02 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a day begun with Jesus, a godly life, a good name is better than precious ointment, a good name is to be chosen above riches, a good report makes the bones fat, a good reputation, a shout of thanks, a shout out to Jesus, Advocate, Alpha and Omega, bawling, born again, conflict, earthly riches, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, excellence, faith, forgiveness, fruits of the Spirit, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, godly principles, good character, halfway home, head holding, high priest, holy spirit, hope, human nature, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, in heaven alongside Jesus, in our own strength, integrity, jehovah god, Jesus christ is Lord, joy, kindness, King of Kings, Lord and Saviour, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving favour rather than silver or gold, material things, meekness, merciful God, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, no beating about the bush, praise, prince of peace, seek God's favour, self-control, stay focused on God, stress, the breath of life, the day of death, the day of one's birth, the light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart, the obits, the straight and narrow path, the vicissitudes of life, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, understanding, wealth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, worries
Proverbs 22:1. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and LOVING favour rather than silver and gold.
Aye Friends, it’s wailing Wednesday! So let us wail nuh. (smile) ‘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!’
Yes my people, it’s simple, straightforward and to the point! No beating about the bush! If it’s a day for wailing, then why not wail from the very beginning eh?
But you know something else my brethren? A li’l wail, a li’l shout out to Jesus when you wake up in the morning to face a brand new day, is the best way to begin it.
Why? Because it causes you to be more focused, filled with more joy, more LOVE, faith, hope, kindness, forgiveness and mercy…more of the fruits of the spirit, like meekness and self-control. And those of you who practice it, know that I am telling the truth.
Oh my fellow believers, as well as you unbelievers, believe me, a day begun with Jesus WILL outshine any that’s not begun with Him, where He is not the focus of our minds, body and souls! So please, let’s pledge that from here on in, every morning that we arise and don’t see our name in the obits, that we’ll give Jesus a wail, a shout out of thanks and praise and glory.
And if we do happen to see our name in the obits, (smile) well then there’s no need to worry, because we’ll be right there in heaven alongside Jesus, exactly where we want to be.
Oh Glory to God, for giving us such a wonderful Lord and Saviour, Prince of Peace, Advocate, High Priest, the Alpha and Omega, Lord of Lords and King of Kings, to whom each knee will eventually bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord indeed! Glory Hallelujah!
And like our good God is trying to tell us something significant this morning, because I was led to a rather interesting Bit from Cousin Sol, namely, that ‘A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and LOVING favour rather than silver and gold.’ Oh my people, is that ever so true!
And as the scholars explain it: ‘22:1. A good reputation is more important that wealth.’
Oh if we’d only believe that my brethren, and stop running down the worthless wealth of material things and earthly riches, our lives would be so much better; less stress, less conflict, less head holding and bawling.
That’s what our great and merciful God is trying to tell us today; be a person of good character, one of integrity and excellence, seek my favour, rather than the world’s, and your life will be amazing.
Oh Friends, I know that when the vicissitudes of life come upon us, it’s not always easy to stay focused on Jesus, but we just have to do our best, so that we can receive His best.
When the money and health and relationship worries tumble down on us, it’s difficult not to try and withstand and/or overcome them in our own strength, although we have the faithful promises of our Lord to look after and provide for all our needs. It’s just human nature.
But since we are born again in the Holy Spirit, we need to put away those worldly fantasies and seize the opportunity to stay focused on God and His things, which are way more lasting and edifying than the things of the world. We can’t buy a good name, integrity or character with earthly wealth, although a lot of us are trying to do it, especially in these heady times of upcoming elections.
Earlier on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol tells us that ‘The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat (healthy). (Prov.15:30)
That’s ever so true Friends! When our eyes are opened with wisdom, our hearts rejoice, and when we are commended for our stellar behaviour, integrity and character, it does raise the level of our health; physically, spiritually and emotionally. There’s nothing like people saying good and truthful things about us.
As Cousin Sol say in Ecclesiastes 7: ‘A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.’ (Eccl.7:1)
Yes Friends, wise living, and we’re talking about godly not worldly wisdom, is ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO GO!
And you cannot be led down that straight and narrow path by anyone else other than Jehovah God.
So please, let’s go to Him today nuh, right now, if necessary, and sincerely ask Him to grant us the wisdom and understanding we need to live a wise and godly life, one that’s ever so pleasing to Him. For that is indeed wisdom to the nth degree…everlasting wisdom! Much LOVE!
…godly principles cannot be bought with earthly wealth…
30 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a special invitation, advocating on our behalf, arrogant, awe, blessed be the Lord, Christ died for us, Deity of all deities, embracing, eternal life, foolish, forgiveness, gather together in God's sanctuary, getting into bed with Lucifer, glorify, glory hallelujah, glory to God, god, God demonstrates His love for us, God loved us, God's great compassion, grace, grasp God's love, gratitude, His only begotten Son, human love, Jehovah, jehovah god, Jethro, LOVE, magnify, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, mercy, Moses, obedience, our bounden duty, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Pharaoh, praise, promting, propitiation for sins, proud, revelling in, reverence, salvation, sing, thanks, thanksgiving, the bells tolling, the Boss, the Lord is greater than all gods, the LOVE of God, the Most High, the things of God, the things of this world, thou art exalted far above all gods, thou Lord art high above all the earth, undeserving children of men, unwise, while we were yet sinners, worship
Psalm 97:9. For thou , Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.
Aye Friends and neighbours! Yuh hear them; the bells tolling sweetly in the distance? Yes, this Sunday morning they are extending a special invitation to all and sundry, to gather together in God’s sanctuary to sing and praise, worship and glorify and magnify Him, for He is a great and wonderful God and is indeed worthy of our awe and reverence, our thanks and our everlasting gratitude. What a mouthful! (smile)
But it’s all true, my people. Our God Jehovah, is a most wonderful Deity; the Deity of all deities!
And John, in his first epistle brings it home to us in these two immortal verses of scripture. ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:9-10)
Oh Friends, if the Lord never did anything else for us in this world, that alone would be more than sufficient! Having our sins washed clean, with the promise of salvation and eternal life with God is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to mankind!
And here are a couple of insights into those verses from the scholars. ‘4:9. To grasp God’s LOVE aright, one must look to how God has demonstrated it. Here John is in total harmony with Paul (Rom.5:8).’
