17 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brighter tomorrow, Anselm, at all times, be glad, bless the Lord, breath of life, calypso on the radio, christianity, Christians, common sense, contented in the Lord, continually be in my mouth, count our blessings, cultivate, don't deserve, dramatic fashion, everlastingly grateful, exalt His name, faith, feeling gratitude, followers of Christ, for all things, foundation stones, giving thanks always, glory to God, gospel truth, green stuff, his praise, humility, in the name of, Irish culture, Irish friends, libations, LOVE, LOVE in action, magnanimous god, magnify the Lord, make her boast, my soul, Nth degree, our Lord Jesus Christ, past misfortunes, present blessings, reflect upon, ridiculous, season of Lent, St.Patrick's Day, stringent, thank you, the habit of being grateful, the humble, thinking creation, understanding, unto God, untold proportions, warms the cockles, wisdom, wrapping a present
Ephesians 5:20. Giving thanks always for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well a Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all my Irish friends and family! Please don’t get too immersed in the green stuff, especially the many different libations of the day. (smile)
Yeh, St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is the time the Irish celebrate their culture and religion, the legend being that the missionary St. Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland somewhere around the fourth century, and eventually drove out all the snakes from Ireland.
Whatever the truth be though, the 17th of March has become a traditional festival of Irish culture all over the world, especially the imbibing part, with all things green being highlighted.
What I remember most about St. Patrick’s Day is that as a young boy growing up in T&T, that was the only day you heard a Calypso on the radio, or you could have a party during the season of Lent. Now that state of affairs might have been somewhat stringent, but what happens now is downright ridiculous, with no serious or sincere observance of the Lenten season.
Anyway, it’s Saturday, so let’s turn our attention to the quotes we got from our friend Anselm this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a brighter tomorrow. And our friend certainly had some interesting quotes this week, conveniently all tied up together. (smile)
Listen to this first one: ‘Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.’ Now that’s wisdom of untold proportions! As Christians, we’re instructed to count our blessings, and concentrate on them, for they will always add up to more than our misfortunes and keep us happy and contented in the Lord.
And the second quote declares: ‘When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.’ Oh glory to God my people! That is the gospel truth! Whenever we concentrate on our blessings rather than our misfortunes, our lives suddenly turn around in such dramatic fashion! I don’t understand why more of us aren’t counting the blessings and forgetting the misfortunes.
And then there’s this invaluable quote: ‘Cultivate the habit of being grateful.’ What wise and wonderful advice my faithful followers of Christ! Everyday we preach that! There’s nothing that affects our lives as being grateful for all that we have, and which has been sent to us from our magnanimous God.
But then I like this associate quote: ‘Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.’ Yeh, what is the point of being grateful if you don’t show it eh? Then no one knows that you’re grateful. It’s like saying you LOVE someone, but not showing them that LOVE. It’s simply wasted. All talk and no play. Gratitude is one of those words that can only be appreciated through our actions.
And as always, I’ve left the best for last. ‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. ‘Thank you’ expresses extreme gratitude, humility, and understanding.’ Oh my people, if only we’d say more ‘thank you’s’ to each other, and to our awesome God, what a wonderful world this would be!
You know, being grateful, counting our blessings and saying ‘thank you’ are the basic foundation stones of our Christian faith, because they all display LOVE in action! And that’s what Jesus’ people are all about: LOVE in action!
And our Bit is one of the most encompassing scriptures in the Good Book, on the three topics we’ve covered today. It’s Bruh Paul’s direction to the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks always for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’
Ah mih people, it’s something we continually hear, and know deep down in our hearts that we should do, but yet we don’t do it half as much as we should. We ought to be thanking our magnificent and magnanimous God, almost every minute of everyday for all that He’s done for us, especially when we don’t deserve ANY of it!
Just the mere fact that His wonderful and amazing breath of life is currently coursing through our mortal bodies of dust and clay is sufficient reason to be everlastingly grateful and shout out a whole load of thanks to Him! But what to do eh? Mankind, being the only thinking creation, has always been the most ungrateful creation of the Lord. (smile)
However, let’s see if we can change that some nuh, by going home declaring these wonderful words of Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘I will bless the Lord at ALL times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:1-3)
Ah friends, there’s nothing better that we can do than magnify and exalt our great God! So let’s get ourselves together and begin doing it much more nuh. It’s basic common sense and wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing that lifts our spirits…and warms the cockles of God’s heart…like His people showing gratitude…and giving sincere thanks…
17 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new slate, a sad state of affairs, abundance, almighty god, another day in the life, beglad, bless the Lord, blessings, boast in the Lord, calamitous times, Christian, compassionate heart, controversial topic, courage, creative skills, creativity, curse, dead in sins, delivered me, divine protection, eternal separation from God, eternity, exalt His name, failure, faith, favour, for Jesus' sake, from all my fears, gospel truth, grace, harmony, he heard me, help, hurt, I sought the Lord, in the name of Jesus, Jesus, joy, LOVE, magnanimity, magnify the Lord, marvellous feat, mercy, negative word, our heavenly Father, positive outlook, power, praise and worship, problems, prosper, redemption, rejection, sacrifice, salvation, saved him, sorrow, strife, succeed, talent, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Holy Trinity, the humble shall hear, the LOVE of Jesus, this poor man cried, Thursday Blessings, to die for us, tragedy, true living God, trust, walking with God, wisdom, worry
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
And then it was Thursday! Another day in the life; a fresh, new slate, one filled with the grace and mercy of Almighty God, our heavenly Father!
