob from the 123 Group of Newsletters.
The newsletter begins by saying that ‘St. Patrick’s day is here, we know besides being a day celebrating the revered patron saint of Ireland it has now become a perfect time to groove away with folks and friends wearing green jackets adorned with a shamrock and wish for our pot of gold delivered by the lucky Leprechaun.’
And what is a Leprechaun you ask? Well it’s a type of fairy in Irish folklore, who is usually depicted as a little bearded man, wearing a coat and a hat, with a mischief-making side to his personality.
Now my recollection of St. Paddy’s day is just that as quoted above, because while growing up in T&T, St. Patrick’s Day was the only day you’d hear calypsos on the radio during the Lenten season. So it was basically a break in the staunch and strictly celebrated Christian time. We’d all be dying for St. Paddy’s day to come so we could drink and party with a clear conscience. (smile)
Ah Lord eh! What began as a religious festival has turned in to a universal time of partying. But anyway, here are Editor Bob’s words of wise advice.‘Wisdom comes from the moments of leisure and reflections that you give yourself; sometimes perfection of life is not having perfection at all.
So step down from the escalator and sit on a quiet bench, enjoy the indigo glow of the sky, invite a friend or two to spend the moment of nothingness with you and celebrate the day of abundance which is not necessarily monetary in nature.
The festival is full of signs and symbolism. Green is the colour of growth and prosperity. Leprechaun brings a message to take life easy and have fun with it. Pot of gold is the “good fortune” you crave for on the outside but is within your reach if you just believe. Shamrock stands for trinity indicating the power that you have to attract all that is good. So friends enjoy the day to the fullest.’
And that is exactly what we ought to do, not simply because it’s St. Paddy’s Day, but because we are alive and kicking, being LOVINGLY looked after by a mighty, magnificent and magnanimous God.
So why should we not follow the advice of both Editor Bob and the psalmist, who loudly declares: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
Oh my people, that is the mantra we should follow each and everyday we are blessed to open our eyes to greet a new morn. It’s not always easy because of the unfortunate circumstances that beset all of us at some time or other. But if we pro-actively cultivate that mindset, life will become much easier, and we will not allow our circumstances to steal our joy in the Lord as much as we’d otherwise do.
Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes: I, even I, will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.’
Yes friends, we’ll continue with scriptures of praise and thanksgiving to our great and wonderful God – even though we don’t have much time and space left. (smile) That’s because there is nothing else that brings joy to the Lord and to us than offering up praises to our Creator and heavenly Father.
First off, listen to these words of Asaph from Psalm 50 – God is the judge. ‘Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation (conduct) aright will I show the salvation of God.’ (Ps.50:23).
Oh my people, please let’s remember that the Creator made us to have an intense but beautiful relationship with Him. Mankind is the only one of His creatures that can do that.
But unfortunately, over the last generation or so, we have been backsliding badly, and now need to very seriously come to Him as desperate times are overtaking our world. Only confession, repentance and mountains of praise can right our upside down, topsy-turvy world.
The psalmist in Psalm 33 – Praise to the Lord for His creation- steadfastly and confidently declares: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely (beautiful) for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise (joyful shout). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.’ (Ps.33:1-4)
And all God’s children said a loud and grateful ‘Praise the Lord!’ to those words of indisputable truth.
And we’ll close with an appropriate Irish Angel’s Blessing: ‘May the leprechauns be near you, to spread luck along your way. And may all the Irish angels, Smile upon you on St. Patrick’s Day.’
Yes my brethren, I wish us all a blessed St. Patrick’s Day! Much LOVE!
…blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance… (Ps.33:12)
P.S. I’m somewaht tardy today because of my early celebrations of St. Paddy’s Day. (smile) Much LOVE!
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)
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!
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…
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