And I might as well spell out that reference, because I know that very few of you will actually go and look it up. (smile) ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates his own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:8) Glory Hallelujah!
And as per ‘4:10. No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’
Yes my brethren, our God is so wonderful that it’s impossible to argue with sentiments of the psalmist in our Bit. ‘For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.’
And why wouldn’t He be eh? He created the universe and all therein, and still controls it from His throne in the high heavens, where our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ sits at his right hand advocating on our behalf.
And all God’s people declared a loud and proud and grateful: ‘Glory to God for His wonderful grace and mercy and forgiveness to the undeserving children of men!’
And that’s exactly why we ought to hold Him in greater esteem, show Him more reverence, LOVE and obedience than we do. Instead of trying to remove Him from our society, we should be promoting, embracing and revelling in His wonderful word and works!
It just goes to show how proud, arrogant, unwise and foolish we are, that the prevalent action nowadays is getting into bed with Lucifer and the evil, easily destroyed and moth eaten things of this world, rather than with Almighty God and the everlasting things of heaven.
Oh Friends, what can Lucifer, a fallen angel, kicked out of heaven when he tried to over throw God, really do for us now eh? Not a blooming thing, but make us lose our salvation and eternal life with Jesus!
Even from olden times it was recognized that Jehovah God was a most powerful and magnanimous deity. Listen to what Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law declared when he visited Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness. ‘And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt (behaved) proudly he was above them.’ (Ex.18:10-11)
Yes Friends, even Jethro, who had been on the sidelines all the time that Moses was doing God’s work in Israel, recognized the power and the majesty of Israel’s God. So why can’t we do the same today eh? Who knows!
Now let’s look at some other scriptures that magnify God to the highest, beginning with Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God. ‘O Come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.’ (Ps.95:1-3) There is absolutely no doubt all that my people!
And finally these words from the psalmist Asaph, from Psalm 83 – A prayer for the destruction of Israel’s enemies. ‘O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind (the whirling dust). As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute (pursue) them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled (ashamed and dismayed) for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish. That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah (Lord), art the Most High over all the earth.’ (Ps.83:13-18)
Oh Friends, that is exactly what our God needs to do in these evil, wicked, treacherous and troubled times, so that mankind can truly know who is the real BOSS!
In the meantime though, let us continue to press on with our own accolades for our heavenly Father, diligently spreading His Word and living sincere lives that reflect it, and thus glorifies Him. That is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…if one doesn’t recognize God’s great LOVE and awesome power…then thou art not one of His children…
16 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a body of believers, a day of rest, almighty god, backbreaking, boost our spiritual selves, Christ's Church, Christian faith, church going, different work schedules, family gatherings, fill our souls, graven images, I the Lord am a jealous god, idols, in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, iniquity, Jesus, joy, keep my commandments, labour, let all be put shame who serve graven images, let us kneel before the Lord, live for Jesus, LOVE, Love the Lord, mercy, mind-boggling, no Christian can live unto himself, no man is an island, o come let us worship and bow down, peace, personal relationship with Christ, put God first in our thoughts, put on the mind of Christ, reach out to others in need, reinvigorated, remember the Sabbath day, renewed, shame, sing and praise the Lord, Sunday, the Good Book, the Lord blessed the Sabbath, the Ten Commandments, thou shalt have no other Gods but me, Togetherness, wisdom
Psalm 97:7. Confounded be all they that (let all be put to shame who) serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.
Welcome my fellow believers to the first and best day of the week; Sunday! Two decades ago it was primarily a day of rest with mostly church going and family gatherings. But unfortunately the busyness and supposed advancement of life intervened and now almost everything is open 24/7.
Obviously that has detracted from those things we once held sacred on a Sunday. However, that doesn’t mean that church attendance, rest and family gatherings are any less important now, perhaps they are even more important because there is less time and opportunity for us to engage in them with a lot of people on different work schedules.
And worshipping Almighty God as a body of believers, Christ’s Church, is still of the utmost importance in our Christian faith. For it is where we get together to sing and praise the Lord, read the Good Book, hear it explained, and thus boost our spiritual selves, and consequently leave the house of worship renewed and reinvigorated in bodies, souls and minds to face another week of backbreaking and mind boggling labour. (smile)
Again we might consider fellowshipping even more important now, because of the many more activities that vie for our time, and it’s so easy to put off that renewal of spiritual self in favour of some other worldlier pastime. But Friends, as I keep reminding us, that is not a very wise decision, for basically how you spend your Sundays, that’s how your work week will bottom out.
Why do you think the psalmist encourages us thus: ‘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.95:6-7)
Oh Friends, when we sincerely get together and worship the Lord our God, worthwhile emotions like peace, joy, togetherness and LOVE fill our souls. Then that enables us to put on the mind of Christ, to LOVE the Lord and reach out to others in need.
And our Bit seriously warns us: ‘Confounded be all they that (let all be put to shame who) serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.’
And shame is putting it rather mildly my brethren, for listen to what the Lord said long ago, when He gave the children of Israel the Ten Commandments. ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before (but) me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image; or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them (worship them), nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting (punishing) the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands that LOVE me, and keep my commandments.’ (Ex.20:3-6)
And having heard all of that Friends, I don’t see how we can now blithely hold the things of the world more important than our great God. And furthermore, the Lord thought it important enough to remind the Israelites, and us to ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, not thy maidservant, nor thy cattle; nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.’ (Ex.20:8-11)
Now we won’t get into any divisive arguments about which day is truly the Sabbath day because that in no way furthers God’s kingdom, but suffice it to say that we must give one day each week to God. So whatever day our denomination chooses to worship Jehovah God, then we should be present to participate in the praise and thanksgiving and fellowshipping.
You’ll notice too that Jesus considered it very important to attend the synagogue, and wherever He was on the Sabbath day, He made it a practice to faithfully attend. So if Jesus believed it necessary to go and worship the Father, who are we not to think it important eh? Ah mih people, I don’t know why it’s so difficult to get supposed Christians to go to church nuh, when it is required of their faith.
One recently told me that they don’t need to go to church to have a personal relationship with Christ, and that is perfectly true. But Christ also said that He wants his followers to gather together as one body, His church, where fellowship would be paramount.
No man is an island, and can’t live by himself, but needs other humans around him. Likewise, no Christian can live unto himself, but needs others of like faith and belief to help him walk the long and oftimes lonely and difficult road that is this earthly pilgrimage.