How wonderful is that eh, just knowing that you can handle anything that comes against you with His awesome help? I’d say there were no appropriate words to truly describe that scenario.
But then our God is like no other; He is the ONE and ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD who made heaven and earth and all therein. What immense might, power, wisdom and creative skills it must have taken to perform such a marvellous feat!
And then, to show His magnanimity, even when we were dead in sins, He sent His One Son, Jesus to die for us, so that we could receive salvation and spend eternity with Him. That’s why we praise and worship Him with our whole heart, mind, body and soul!
And who is Jesus, you ask? The glorious ONE who brought heavenly LOVE and redemption to be spread around the whole earth!
Now listen to this description of that LOVE from Fil Anderson in an article from In Touch Magazine titled ‘But for Sorrow.’
Fil says: ‘The LOVE of Jesus is the most prevailing and magnificent force in this world. It’s stronger than every rejection, every failure, every tragedy, every worry, and every hurt. And it’s the source of our deepest joy, even in sorrow.’
Oh friends, I believe that is possibly the best description I’ve ever heard of Jesus’ LOVE, for it encompasses EVERYTHING! It brings us joy untold, even in tough, calamitous times and can help us cure all our problems. There is absolutely NOTHING greater in this world than the LOVE of Jesus!
Oh how I wish that many, many more of earth’s people would realize that and place their deepest trust in Him, since He is the ONLY One who can save them from their sins and sorrows and eventually eternal separation from God.
But unfortunately, today, we’re so saturated with the foolish wisdom of man, and listen so closely to the evil forces of the world that we’re turning away from God, rather than turning to Him.
It’s truly a sad state of affairs my Christian brethren, and we have to take some of the blame for that, because we’re not working as diligently and sincerely to enlighten others about Christ as we should.
And it’s not like the message we’re supposed to spread is a lie, but it’s gospel truth! From way back when, man knew on which side his bread was buttered and put their sole trust, depended fully on God.
Listen to Bruh David’s declaration in our Bit. ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’
What other religious faith can make that claim with any real truth eh mih people? NONE WHATSOEVER! Only the true believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Holy Trinity, can make such a heartfelt and true declaration!
And hear how Bruh David continues after our Bit. ‘They looked unto Him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.’ (Ps.34:5-6)
Ah friends, why won’t the world turn to our magnificent and magnanimous God eh; the ONLY One who can save them out of all their troubles? Most of them don’t even want to hear about God… and don’t even mention the name of Jesus, for he is the most controversial topic n the universe.
And that’s why He is just the GREATEST and the SWEETEST and the MOST LOVING! Praise His Holy name my brethren! For He indeed deserves infinite praise for His wonderful work and sacrifice on our behalf.
And now I’ll call on us to do what Bruh David declared at the beginning of the psalm. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:1-3)
Now that is exactly how a Christian ought to behave! And friends, if we’d only do those things on a serious and continual basis, both our individual lives and our world would be so much better off, filled with much more harmony, and much less strife than it currently contains.
So let’s try doing better nuh, for Jesus’ sake. He did so much for us, the least we can do is spread his name and His word around the earth.
And all God’s children declared a loud and bold and sincere ‘Amen!’
Now let’s go home proclaiming our Thursday Blessings, blessings we receive for truly believing. In unison 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!’
And since blessings are supposed to be shared, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share them with others now. Much LOVE!
…walking sincerely with God…doesn’t mean you won’t have problems…but you’ll be able to handle them successfully…with His amazing help…
21 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a toehold, all creatures great and small, All things bright and beautiful, all things wise and wonderful, British Empire, clothed with majesty, come before him, death, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, each bird that sings, eternally grateful, girded himself, glory to God, good things, good tidings, Granny's wise words, I AM, imprtance, Israel, it cannot be moved, joy, joyous time, let our hair down, LOVE, loving-kindness, magnify the Lord, meadows, outpouring of love, peace, praise his holy name, reipe fruits, resurrection, rushes by the water, sacrifice, salvation, smell the roses, strength, summer sun, tall trees, thanksgiving, the beauty of nature, the evil one, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Lord God made them all, the Lord reigns, the New testament, the wonder of Jesus, the world is established, Victoria Day, wisdom, worthy to be praised
Psalm 93:1. The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved (shaken).