Oh Friends, I’m pleading with us this Sunday morning to return to worshipping Almighty God in His sanctuary in numbers like we used to do. It is a requirement of God and our faith, and we each need it, the benefits are very worthwhile.
So please let’s put God first in our thoughts this morning, and let it take us to His house, along with our children, so that we can sing and dance and praise and worship our wonderful Lord and Creator. That is what He desires of us, He says it in His word. And it also signifies wisdom on our part, wisdom of the highest degree. Much LOVE!
…one can’t truly live for Jesus…if one is not a sincere member of His body…His church…and gather regularly with other believers in praise and worship…
14 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rainy Friday morning, almighty god, balancing act, be constantly in thy mouth, blessings, Christ died in vain, Christ's body, faith, fallen world, family time, fight back, Friday chant, friends, generous help, get rid of God, get serious about Jesus, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God be merciful unto us, God cause his face to shine upon us, God shall bless us, govern the nations upon the earth, grace, have good success, household chores, in all sincerity and truth, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, let the nations be glad, let the people praise thee, LOVE, loving kindness, make thy way prosperous, mercy, obedience, obedience to God's word, Praise the Lord, prosperity, pull up our socks, put God first, quality of life, rain or shine, relaxation, remove god from our society, rest, right perspective, salvation, saving grace, Selah, sing for joy, stand strong, succumb to the enemy, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that thy way may be known on earth, the church, the earth will yield her increase, the generation that gave up, the hustle and bustle, the last bastion, the weekend's here, this book of the law, thou shalt judge the people righteously, thy saving health, ungodly world, wisdom, worship time
Psalm 67:1. God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us. Selah.
Well Friends, welcome to a rainy Friday morning in my area…
And the response is, ‘rain or shine it doesn’t matter. It’s still Friday, and we’re still going to shout TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend’s here. Glory Hallelujah! Thank you for the weekend Lord! It’s a nice, though short break from all the hustle and bustle of modern living. Thank you again for the weekend Lord!’
Yes my brethren it is indeed good and right to thank the Lord for the weekend, but at the same time we have to know how to use it properly, and our Friday Chant gives us some indication of that, so let’s chant it nuh, in all sincerity and truth.
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.’
It is indeed a tight balancing act we need to perform on the weekend my people; rest and relaxation, family time, worship time, household chores and preparations for the following week. But if we put everything in the right perspective, it’s rightful place; God first, and everything else after, we will be able to successfully accomplish that balancing act.
And if we put God first in everything in our lives, then with total confidence we can cry out like our Bit does: ‘God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us. Selah.’
Yeh Friends, in this fallen world we badly need God’s mercy and LOVING-kindness. Why? As the psalmist explains: ‘That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health (salvation) among all nations.’ (Ps.67:2)
And that’s the best reason there is Friends! For without the Lord’s saving grace we are doomed to perdition and death!
Consequently, the psalmist further cries out: ‘Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon the earth.’ (Ps.67:3-4)
Unfortunately though the nations of the earth don’t seem to want the Lord to govern them, so they are not praising Him the way they should. These are the times of doing what one wants to do and not much respect is being paid to obedience to Holy God’s will, even by many of His supposed believers. In fact, we’re trying to remove as much of God as we can, as fast as we can, from our society.
But my fellow brethren in Christ, we cannot allow that to happen. Christ’s body, the Church has to stand strong and fight back, for we are the last bastion, the remnant of Christ’s army, and if we fall, if we succumb to the enemy, without even much of a fight, then we will be disgracing the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
He would have died, have sacrificed His holy and sinless life in vain. And that we surely cannot afford to let happen my fellow believers! That means we have to pull up our socks, our britches, or whatever, and make a bold and confident stand on Christ’s behalf. We can’t just lie down and die without a sincere and diligent fight.
As I keep reminding us, under no circumstance can we be known as the generation that gave up, that allowed the enemy to remove Jehovah God from the society.
But to do that my people, we have to get really serious about Jesus, and stand strong and steadfast on His principles for earthly living, and get out into the ungodly world and spread those principles, spread the good news of His gospel, of salvation and eternal life to which everyone is entitled, if they believe on Him!
And what we don’t seem to realize is that our prosperity, the quality of life we lead down here on earth, is very closely tied to our sincere praise and worship of Almighty God. You’ll notice that as our trust and faith in God wanes, so does our prosperity.
Listen to the psalmist again. ‘Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase (give her produce), and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.’ (Ps.67:5-7)
Oh Friends, what’s there not to understand eh? If we praise and glorify God, He will bless our land. If we don’t, He won’t bless it. It’s that simple. And if you don’t believe me then listen to what the Lord told Joshua when He appointed him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for the thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8)
Oh my people, that’s as plain and simple as it can get! The Lord pulled no punches. He told Joshua straight up; if you meditate on my word continually and be obedient to it, then you will be prosperous and successful. And we saw it happen several times in Israel’s history. When they were obedient to God’s will they prospered. When they weren’t, they suffered captivity and all other sorts of unpleasant circumstances.
The same has happened in many other supposed Christian countries down through the ages. So it’s not like there aren’t credible examples. Yet today we still are trying to get rid of God. What foolishness my brethren! Can’t we see the demise of our society is in full swing?
But we’re too proud and arrogant to believe that it’s because we’re no longer a God-driven society. But believe me Friends, our prosperity and success are indeed closely tied to our faith, trust and obedience to Almighty God. So please let us come to our senses and work sincerely and diligently towards turning our world around nuh. If not for our sake, then for our children’s. Now that is true wisdom, however you choose to define it! Much LOVE!
…how can we expect the Lord to bless us…when we are not obedient to His word eh…
12 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a leader like Jesus Christ, all things work together for good, appreciate, beautify the meek with salvation, called according to God's purpose, Christian, diligence, discipline, enjoy the wondrous works of God, eternal life, excellence, expectant faith, faithful, first born among many brethren, forge a replica, forgiveness, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's promises, God's worthy to be praised, good times outweigh the bad, goodness, grace, halfway home, He is love, hungry hope, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, in the congregation of the saints, joy, justice, Let Israel rejoice, long term benefits, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, obedience, peace, Praise ye the Lord, prosperity, put us through the fire, rejoice, rise against every tongue that rises against you, roses, salvation, short term benefits, shout Hallelujah, sing unto the Lord a new song, song, test, thanks and gratitude, the breath of life, the children of Zion, the Lord takes pleasure in His people, this is the day the Lord has made, to those who love God, total surrender, true, Wailing Time, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, wine, ye shall condemn
Psalm 149:1. Praise ye (shout Hallelujah to) the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
Oh Friends, another beautiful and glorious day of God’s making has been gifted to us! Wow! So let’s show some thanks and gratitude by saying it loud and proud nuh. ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL, we SHALL rejoice and be glad in it.’
Oh Glory to God my people! For He is so faithful and true to us, filling our lives with all sorts of good things like peace and joy, mercy, grace, forgiveness and prosperity! Oh aren’t you just ecstatic to be a Christian with a leader like Jesus Christ? You should be. I surely am!
The problem though is that until you give your life in complete and total surrender to Christ, you won’t be truly able to appreciate and enjoy the wondrous work He does in a believer’s life.
Oh my people, our Jesus is so awesome that although I know it and experience it on a regular basis, He still surprises me most days with some of the unexpected things He does to enlighten and enliven my days on this earth.
Please understand one very important thing though; working for Jesus is not all wine, roses and song, because He expects diligence, discipline, obedience and excellence from His followers, and also puts us through the fire to test us, and eventually forge us into a beautiful replica of Himself.
But believe me Friends, going through the fire is worth it; the good times certainly outweigh the bad. And the benefits of salvation and eternal life with Him in heaven until forever… oh what could be better than that eh? NOTHING my brethren, absolutely NOTHING!
And those are only the long-term benefits. There are lots more short term wonders to experience down here on earth, like mercy, grace and forgiveness, when we walk obedient to God’s calling. Glory Hallelujah!
And since today is Wednesday, it means that Wailing Time is here. (smile) So let’s wail nuh mih breddren, let’s wail with hungry hope and expectant faith. As one wailer now: ‘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!’
And if you are a true believer, that is exactly where your focus should be; on our glorious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
And since this seems to be a morning of praise, let’s do it right nuh and declare our Bit in loud and faithful voice. ‘Praise ye (shout Hallelujah to) the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.’
Yes Friends, singing praises to our wonderful God is indeed something we ought to do on a regular basis! Many of us don’t, but we should take the psalmist’s wise advice, as he continues. ‘Let Israel rejoice in him that made him (their maker); let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek (humble) with salvation.’ (Ps.149:2-4)
Oh my fellow believers, what true and faithful and precious words! The Lord certainly takes pleasure in His people; there’s absolutely no doubt about that, as so many of us can testify to. And believe me, when the Lord is on our side… nothing can harm or trouble us, for we have these two great scriptures filled with God’s promises to hold on to.
The first one comes from Isaiah, as he talks about the Lord’s everlasting LOVE for Israel. ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17)
And Friends, if those promises didn’t touch your souls, then listen to this one from Bruh Paul to the Romans, one we all know and LOVE! ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren.’ (Rom. 8:28-29) Mama mia mih people!
Oh Friends, if we are called to God’s divine purpose, and we LOVE Him as we ought to, you can be guaranteed that He is working EVERYTHING out for your good! It might not seem so when the fiery trials and temptations hit us, but just remember that God is faithful and has not ever, nor will He ever renege on a promise! Glory to God!
What can be better than bringing us into His family fold and making us true brethren with His first-born Son Jesus eh? Again we have to say, NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, my brethren!
Now let’s go home with these wonderful words of praise from Psalm 33. ‘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 (a shout of joy). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He LOVETH righteousness and judgement (justice): the earth is full of the goodness (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord.’ (Ps.33:1-5)
And all God’s people declared a loud and proud ‘Praise the Lord! Glory Hallelujah! Bless His Holy Name. Amen!’
Yes Friends, let’s go out today rejoicing in the LOVE, the goodness, the grace, mercy and forgiveness of our Lord God Jehovah, for He is indeed worthy of our praise and thanks! Much LOVE!
…praise him, praise Him…glory Hallelujah…He is LOVE…yes He is LOVE…
09 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham's seed, Christ's Church, Christians, compassion, covenant, encouragement, epitome of wisdom, eternal life, face the evil world, faith, fight a good fight, first day of the week, forgiveness, frail human strength, go to church, grace, hard hearts of stone, I am in the midst of them, I will be their God, I will forgive their iniquity, I will put my law in their inward parts, I will remember their sin no more, in my name, Israel, Israelites, know the Lord, LOVE, Lucifer, magnificent and magnanimous God, mercy, Moses, Mt. Sinai, One Body, one truth from the Bible, passion for Jesus, peace, planet earth, promises made to Abraham, prosperity, renew the strength, rulership of Christ, saith the Lord, salvation, shout for joy, sincerity and truth, sing and praise Jesus, sitting ducks, smile, soft hearts of flesh, Sunday, the abiding presence of God, the BIBLE, the Bible is God's word to us, the covenant I will make with Israel, the Greater Son of David, the Holy Spirit, the Most High God, the most joyful people on earth, the Promised Land, the second coming of Christ, they shall all know me, they shall be my people, through faith in Jesus, uncoditional love, we'll find God's wisdom on the Bible's pages, where two or three are gathered, worth more than all the wisdom of man, write it in their hearts
Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts (mind), and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Well my brethren it’s the first day of the week, Sunday! And we all know what that means? It’s time to get ourselves out to God’s sanctuary, whether it’s a big cathedral, a secret basement hiding from persecution, or simply in the open air, under the blues skies of heaven. And there, in whatever physical space we’re located, however large or small our numbers, we praise and worship Him as one body; that of Christ’s church.
Remember Jesus promised ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) And He is indeed a faithful keeper of His promises. So Friends, it’s time once again to renew the strength, faith, encouragement and passion for Jesus that we get when we come together to sing and praise Him in all sincerity and truth.
It gives us the spiritual wherewithal we need in the upcoming week to face the evil world in which we dwell, and fight a good fight of faith for Jesus. Without God’s grace propelling us on my people, we will just be sitting ducks for Lucifer, since we are unable to do very much in our own frail human strength.
And before we go any further, let me remind us of two things – I think it’s time to trot them out again. (smile) The first is that ‘The Bible is God’s word to us; still fresh through all the ages. And if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages.’ It’s hard to argue with that eternal truth my brethren.