Oh friends, what a joy it is to wake up one more day and smell the roses! Wow! Our God certainly knows how to thrill us; what with the beauty of nature and the wonder of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
And would you believe that I completely forgot that this was a long weekend in the greatest big country in the world – Canada. It’s the Victoria Day holiday on Monday to celebrate the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) over the British Empire, at a time when the sun truly never set on it.
So you can imagine the celebrations have begun in earnest since possibly Thursday, and I’m probably a tad late in reminding us to heed Granny’s wise words – Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business! (smile)
But putting all jokes aside, we definitely don’t want to give the evil one even a toehold in our souls as we continue celebrating over the next two days. So let’s be very careful how we let our hair down in this joyous time nuh.
Consequently, as we gather this Sunday morning to praise, worship and fellowship in God’s sanctuary, let’s open the proceedings with this glorious hymn of praise, regarding the beauty of nature that we’ve spoken of above. Now, with a burning joy in our souls, let’s lift up our heads, hearts, eyes and hands as we open our mouths and offer a sacrifice of praise to our great and wonderful God.
‘(Refrain: All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all.) Each little flow’r that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings. (Refrain) The purple-headed mountains, The river running by, The sunset and the morning That brightens up the sky. (Refrain)
The cold wind in the winter, The pleasant summer sun, The ripe fruits in the garden, He made them every one. (Refrain) The tall trees in the greenwood, The meadows where we play, The rushes by the water, To gather every day. (Refrain)
He gave us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell How great is God Almighty, Who has made all things well. All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all.’
And isn’t that all gospel truth my people? It is indeed! Our great God made it ALL, and He made it WELL! Now we must sing forth His praise, magnify His Holy Name and let the world know about all His wonderful deeds, plus His LOVING-kindness, mercy, grace, forgiveness and salvation that He has so LOVINGLY prepared for all those who belief on the name of Jesus Christ His sinless Son!
Wow! What an awesome God we serve and worship my brethren! Please let us never forget that! And thus we are able to truthfully declare the words of the psalmist in our Bit: ‘The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved (shaken).’
Oh glory to our great God my people! He is indeed the great I AM! There’s NONE like Him in all the world! How could there be eh, when He made it ALL? That’s just not logical!
And Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God admonishes us: ‘Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand (His possession) are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (under his care.’ (Ps.95:2-7)
Ah mih breddren, if we would just take our God as seriously as we should eh, our world and our lives would be so much better off than they are right now! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to the prophet Isaiah as he declares to his people Israel the promise that the Lord, the God of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will deliver them from captivity.
‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings (news), that publisheth (proclaims) peace; that bringeth good tidings (news) of good (things), that publisheth (proclaims) salvation). That saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth.’ (Is.52:7)
Now what more can we ask for or want eh friends? We have the bringing of good tidings, good news and good things through the gospel of the New Testament, where Christ indeed offered us peace and salvation through His sacrifice of death, His awesome resurrection and His atonement for our sins!
One would think that we’d be all overjoyed by such a monumental outpouring of LOVE and joy, but unfortunately it has left many of us unmoved, even annoyed and angry. Hn! But friends, the wise few of us indeed know who butters our bread – Almighty God – and we are eternally grateful!
Now let’s see if we can’t spread the good tidings of good things as Jesus desires of us, so that others can recognize its immortal importance and joyfully give their lives to Him too. For that is the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…oh magnify the Lord with me…praise His holy name…for He is indeed worthy to be praised…
24 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acrostic psalm, Ahimelech, archangels in glory, at all times, be glad, bled, blessed is the name of Jesus, boast in the Lord, carries them all day long, crown him, deliverance, died, exalt His name, excellent greatness, faith, faithful, faithfulness, fellowship together, gave up on God, God sits at the conference table, Goliath, great expectations, greedy, guard his children, hail him, hallowed, hear his word, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, his sinless life for us, honour, hope, hope of eternal salvation, hounds, I will bless the Lord, in his arms, in our lives, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jesus our Blessed Redeemer., joyful song, like a shepherd, lose faith, LOVE, loverly days, magnify the Lord, no peace, Nob, our rock, peaceful agreement, power hungry, praise, priest, proclaim, prophet, reassurance, reinvigorated, revitalized, sacrificed, Saul, showbread, sincerity, sins, soul body mind spirit, strengthened faith, strife filled, suffered, testimony, the crucified, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the humble, trials, tribulations, truth, victorious, walking with Jesus, war mongering, wisdom, worship
Psalm 34:1. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Aye mih breddren, loverly days are here again… as if they ever went anywhere eh. (smile)
That’s because every day is a loverly day when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is in our life. Especially on a Sunday, when we get to fellowship together in great numbers, to praise and worship Him in sincerity and truth, to hear His word and be revitalized and reinvigorated in soul, body, mind and spirit, so we can face the new work week with great expectations, strengthened faith, and reassurance that we will be victorious walking with Him.
And all God’s people loudly and proudly declared: ‘Blessed is the name of Jesus, who sacrificed His sinless life for us! Praise His holy name!’