But how will we ever know what it says and gain the wisdom it details eh, when in too many cases God’s Word simply sits collecting dust somewhere in our homes; that is if we own a Bible at all?
And the second revelation is that ‘One truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man.’ And there’s simply no disputing that indisputable truth, (smile) although many try to and fail miserably!
But the point I’m trying to make is that we definitely need to do more Bible reading my fellow believers. And not simply reading, but more like studying and meditating, so that the Word of God can filter into our innermost beings and raise the level of our faith in and knowledge of God, two things we desperately need to live successfully down here on planet earth.
And all that rambling eventually brings us to our Bit. (smile) ‘But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts (mind), and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.’
Ah Friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! Here the prophet Jeremiah is declaring to the Israelites that God was going to make a new agreement with them to replace the old one made at Mt. Sinai, when Moses received the law on tablets of stone. However, this time, the law would not be written on stone tablets but in their hearts, so that everyone could know and reckon individually with Jehovah God. This will be the biggest and the best covenant; the one that will last for all time.
And as the scholars explain: ‘the new covenant assimilates the elements of the promises made to Abraham and channeled with progressive light through David, and brings them to full realization. Thus the final blessing of Abraham’s seed will find fruition in Israel’s possession of the Promised Land in perpetuity under the rulership of Christ, the Greater Son of David, the Seed par excellence.
Further, by faith in Christ, Gentile believers also become the spiritual seed of Abraham and members of the family of God. Although the new covenant is now operative, and is attended by the ministry of the Holy Spirit who is resident in believers’ lives, the full realization of the new covenant, as the capstone of all covenants, awaits the second coming of Christ.
He will give to Israel the promises distinctive to that nation, and will rule over the earth in an unprecedented period of universal peace, prosperity, and the full knowledge of the abiding presence of God’
Yes my people, that new covenant now just awaits Jesus’ second coming for it to be fully realized. Aren’t you grateful for all that? We surely ought to be. Note I didn’t mention any references in the scholars explanations because there just too many, and I know that most people would not check them out anyway. (smile) But a lot of it you can find on your own, if you are interested, through diligent checking, studying and meditating on the Word.
And we’ll continue with the verse after our Bit. ‘And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.’ (Jer.31:34)
And all God’s people loudly and boldly declared: Oh what a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship!’ That’s for certain sure my brethren!
Oh Friends, there’s no other deity who is as interested in the lives and welfare of His people like Almighty God, and who wants everyone to come to salvation and eternal life through faith in His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And it’s all so wonderful that I just want to stand up, jump and shout for joy! (smile)
Yes Friends, Christians ought to be the happiest and most joyful people on planet earth, given all the stuff; the promises, the grace, the mercy, forgiveness, compassion and unconditional LOVE that the Most High God has for us. Wow!
So please let’s show that joy nuh through the way we talk and live our lives, so that we can encourage others to come to Jesus and be born again into a new spiritual life. That is the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…truly following Jesus…transforms our hard hearts of stone…into soft ones of flesh…like His…
30 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a candlestick, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a splendid torch, a torch of hope, aches and pains, and glorify your Father in heaven, arthritic aches and pains, batons, be found wanting, born again, Christians, compassion, cortisone, darkened world, darkness, essential mission, faithful followers of Jesus, forgiveness, foundational characteristic, generosity, Geroge Bernard Shaw, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's favour, gospel truth, grace, grateful, handing it on to future generations, heals wounds, human depravity, if the salt has lost it s flavour, indisputable truth, judgement day, just up and fly away, Let your light so shine before men, life is not a breif candle, light can dispel darkness, light of the world, London School of Economics, LOVE, meet the needs of the world, melts coldness, mercy, My Fair Lady, neither do men light a candle, Nobel Peace Prize, passion, passion for Christ, passionate speech, preservative, put it under a bushel, relay races, relief, salt of the earth, satisfies our longing souls, summer ditties, thankful, thanks and glory to God, that they may see your good works, the absence of light, the good news, the light of Jesus, the sun and the Son are shining brightly, this is the day the Lord has made, trodden underfoot, truth, unconditional LOVE, understanding, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom, with the Lord's help, Ye are the light of the world
Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Oh Friends, I’ve run out of well known summer ditties to greet you with. (smile) But believe me, another beautiful summer’s day is in the offing on this terrific day called Thursday! Wow! The Lord in His ultimate wisdom, grace and mercy has prepared it especially for us to enjoy, and to do His wonderful bidding.
So let’s say it with joy and heartfelt gratefulness nuh: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL and SHALL rejoice and be glad it in! Glory Hallelujah!’
Glory to the great and mighty King that sits upon His throne in the high heavens and satisfies our longing souls with His tender mercies, grace, forgiveness, compassion, understanding and unconditional LOVE! Mama Mia!
Oh Friends, there ought to be nobody happier than us Christians, we faithful followers of Jesus in this beautiful world that the Lord in His wisdom and generosity has created. And the good news is that it does not seem like it’s going to be a scorcher, at least not yet, because a nice cool and gentle breeze is blowing out there, and both the sun and the Son are shining incredibly brightly in their respective elements. Oh Glory to God!
Ah mih people, please excuse the ole fella for his extra passion and passionate speech this morning. I guess it’s because I woke up feeling the best I’ve felt in ages! Glory to God again! The old aches and pains weren’t as bad as usual. I feel light and feathery, like I can just up and fly away! (smile)
It’s possibly due some to a shot of cortisone I got injected into my right shoulder yesterday, ostensibly to ease the agonizing arthritic pain in my right shoulder, but it seems to be helping everything, obviously with a touch of God’s favour and enormous grace.
Oh, I know the basic aches and pains most likely won’t go away, but I am enormously thankful and grateful for any bit of relief I can get. More thanks and glory to God! He’s so wonderful!
Now here is this most important, outstanding and truth bearing quote from George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), the well known Irish born playwright and co-founder of the famous and prestigious London School of Economics, writer of plays like ‘My Fair Lady,’ and winner of the Nobel Peace prize for Literature in 1925.
George is reputed to have said that,’Life is not a “brief candle.” It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.’ And we know that he did just that with all his world-renowned achievements!
Now it’s our turn my brethren to do the same. You’ll notice how we pass on torches at our big games to try and keep the flame going, the passion, the memories alive for those who come after us. That’s the only way later generations will know and understand where they are coming from, just like we learned it from those who went before us.