Now let’s continue in praise mode by singing this beautiful hymn written in His honour by Fanny Crosby. In one, strong and harmonious voice now: ‘Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O earth, His wonderful LOVE proclaim! Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory, strength and honor give to His holy name! Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children; in His arms He carries them all day long:
{Refrain :} (Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness! Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!)
Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins, He suffered and bled and died; He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation, Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the crucified. Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows, LOVE unbounded, wonderful, deep, and strong: [Refrain]
Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring! Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever; Crown Him! crown Him! prophet and priest and King! Christ is coming, over the world victorious, power and glory unto the Lord belong:
[Refrain] Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness! Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!’
Yes friends, what a joyous hymn of praise to Christ Jesus! That ought to have lifted our spirits considerably and opened up our hearts, made us totally receptive to the reading of His word. But before we get into that, let me share something I heard on the radio yesterday. It was an old song by the Chi-lites titled ‘There will be no peace until God sits at the conference table.’
Oh precious people, I never knew the song in its heyday, but when I heard it yesterday I was consumed by both joy and sadness. Joy, because someone long ago realized the seriousness of the situation and turned it into a song. And sadness, because it is just the God awesome truth!
We WILL NEVER have peace on this fallen earth until we bring Almighty God, our Creator and Provider back into the equation, for He is the ONLY ONE powerful enough to bring all the dissenting, strife-filled, greedy, selfish, foolish, war-mongering, power-hungry leaders and nations to a sensible and peaceful agreement! And until that time comes, there’ll be no peace…just constant war.
Anyhow, enough of the negative vibes. It’s Sunday and we’re supposed to be praising and thanking and worshipping and glorifying our heavenly Father, so let’s get back to a more positive and joyous state nuh. (smile) Let’s introduce our Bit; wise, powerful and faithful words of Bruh David. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’
Oh friends, that’s wisdom to the nth power! For who else is there for us to look up to, to praise and worship eh? NOBODY but Jehovah God!
And what we have to realize here is that Bruh David has just escaped death at the hands of his nemesis King Saul, and is running from Saul for his very life without food or weapons. He arrives at Nob, to the priest Ahimelech, who is suspicious of Bruh David’s sorry state and enquires of it.
Bruh David spins him a nansi story about being on secret business for the king and didn’t have time to get bread nor weapons. Whether Ahimelech believed him, we’ll never know, but he’s obviously scared that Saul finds out about his liaison with Bruh David, and finally gives him the showbread (hallowed bread) because that was all he had, as well as Goliath’s sword.
I like Bruh David’s remark when Ahimelech told him that Goliath’s sword was in the temple. ‘And David said, There is none like that; give it me.’ (1 Sam.21:9) Yeh friends, that sword must have brought back long ago memories to Bruh David, as he took it and hightailed it away from the hounds of Saul, baying hungrily at his back. (smile)
Ah mih people, Bruh David didn’t have an easy life, but he NEVER gave up on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because over the years, despite his trials and tribulations, the Lord had proven faithful to him.
The scholars tell us thus about Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘Psalm 34. The historical background of this acrostic psalm is related in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. It bears all the marks of the testimony of one who narrowly escaped death, just as the passage in Samuel describes. As such, it contains the praise and testimony of the one who was redeemed (vv.1-10) and the seasoned instruction that can stem from such deliverance (vv.11-22).’
Yes my brethren, it was only because of the Lord’s faithfulness to him over the years that Bruh David could declare the words of our Bit, and the ones following. ‘My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:2-3)
Oh friends, those are also my sentiments this Sunday morning. So please, magnify the Lord with me, and let’s exalt His holy and righteous name together, for that is indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…despite the troubles that come with life…believers ought never to lose faith in Jehovah God…
17 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gold mine, be filled with the Spirit, being glad in God, bless the Lord, bounden duty, Christian, climb over, dissipation, encouraging, Ephesians, evil, exalt His name, exceedingly rejoice, excess, exhortation, face a mountain, fellowship, find a pass, forgiveness, Friday chant, fun, generous help, giving thanks always, glorious kingdom, grateful, holy spirit, hymns, in the fear of God, in the service of God, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful, keep on striving, let the righteous be glad, LOVE, magnify the Lord, making melody, Mountain Mover's Prayer, partying, patience, perception, pray without ceasing, psalms, quit, refreshed, rejoice, rejoice before God, rejoice evermore, relaxation, render evil for evil, renewed, rest, righteous, robert h schuller, singing, slave labour, spiritual songs, steadfast, strong, summer fun, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thankful, the weekend, the will of God, tunnel underneath, ungodly world, uplifting, wisdom
Psalm 68:3. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Well mih people, I believe it’s what many consider the big day, Friday. But please don’t quote me on that, since I’m not so hot on what day it is. (smile)
However, if you’re going along and you hear lots of people declaring ’TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and a wonderful weekend is on the horizon. We taking a break from the slave labour, and instead is lot’s of partying and summer fun! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Then you can really believe it’s Friday. (smile) So since I am hearing all the hullabaloo over Friday, then I guess it must be okay for us to chant our Friday Chant and get a better perspective on how to spend the weekend.
So as one now, let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh friends, we need to have a balanced weekend or else we won’t be able to rise to the occasion when Monday comes along. Now here’s a li’l reminder from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) re Mountain Moving Faith to help us stand steadfast and strong in Jesus’ name.
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, when I face a mountain, do not let me quit! Give me the strength to keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, or tunnel underneath. And if my best efforts fail, give me the patience to stay and the perception to see the possibilities of turning my mountain into a gold mine with your help. Amen.’
Yes mih breddren, that’s what we believers need today in this age of rampant ungodliness and fleshly lusts; a real mountain moving kind of faith that will keep us strong in the Lord, keep us focused on His will, not ours or the world’s.
And I believe that if we follow the wonderful advice of our Bit, we will stay close to and strong in the Father. ‘But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.’
Ah friends, rejoicing and being glad in our God is one of the many great benefits we enjoy as Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ! We’d be very foolish not to avail ourselves of such an uplifting and encouraging situation.
Now let’s check out some more of those scriptures that exhort us to be joyful and thankful in the service of our great and wonderful God. And we’ll begin with these inspiring words of Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous.
‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:1-3)
Oh mih people, mih people, that couldn’t be said any better! Magnifying and glorifying and exalting God’s name is our bounden duty down here on earth!
So much so that Bruh Paul exhorted the Ephesians: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21)
What a powerful and moving bit of scripture my brethren!
Now here is some info from the scholars on those verses: ‘5:19-21. There are four results of being Spirit-filled (v.18). (1) believers speak to one another with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; that is, they exhort and instruct each other; (2) there is singing and the making of melody, of individual song and praise for the Lord;
(3) there is giving thanks always – the Spirit enables the Christian to be grateful for all things divinely allowed to enter his life since they will be used for good; and (4) there is mutual submission, that is, showing deference to the wishes of one another, as long as that to which the believer submits is in the fear of God, which is to say, in accord with what pleases Him.’
Yes friends, it’s our duty and also a great enabler for us to be singing and giving thanks and praises to our God, to be exhorting each other and putting each other’s wishes before ours, for that’s the way of Jesus!
Now hear some more words of Bruh David on the subject, first from Psalm 9 – Praise for God’s justice. ‘I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (tell of) all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou Most High.’ (Ps.9:1-2)
And then from Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness: ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him). Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps.32:10-11)
What wonderful advice precious people!
And we’ll close this set of messages with these enlightening words of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. ‘See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:15-18)
No better words than those to live by my people! So let’s get with the programme nuh and start living a more joyful life, for that’s wisdom at its highest! Much LOVE!
…oh, what joy and peace comes from being a follower of Jesus Christ…
19 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afflicted, all knees shall bow, all tongues confess, antibiotics, blight, bondage in Egypr, chikungunya, death, destruction, disasters, diseases, disgraceful, disobedience, Ebola, economic fallout, enough rope to hang ourselves, ever-, Father God, firebrand, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, forgiveness, greed, homelessness, humble, hunger, in our own strength, inequities, Israel, Israelites, Jesus Christ, judgement, little children, locusts, magnanimous god, magnify the Lord, malaria, mind games, moving away from God, new creations in Jesus, our Deliverer, our esteemed Creator, outward show, oving, pestilence, polio, poverty, praise, prepare to meet thy God, prosperity, punishment, rejoice in nothing, repentance, saith the Lord, salvation, selfishness, shameful, sinful behaviour, slain with the sword, Sodom & Gomorrah, state of our hearts, stench of your camps, Sunday, super bugs, the Good Book, the kingdom of heaven, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the Lord of hosts, the Lord's Day, the name above every other name, the Promised Land, the Sabbath Day, warnings, wisdom, worship, yet you have not returned to me
Amos 4:6B. …yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
Well my Friends, brothers, sisters, neighbours, kinsfolk and strangers, it’s Sunday; the Lord’s Day, the Sabbath Day, a day we are supposed to keep holy and magnify the Lord therein!
Yes my brethren, it’s calling for the gathering of all and sundry to worship and praise our esteemed Creator, Father God, and our wonderful Deliverer, Jesus Christ, the Name above every other name, to which all knees must bow and all tongues declare that He is Lord indeed!
So today, please let the sanctuaries be full of new creations in Jesus, all avidly singing and praising the wondrous name of the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
And remember that it doesn’t really matter how many are gathered together, though it would be nice to have all creation, (smile) for Jesus promised that ‘where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) So don’t be cowed by a lack of numbers, because it’s not the outward show He’s interested in, but the true state of our hearts.
Ah mih people, our God is such a wonderful Deity that it truly amazes me when folks refuse to worship Him! And none more so than the Israelites of old. Imagine it nuh Friends, after He brought them out of dire bondage in Egypt, gave them the Promised Land and prosperity they didn’t work for or even deserve, they had the gall, the ‘boldfaceness’ to turn away from Him! Steups!