And note too, the batons we pass on during our relay races, which is symbolic of how we ought work together and pass on stuff to others in our everyday lives. And my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness, which is where I found George’s quote, adds an interesting statement to the situation.
‘If we assume that each one of our “small candles” represents another of our strengths, we can blend them together to form a torch of hope.’
I just LOVE that idea Friends! ‘A torch of Hope! Wow! I believe that is exactly what Jesus is looking for from us when He declares in our Bit: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ Oh isn’t that the gospel truth!
Then Jesus goes on to elucidate after our Bit. ‘Neither do men light a candle (lamp) and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:15-16)
Yes Friends, being a light unto this darkened world is one of the two things Jesus desires of us down here. The other is to be the salt of the earth, as He says before our Bit.
‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.’ (Matt.5:13)
Isn’t it interesting how Jesus used two basic, simple things like salt and light to spell out the way He wants his followers to be different from the rest of the world. It’s all a part of His simple, but wise and knowledgeable philosophy.
Now here is some stuff the scholars have to say on those topics. ‘5:13. The Beatitudes are followed by a summary statement of the basic character of the Christian’s life as salt and light. Ye are the salt of the earth: Again the phrase “ye are” indicate that only the genuinely born-again person is salt and can help meet the needs of the world.
Salt adds flavouring, acts as a preservative, melts coldness, and heals wounds. Thus it is a very appropriate description of the believer in his relationship to the world in which he lives.’
And that’s exactly why Jesus chose it as a foundational characteristic of His followers!
‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and he has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity.
He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is, a basket. Darkness is the absence of light; and darkness cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness’
Oh mih people, what more can I say to all of that indisputable truth eh? Not much, except to encourage us to raise the level of our passion for Christ and His work, so that we won’t be found wanting when the day of Judgement arrives and the Lord asks us: ‘What did your salt flavour, and where did your light shine?’ As believers, that is the ultimate in wisdom! Much LOVE!
…let’s all put our small individual lights together…and form a torch…a torch of hope…that we can blaze across this world of inordinate darkness…and thus bring light…the light of Jesus to a needy, depraved and fallen world…
P.S. Oh Friends, I know it’s long and late, but is it ever so true and heartwarming! (smile) Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it – obviously with the Lord’s help and guidance. Much LOVE!
28 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a moment's notice, a time of opposition, almighty god, B.B. King, barbecues, blessings, breath of life, Bruh David, Christians, city slickers, Controller, cool cat looking for a kitty, cottage country, covered me in my mother's womb, Creator, Crystal Cathedral, darkness, dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Father God, filled pools, glory to God, God has laid his hand upon me, God is acquainted with all my ways, grace, Gramps Schuller, Hallelujah, happiness, heartrending, holy spirit, hot rods, hot town, Hour of Power, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, If I ascend into heaven, if I make my bed in hell, if I take the wings of the morning, imagery, increase our love for god, It's up to us to fill it with joy and meaning, joy, life just gives us time and space, living truth, look in every corner of the city, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, LOVE, marvellous are thy works, meaning, mercy, motorbikes, No one is guaranteed happiness, O Lord, O Lord thou hast searched me and known me, obedience to God's will, orgiveness, P.S. I Love You, passion, passionate, planet earth, possessed my reins, psalm 139, renew our thoughts of God, revere God, soul searching, space, such knowledge is too wonderful, summer in the city, summertime, swilling beer, tanning, the everlasting presence, the great outdoors, the greatness of God's character, the Holy Trinity, the longing soul, the Lord's watchful presence, the night shineth like day, the power of God, the reality of human experience, there shall thy hand lead me, thou hast beset me behind and before, thou knowest my downsitting and my uprising, thy right hand shall hold me, time, touches the longing soul, truth, try to hide from God, Tuesday, what a bam bam, whither shall I flee from thy presence, whither shall I go from thy spirit, wisdom, you know my sitting down and my getting up
Psalm 139:12. O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Aye Friends, believe it or not, it’s Tuesday! And it’s supposed to be another scorcher, making this old B.B King cover tune rather appropriate: ‘Hot town, summer in the city. Back of my neck feeling dirty and gritty. Cool cat, looking for a kitty. Gonna look in every corner of the city.’
Yeh my people, it’s summertime, summertime, summertime! (smile) The time when the great outdoors calls to man; man who lives in the northern climes. That means the hot rods, the motorbikes, the close to naked people in the streets, the parks, the playgrounds and around the filled pools, the endless barbecues, tanning and beach gatherings are all in full swing.
Beer is being swilled by the gallon, and all the unhealthy foods are being consumed with pleasure. Why not? It’s summer! Cottage country is hopping with all the city slickers spending time and money in the more rural areas of the land.
But please remember Friends, Almighty God is still on His throne, in full control and His eyes are on us wherever we go. So He’s till showering us with His blessings of mercy and grace and forgiveness, but also keeping a close eye on our obedience to His will.
So though you are somewhere in the backwoods of the country, the Lord’s watchful presence is ALWAYS with you. Wherever you are, He’s always close by. Never forget that!
And to go along with that all-world truth, here is this gem from my P.S. I LOVE YOU Poster. ‘No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’
And yuh better believe that’s the living truth my brethren! Life doesn’t guarantee us anything, not even life itself, for the breath of life can be withdrawn at any time, without even a moment’s notice. So it is essential that we pay close attention to all that we do and say.
But the beautiful part of life for Christians is that we have a wonderful Father God, a knowing and understanding Lord and Saviour in Jesus Christ, and a blessed guiding and helping Holy Spirit to help us find that joy and meaning. Glory to God! Hallelujah!
What a bam bam this life would have been without the Holy Trinity to keep us focused and well grounded! That’s why Bruh David could excitedly declare in our Bit from Psalm 139, one of my favourites – The everlasting presence and power of God. ‘O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me.’
More words of eternal truth my people! The Lord made us and knows us to a ‘T.’ As Bruh David continues: ‘Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compasseth (comprehendeth) my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it all together. Thou hast beset (enclosed or hedged) me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.’(Ps.139:2-6)
Ah mih people, I don’t know why some of us still foolishly try to hide from God nuh, when He knows everything there is to know about us. He even knows stuff about us that we don’t know. That’s because He is the Creator and Controller of all things and people on Planet Earth.