And even His punishment for their dreadful disobedience didn’t seem to faze them. As the Good Book relates: ‘I have smitten (stricken) you with blasting (blight) and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm (locusts) destroyed them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.’ (Amos 4:9)
How foolish and insensitive my brethren! And the Good Book continues: ‘I have sent among you the pestilence (a plague) after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses (along with your captive horses); and I have made the stink (stench) of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.’ (Amos 4:10)
Ah Lord eh! One would think that by then they would have gotten the message. But they obviously did not. And the Good Book continues: ‘I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.’ (Amos 4:11)
What fools mih breddren! But in reality we can’t judge the Israelites of old too harshly, because we are doing the same foolish thing in our modern society. The Lord raised us up as great nations, but then, when prosperity set in, we behaved as though we did it all in our strength. Chuh! How foolish!
And I like how Amos describes it later on. ‘Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought (over nothing), which say, Have we not taken to us horns (a symbol of strength) by our own strength.’ (Amos 6:13)
So Friends, we in this modern technological age are just as ignorant, stupid and guilty as the Israelites were in their simple agrarian days. We are hearing the same warnings my people, with all sorts of disasters suddenly raining down on us all over the globe. Old diseases which we thought we had eradicated are coming back – polio, malaria – with new ones ever on the horizon, think of Ebola and Chikungunya.
Even our super drugs, antibiotics are no longer as useful, because superbugs are developing that resist them. Poverty, hunger and homelessness are widespread in a world of plenty. Greed and selfishness predominate. Economic fallout is widespread… And everyday we’re moving further and further away from God with our overly sinful, doh-care behaviour.
Oh Friends, you don’t need me to point out the inequities, the shameful and disgraceful aspects of our society, because we are all touched and afflicted by them to some degree.
And as I contemplate our current disgusting situation, I’ve come to the conclusion that something is drastically wrong with our brains, because as children we were taught, it was drilled into us, that disobedience brought punishment. And we most certainly experienced it when we were foolish enough to disobey the authority in our lives, whether they were our parents, school teachers, the law, or even strangers!
So how now that we’re adults, when we should be wiser, we have turned against our wonderful, ever-LOVING and magnanimous God, Creator and Provider eh?
No wonder Jesus compared those fit for the kingdom of heaven to little children. ‘Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt.18:3-4)
Obviously Friends, from our proud and disgusting behaviour, it’s obvious that we’re not humbling ourselves as little children, which means that our place in heaven is somewhat dicey.
And as the Lord eventually said to His chosen people: ‘Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind (or spirit), and declareth unto man what is his (God’s) thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, the God of hosts, is his name.’ (Amos 4:12-13)
That’s a powerful warning my people! As the scholars declare: ‘4:12-13. Prepare to meet thy God warns that God is not going to visit Israel with salvation, but rather with inevitable and complete judgement.’
And unfortunately my people, He’s established the same destruction for us, if we continue in our evil, ungodly ways down the path of disobedience that we have so unwisely chosen to tread.
Please remember that He is our Creator and Controller, His thoughts and ways are much higher than ours, and He doesn’t play the silly mind games that we play. His patience is long, and He gives more than enough rope to hang ourselves. So let’s consider ourselves warned, and be wise and return to the Lord. That is the ultimate in wisdom! Much LOVE!
…continual .disobedience to God’s Law breeds only one thing…eventual punishment of death and destruction…but true repentance…oh my my… it joyfully brings forgiveness and salvation…
21 Dec 2012
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: always-lurking enemy, blessed, bounden duty, celebration of christmas, Christmas, eternal life, exaltation, Friday chant, fulfillment of prophecy, he that believes, magnify the Lord, reason for the season, remembrance of his mercy, rich rewards, salvation, saviour jesus christ, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the birth of Jesus, the Magnificat
Luke 1:45. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, and many people around the world are joyfully shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But many in the northern climes are not shouting that this morning. Instead, they’re crying out ‘Oh Lord, why this bad weather?’ Yes Friends, the first serious snowstorm of the season has already lashed the U.S. Midwest, causing all sorts of damage and inconvenience, and it’s moving north to Canada. Some places in Northern Ontario and Quebec have already seen it’s hideous face and felt its forceful blow. Meanwhile, we in Southern Ontario are experiencing freezing rain, which can change to anything later in the day. So please be careful my brethren when you take to the roads today, for if they’re not snow covered, they will most likely be icy. Take your time and drive with extra care and caution. It’s only four more days to the great celebration of Christmas, the Birth of our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. You don’t want to miss it completely, or be lying in the hospital, all broken up, unable to enjoy it. So again, please drive and also walk safely. And as always, to help us get the weekend started in proper perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant, in loud, serious voice. 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 my people, we need to be somewhat circumspect about our actions over the weekend, especially this long Christmas holiday, where some people might not be going back to work until next Thursday. Remember that drunk or sober, we have to mind our business and don’t give the always-lurking enemy any chance to invade our innermost parts and cause confusion, cause that’s what he’s all about. Stealing our joy and putting us in God’s bad book is his delight. So let’s do our best to remember the real reason for the season, the holidays, as so many now neutrally call it; the Birth of Jesus is what this time is about, not shopping and mere merry-making. Please treat the time with the reverence and solemn esteem it deserves. And today we’ll continue with Mary’s Story. Our Bit though comes from words spoken by her cousin Elisabeth, when Mary visited her. Let’s listen to them closely, and let them take root in our hearts and minds, for they are very important. ‘And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.’ Ah Friends, that statement, though at the time pertained particularly to Mary, today it applies to all of us. For blessed are all those who believe, and not necessarily what the Lord has told us, but believe on Jesus’ Name period. As Jesus said to the doubting disciple Thomas, who refused to believe that Jesus was truly resurrected until he touched the wounds in His side and palms. ‘Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:29) That’s a blessing for all us believers today my brethren, for we never saw Jesus back then, but we believe. Please, let’s keep on believing, because Jesus is still alive and working for us all. And if we don’t faint, don’t give up, in due course, we’ll receive the rich rewards of salvation and eternal life that He’s offering to all who believe and stand strong in faith. And we’ll end today with one of the many beautiful songs of praise found in the Good Book. It’s Mary’s joyous anthem to a great God, who looked down on her with unspeakable blessings and mercy. It’s called ‘The Magnificat.’ And according to the scholars, it’s based on the first word of the Latin translation (the Vulgate). And since Jesus’ coming was in fulfillment of Old Testament promises, it’s suitably rich in Old Testament imagery. ‘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 (maidservant): for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me 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 Friends, imagine a teenaged girl conjuring up that wonderful imagery and writing such moving words two thousand years ago nuh! The Holy Spirit must surely have been with her, as he is with us today. So let’s see if we can rise to that level of faith, especially this Christmas season. It’s our bounden duty as believers. Much LOVE!…true belief is not only an internal process…but must also be shown by appropriate external actions…
09 May 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: blessings, faith and confidence, magnify the Lord, mercy, praise, rejoice, salvation, strength and shied, strong and healthy, thankful, thanskgiving, trust
Psalm 69:30. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Oh Friends, a nice, cool breeze is blowing in over the hills this Tuesday morning as I sit on the balcony of the little mansion in Mo Bay to write to you. I’m admiring the lush garden down below me, while sipping a concoction of sorrel and pineapple. Now don’t get any ideas, there’s no alcohol in it. (smile) It’s simply a cold, refreshing drink. However, I did hit the daily double yesterday; a nice physical day at the beach with the Duchess at Doctor’s Cave, then later in the night, at a restaurant in the city, I revived it with an exotic cocktail also called ‘a day at the beach.’ And was it ever delicious! Just the thing to round off the day! Oh, sorry, I forgot about the wonderful goat-belly soup that I had in between! I know some of you are wrinkling up your faces in disgust, but that’s your misfortune. I came here to get strong and healthy and that’s the kind of food that performs that function. Consequently, I had to change my first choice of a Bit today, because it was too sad and beggy-beggy; (smile) a cry of distress. And right now I’m certainly not in distress. After all my good fortune, blessings and mercy, with being granted another sunny day on God’s wonderful, bountiful earth being the most exciting and enthralling, I had to give praise and thanks, thus our much more appropriate Bit: ‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.’ That’s for sure Friends! The Lord’s praise has continually been in my mouth since I hit the goodly shores of J.A. But overall, His children ought to give Him much more praise and thanks, and magnify His glorious Name much more than we normally do. We shouldn’t only praise Him when things are going well, but also in the rough times. I recently read a book where the author insists that praising God for the misfortunes in our lives, enables Him to work faithfully and turn those situations around. In other words, instead of griping when trials and troubles come our way, we should thank and praise Him for allowing them into our lives. Yes my people, whatever the situation, good or bad, praise and thanks is always the best way to handle it. It shows that we have the utmost faith and confidence in our God to make all things right, if it suits His purpose. It’s time we stop the everlasting whining and complaining about our mostly petty troubles, and instead just keep on doing God’s bidding and being thankful. Being thankful also has an added psychological effect, in that when we concentrate on giving thanks, we tend to forget or ignore our problems. The mind just concentrates on the good aspects of our lives, of which there are many. Like Bruh David in Psalm 13, where he begins by crying out and asking the Lord how long He’ll forget him and hide His face (Ps.13:1) but ends up: ‘But I have trusted in thy mercy (LOVING-kindness); my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.’ (Ps.13:5-6) Yes Friends, we tend to forget all the good things the Lord’s already done for us when new troubles come upon us. We ought not to though, for if we truly believe that our God is faithful and powerful, can do all things, then why should we think that He’s forgotten us? We should be claiming, like Bruh David: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ (Ps.28:7) I have to chuckle yes people, because the two psalms of Bruh David I’ve quoted here, all begin with crying out for help and mercy, but both end up with praising, glorifying and admitting trust and faith in God’s power and LOVING-kindness. And that’s how it should be with us my brethren; when we cry out for help, it should always be with confidence and trust that it will be given, which ought to lead to the eventual giving of thanks for the sure coming of relief. And Bruh David does it again in Psalm 69, a cry of distress, from which our Bit is taken; he begins by bemoaning his unfortunate plight, but ends up with praise and thanksgiving. Because: ‘This shall also please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners. Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.’ (Ps.69: 31-34) Please mih people, let’s make it our priority today to adopt that praise and thanksgiving attitude, regardless of what comes against us nuh. It will endear us to the Father and thus give Him more reason to cherish and bless us. Much LOVE!…the lips of all God’s creatures…should be constantly, continually dripping with His praise, thanksgiving and glory…
25 Feb 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: big up, exalt, glorify, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, magnify the Lord, one true God
Luke 1:46. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord.