Hear how Bruh David puts it. ‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, surely the darkness shall cover (fall on me); even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee (darkness is not darkness to you); but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered (weaved) me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right (very) well.’ (Ps.139:7-14)
Oh Friends, what beautiful imagery woven into that indisputable truth! I can still remember, and will to the end of my days, when the Psalm first caught my attention. It was one Sunday, several years ago, on the Hour of Power, when I heard Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) read it from the pulpit of the Crystal Cathedral!
Oh Friends, it was one of the most expressive and passionate pieces of scripture that I’ve ever heard read! And those of you who knew him, know how passionate he was about life in general, but his passion especially soared when he read the scriptures, he acted it our like I’ve never seen anybody else do.
So my people, what do we have to say to Bruh David’s treatise on the everlasting presence and power of Jehovah God eh? Do we agree on it all? We should, because it’s all gospel truth.
And we’ll close today with this summary from the scholars. ‘Psalm 139. Certainly one of the grandest psalms in all of the Psalter, it is also one of the richest theologically. It combines an exposition of the greatness of God’s character with the reality of human experience.
From verses 19-22 we find that David wrote the psalm during a time of opposition. It therefore contains truths that were meaningful to him during these troublesome times. They may be summarized under four key thoughts as David addresses the Lord: You know me (vv. 1-6), You are with me (vv. 7-12), You created me (vv.13-18), and Your cause is my cause (vv.19-24).’
Ah mih breddren, how awesome is the God we serve and worship, and how heartrending and soul searching are Bruh David’s words to describe Him!
I strongly suggest that we all sit down today and read the psalm in its entirety and let it refill, let it renew our thoughts about God and increase our LOVE for, and joy in Him! Hn! If that isn’t heavenly wisdom, then I don’t know what is. Much LOVE!
…how can we not LOVE and revere God eh…especially when we read those beautiful descriptions of Him in scripture…it just touches the longing soul…
21 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discipline always costs, a listening ear, a man of understanding, A Quiet Tongue, anger inflames talk, beginning is half done, blessed day, break into conversations, bringing us safely through another dark night, circled them with red ink, come up above the problem, comfortable, Cousin Sol, don't listen enough, easy prey, enlightened insight, eternal life, evil minions, expounding, forgiveness, glory hallelujah, glory to God, grace, he that restrains his lips is wise, holds his peace, I talk more than I listen, inspiring experiences, it is best to listen much, joy, Joyce Meyer, let every man be swift to hear, listen, listen more than we talk, listening is a discipline, lost sheep, LOVE, Lucifer, mercy, my guilty heart, not become angry, One Year Book of Bible promises, our Lord and Saviour, patience, pay a price, peace, praised and thanked God, room for improvement, Ruth Harms Calkin, silence., slow to speak, slow to wrath, solve the predicament, speak little, talk inflames anger, talk too much, the bright light of Jesus, the Holy Ghost, the leading of the the Holy Ghost, the longest journey begins with the first step, the LOVE of God, the only way, the righteousness of God, the straight and narrow path, the wrath of man, trials, truth, two ears and one mouth, up and about the Lord's business, violence, wherefore my beloved brethren, wisdom, with God's help
James 1:19. Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Ahoy there mih beauties! How goes it this cloudy Tuesday morning in the summer of 2015 eh?
Hope things are good, and even if they are not so hot, that yet still we’re up and about the Lord’s business, and have praised and thanked Him for bringing us safely through another dark night into the bright light of Jesus, our most esteemed Lord and Saviour. For He is indeed the ONLY way to true peace, joy and truth!
And that’s not simply hearsay, but an acknowledged fact! Without Him working in our lives, we’re like lost and forlorn sheep, easy prey for the wild animals of this world, namely the evil minions of Lucifer.
And that we cannot afford to let happen, so please let’s get serious with Jesus and allow Him to guide us safely along the straight and narrow path that leads to life eternal.
Now here’s a rather interesting, but also very pertinent excerpt from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. When I read it yesterday, I had no doubts whatsoever that I needed to share it with my Scrip-Bit family, because it’s oh so relevant to these days and times. It’s titled ‘A Quiet Tongue!’
Please repeat with me. ‘Lord, a revealing fact Began to surface today: I talk more than I listen. I seem to be thoroughly convinced That my ideas My inspiring experiences My bits of wisdom Are exactly what my friends need. Too often I break into conversations Confident that my enlightened insight Will solve the predicament – Whatever it is.
Obviously, I feel more comfortable When I’m expounding. But this morning at a Bible study I cringed when I read your command In the first chapter of James: “Don’t ever forget That it is best to listen much Speak little, and not become angry.”
At first I wanted to run. But as the words kept battering away At my guilty heart I finally circled them with red ink. Now, Lord, please help me to obey them. Remind me daily, hourly That listening is a discipline And a discipline always costs. I know I must pay a price. The price for me Is a listening ear and a quiet tongue.’
Oh glory to God my people! That paints such a true picture of so many of us that it’s unreal. Most of us talk too much and don’t listen sufficiently. I know I’m a guilty party. The Lord dealt with me about that a couple years ago when at the Holy Thursday night vigil His simple message to me was ‘LISTEN!’
And I have indeed been doing better since then. But as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) would say: I haven’t arrived as yet. I still have a ways to go. But look at where I’m coming from!
Yes Friends, the important thing to do is to make a start, which is usually the hardest part, and as the Chinese Proverb says: The longest journey begins with the first step. Yes my brethren, beginning is half done.
But please remember too as it says in the poem, it takes discipline to listen more than we talk, and a very strict discipline too, if we really want to be successful at it.
That reminds me of the saying that the Lord gave us two ears and one mouth so that we can listen more than we talk. And isn’t that the gospel truth! (smile) And especially in this modern talkative society, we do need lots of will power to refrain from talking too much. I think it’s a deep-seated malady in this age of almost instantaneous and far-reaching communication.
And the Bible Promise for that most meaningful poem is also our Bit for today. James’ famous words: ‘Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20)
Ah Friends, words of indisputable truth! And the scholars offer us this info on those verses. ‘1:19. This is a key verse because it expresses three topics that James develops later: hearing, verses 19-27; speaking, 3:1-12; and wrath, 4:1-12.’
‘1:20. Trials require silence and patience because talk inflames anger, and anger inflames talk. Anger also distracts from listening to God.’
And is that all ever so true my believing brethren! Talk and anger just inflame each other like nothing else in this world! And all of that tends to lead to violence if they continue for any length of time.