Oh Friends, morning has broken, just like that first morning many many moons ago! Likewise, blessings, mercies and manna are pouring forth from heaven, just like that first day back in Eden! Can we see and appreciate all that the Lord is doing for us? Do we with grateful heart appreciate it and give Him praise, thanks, honour and glory? I sure hope so for all our sakes. Unfortunately though, a large proportion of earth’s population don’t know, and/or don’t recognize and accept the Lord God Jehovah as the Creator of the universe. Consequently, He’s not intimately involved in their lives. That only makes them fretful and frustrated, jealous and envious, angry and resentful, bitter and filled with hatred towards mankind. All these negative emotions have led to the tangled and troubled mess that has befallen our world. Oh Friends, it’s only when the majority of the world knows and accepts the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the ONE TRUE GOD, with His Son Jesus, as their Lord and Saviour, and His Holy Spirit as Guide, Comforter and Teacher, will our world ever know peace. And that’s the true believer’s calling, our great commission; to spread the Word to the whole world. (Matt.28:19-20) But sadly, too many a believer behaves like the heathen, though the Spirit is supposed to live in them. There is no passion, no excitement in their reading of the Word, or in their faith walk. That brings us to our Bit: ‘And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt, glorify, big up) the Lord.’ Note I used some of the new fangled slang there (big up), although I don’t like it, but that’s because I want the younger folks to get the real meaning, the true gist of the word ‘magnify’ and most likely they might not understand ‘exalt’or ‘glorify’ either. But Friends, those words play a very crucial and significant aspect in our faith and not enough of us really use them when connecting with our God. How many of us can truly stand up and boast about magnifying the Lord eh? Certainly not enough! And just consider the unnatural circumstances under which Mary made that awesome and immortal statement. She had recently been told by the Angel Gabriel that she would become a mother without knowing a man, and also that her cousin Elisabeth, hitherto barren, was now with child (John the Baptist): ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.’(Luke 1:37-38) Oh my people, how would we have reacted under those circumstances eh? Would we have had enough faith, like Mary, to say? ‘Okay Lord, whatever’s your will.’ Or would we be so scared and confused that we’d become emotionally distraught? That’s where faith, walking by it, really comes in Friends. Mary was just a simple, young, country girl, but the Lord saw the strong seeds of faith that were growing in her soul. Now, soon after hearing all this exciting but scary and unconventional news from Gabriel, Mary goes to visit her cousin Liz. And what happens? As soon as Liz hears Mary’s greeting, John the Baptist leaps in her womb ‘and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.’ (Luke 1:41) Oh my brethren, our God is the original Master Dramatist! Nobody can frame a scene like Him! Sometime before that He’d made John’s father, Zechariah dumb, because he didn’t believe that his wife would not only bear a son, but a prophet, the harbinger of the Messiah. Now when the two women come together, He ramps up the drama by having John jump for joy in Liz’s womb, and also opening her eyes to Mary’s significant role through the presence of the Holy Spirit. So much so that Liz waxes poetic and prophetic: ‘And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence (why) is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that (who) believed: for (that) there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.’ (Luke 1:42-45) And that’s when Mary declared those first words of the wonderful song of praise we know today as the Magnificat! ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord.’ Oh Friends, it seems like I also got so caught up in the drama and excitement of the Lord’s miraculous and mysterious workings that I completely lost count of time and space. That’s what happens when the Spirit stirs you up. (smile) I haven’t even used one of the scriptures that I’d planned to. So like we’ll have to continue this drama tomorrow, provided of course that God’s breath of life still flows through our bodies. Till then, please let’s stay steadfast and strong under the umbrella of God’s mighty protection, and ponder the true state of our faith, contemplating how we would react to a situation like Elisabeth’s and Mary’s. Much LOVE!…the Lord made us to glorify, magnify, exalt and big Him up…so let’s put some more effort into doing that nuh… Selah.