Now this subject of talking and listening is so important in a believer’s life that it is dealt with in several parts of the Good Book. Cousin Sol in particular touched on it several times in his writings. Let’s look at a couple of them. First off this from Proverbs 10: ‘In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth (restrains) his lips is wise.’ (Prov.10:19)
And he backs that up with this gem from Proverbs 17. ‘He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent (calm) spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent) is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov.17:27-28)
Oh Friends, that is all so true that it’s amusing! Though we might be the biggest fool and least knowledgeable person on the planet, we will most likely be considered wise and understanding if we keep our mouths shut. Glory Hallelujah!
So let us each diligently ponder today where we are on that continuum of listening and talking nuh, and then make a serious decision to improve, for we all have room for improvement, just some more than others, and with God’s help, let’s come up above this important problem.
Now may the grace, peace, mercy, forgiveness and LOVE of God be with us all this blessed day! Much LOVE!
…if we follow the sure leading of the Holy Ghost…our words will be few and wise…
15 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 20-20 vision, a helping hand, according to His abundant mercy, almighty god, Blessed be the God and Father, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christian's destiny, comfort, compass, compassionate, continually guarded by God, deliverance, Easter Sunday, encouraging words, faith, forgiving, frenzied state, friends, gentle, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God never relaxes His vigil, God's attributes, God's great earth, God's magnanimous works, grace, guaranteed by Jesus' resurrection, hath begotten us again, hindsight, histrionic fits, hope, I am halfway home, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, incorruptible, inheritance, into a lively hope, Jesus as the guide, kept by the power of God, kind, life eternal, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving, lurking in the background, makes life worth living, merciful, mercy, morally untainted, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, new stage of life, no element of uncertainty, not looking back at the past, of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Creator, our Provider, Peter, plan of salvation, ponder it all, powerful, promises, reserved in heaven, revealed in the last time, rose triumphantly from the dead, rudder, salvation, security, sincerity and truth, stepped into the breach, surrender my life to Jesus, thank God, that fades not away, the author of salvation, the breath of life, the Lord works, the presence of God, the presence of sin, the ravages of time, the resurrection of Christ, the sun and Son are shining, the trees dancing to a fast riddim, the work of salvation, through faith unto salvation, time from a Western perspective, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, undefiled, vigil, Wednesday Wail, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, wisdom, wisest action, with God's help
1 Peter 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Ah Friends, it was just one of those days where the ole fella went to bed at a Shakespearean early hour. (smile) Three o’clock found me sitting on my porch, but I didn’t stay long because the wind was in a rather frenzied state and had the poor trees dancing to an incredibly fast riddim, and it was also a tad chilly in my shorts and T-shirt.
It’s surprising that nothing seems to have been blown down, for since early evening the wind had been having serious histrionic fits. I had to close a couple of my windows because it was making such a fuss. And it’s still not completely over it’s bad behaviour, but just not as challenging as during the night.
Thankfully though, both the sun and Son are shining quite brightly this Wednesday morning. And since it’s Wednesday, then I guess it’s time for our Wednesday Wail. Please wail with me.
‘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 people, what a Friend, Lord and Saviour we have in Jesus Christ! Glory to God! I don’t know what we’d do without Him nuh, for He is so LOVING, gentle, kind, compassionate, merciful and forgiving… And that’s just the tip of His attributes. It would take me half the day to name them all.
Yes Friends, having Jesus as the guide, the rudder and compass of our lives is the wisest action we can ever take down here on God’s great earth! I don’t know how I lived, how I existed before I truly let Him into my heart. Oh, He was always there, but lurking in the background, waiting for me to smarten up and surrender my life to Him.
As they say, hindsight is certainly 20-20 vision yes! For in hindsight, I can now see the many occasions on which He lent me a helping hand. Many times when others couldn’t or refused to help, He was the One who stepped into the breach and shored it up.
That’s why, now that I’ve truly bought into His plan, I can say with all sincerity and truth; what a wonderful God we serve and worship! And am I ever so grateful for His LOVE, mercy, comfort and grace which certainly makes this life worth living.
And I know that I’m not alone in that regard because the Lord works His magnanimous works in the lives of ALL who sincerely believe in and honour Him.
That’s why we can agree with Peter when he so wisely declares in our Bit: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’
Yes my brethren, this new life of ours all stems from the resurrection of Christ. Without His resurrection, there would be no new creation of man!
And as Peter continues:’(We have been raised) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.’ (1 Pet.1:4-5)
Oh Friends, what powerful and encouraging words and promises! But all of it indisputable, gospel truth!
Now let’s delve into what it all means with the help of the scholars. ‘1:3 –2:10. The Christian’s destiny: salvation. Salvation means “deliverance.” Peter’s view of salvation is ultimate salvation, that is, when the believer will be rescued from this world into the presence of God.’
‘1:3-12. The plan of salvation: Peter does not look at time from a Western perspective. The Hebrews regarded the present as so fleeting that in their language they have essentially only two tenses: past and future.’
‘1:3-5. The portrayal of salvation looks to the future. The author of salvation is portrayed as the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The work of salvation (vv.3-5) is described as to its effect. Hath begotten us again refers to a new stage of life that begins at salvation.
This lively hope has no element of uncertainty, for it is guaranteed by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The believer’s inheritance is described as incorruptible (Gr. aphtharton), imperishable or indestructible, and undefiled (i.e. morally untainted). That fadeth not away (Gr. amaranton) means it is not subject to the ravages of time.
Further it is reserved (Gr. teteremenen, perfect tense), that is, it has been preserved in the past and still is in heaven. Kept is a present passive participle – we are secure because we are continually guarded by God, who never relaxes His vigil. Salvation here refers to final salvation, that is, deliverance from the presence of sin and into the presence of God.’
Ah Friends, I do hope that the general descriptions, as well as the more specific ones help us to better understand what salvation is, and all that’s laid up for us in heaven, and also helps to increase our faith by knowing, by being assured that Almighty God, our Creator and Provider is constantly watching over us, and we can have no better security than that.
Now let’s ponder it all, then put it into action as our lives unfold, obviously with God’s help, for it is indeed the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…oh what an auspicious, blessed and reassuring day…was that Easter Sunday morn…when Christ triumphantly rose from the grave…and gave us all the hope of future life eternal…with Him in heaven…
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