11 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a balanced approach, a time of peace, a waste of God's opportunities, Babylon, be amongst the sheep, be not forgetful to entertain strangers, Christmas card, Christmas time, courtesy, everything in moderation, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, getting me through another week, glory to God, God's glory, good cheer, good tidings, having a good time, he who lives by the gun dies by the gun, help the lost, highlighting guns, home of the brave, in my favour, Israel, jesus birth, kindness, land of the free, LOVE, mass murders, mercy, Nevada Republican, posing with guns, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, right to bear arms, Second Amendment, some have entertained angels unawares, sons of strangers, strangers, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the emblem of death, the future glory of Zion, the Gentiles, the house of jacob, the Lord loves the righteous, the Lord opens the eyes of the blind, the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, the weekend's here, trusting God, wining and dining, wisdom
Hebrews 13:2. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Oh mih people, mih people…eventually…it’s Friday! Hn, hn! And I have to chuckle, as though you need me to bring you such auspicious news, (smile) because many of you, from Monday began, have been counting down the days and the hours till Friday.
And most likely too, from the time you all got up this morning, you have been shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend’s here at long last! Brother! What a blast we going to have in the next couple of days, wining and dining and just having a good time! I just thank God for every Friday yes!’
Oh friends, nothing’s wrong generally speaking with wining and dining and having a good time, but it cannot be at the expense of everything else. Remember Bruh Paul’s admonition to the Philippians, everything in moderation please, be reasonable in all your doings. (Phil.4:5) So just giving over the weekend to good times is a serious waste of God’s opportunities.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant, which gives us a much better perspective on our weekend behaviour. As one solid and sincere chanter now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, that’s what we need; a balanced approach to it all, so that when Monday comes we are rested and able to go back out into the evil world and do a fine job for Jesus. Glory to God in the highest!
On a sad note though, this morning when I opened my e-mail, I was greeted by a link to a Christmas card sent out by a Nevada Republican representative showing her whole family posing with different kinds of guns, even down to a five year old. Steups!
What lunacy eh! How is that ever appropriate eh? At a time of peace and LOVE and good cheer you are highlighting guns, the emblem of death, especially when there have recently been so many mass murders in the land! Chuh man!
But it’s in the land of the free and the home of the brave, where they are so attached to their Second Amendment and their right to bear arms, that to them it must be appropriate in all kinds of situations. But just remember Friends, he who lives by the gun, also dies by the gun! Nuff said!
Let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’
Yes my brethren, it actually happened to Abraham and Lot many moons ago, and most likely will not happen to us, but since our God is so mysterious and miraculous, anything is possible.
The entertaining angels part aside though, we saw yesterday how important it was to Jesus and the Father to treat strangers with kindness and courtesy. (Deut.10:17-19; Matt.25:34-40) Therefore it must also be important to us, if we are following their will.
And today we are going to look at a couple more scriptures that highlight God’s tender spot for strangers and the needy. Lets begin with a verse from Isaiah, re Israel to be preserved after their sojourn of captivity in Babylon.
‘For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land, and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave (cling) to the house of Jacob. (Is.14:1)
And it goes on to sing about triumph over Babylon, whom the Lord will later judge severely. But notice my people, that amongst the reclaimed of Israel, there will also be strangers participating in the good times.
And since we’re in Isaiah, we might as well continue with him. (smile) In chapter 60, which talks about the future glory of Zion, he declares: ‘And the sons of strangers (foreigners) shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote (struck) thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.’ (Is.60:10)
Now the scholars have this to say about the scripture. ’60:1-12. Isaiah foresees a time when Israel will arise out of her darkness and shine with God’s glory. Then the Gentiles shall come to her light. Thus the sons of strangers described in this chapter will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.’
And we’ll conclude the matter with true and beautiful words from Psalm 146 – The blessedness of trusting God. ‘The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous:
The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and the widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.146:8-10)
Yes my fellow believers, our wonderful God takes much more than passing interest in the stranger, the poor and needy, so we better had do the same, if we want to be amongst the sheep when Jesus comes to reign. Now that is unsurpassable wisdom! Much LOVE!
…it’s Christmas time…time to show LOVE and spread good tidings…to help the lost…the needy…the stranger…for that’s what Jesus’ birth was all about…
10 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a soft spot for strangers, a stranger in a foreign land, Abraham, angels, be not forgetful to entertain strangers, blessed of my Father, blessing, compassion, depressing moments, encourage love and hospitality, give a stranger one of your smiles, God shows no partiality, guidance and comfort, hospitality, I was a stranger, I was hungry, I was in prison, I was sick, I was thirsty, inherit the kingdom, light of jesus, light of the Son, Lot, LOVE, love ye therefore the stranger, lower one's spirits, mercy, Moses exhorts the Israelites, naked and ye clothed me, orphans, P.S. I Love You, parable of ten talents, separated the sheep from the goats, sing with His angels, smiling like a Cheshire cat, some have entertained angels unawares, stand on my two feet, takes a bribe, testify, the beloved of Christ, the Love and Light of Jesus, the only sunshine he sees all day, truth, University of the West Indies, widows, wisdom, ye came unto me, ye were strangers in the land of Egypt, you gave me drink, you gave me food, you have done it to the least of these, you have done it unto me, you took me in, you visited me
Hebrews 13:2. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Oh Friends, it’s such a magnificent blessing to have the brilliant light of the Son always shining in our souls, because when you get up at eight o’clock in the morning, look outside and only see grey skies and dank weather in the offing, it does tend to lower one’s spirits, for the sun is a natural energizer. And when we don’t see it for a period of time, it can bring some depressing moments.
But glory to God, we have the eternal, the everlasting LIGHT of Jesus to show us the way, both spiritually and emotionally!
That’s why those people who don’t have Christ as their Lord and Saviour are often more depressed and miserable than those who look to Him for guidance and comfort! That’s why this quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster is so apropos for today.
Listen to it, not only with your ears, but also with your heart and souls. ‘Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.’
Now my people, that is both truth and wisdom of enormous proportions! We never know what’s happening with others, and sometimes a kind smile might be just what they need to lift them up over the bar of their current circumstances.
I’m sure many of us have felt the warmth and the li’l thrill that flashes through our souls when someone we don’t even know offers us a warm, kind smile, for no other purpose than to be friendly and sociable.
And a warm, kind smile is certainly a necessity in the northern climes where in the autumn and winter months the weather is often grey and cloudy and lousy. So let’s use the light of Jesus and perk up today nuh my brethren and go out smiling like a Cheshire cat. (smile)
It’s okay if they think we’re crazy, because the LOVE and LIGHT of Jesus is overflowing in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’
Yes Friends, the Lord has a soft spot for strangers, as well as widows and orphans as we see all through scripture. Listen as Moses exhorts the Israelites on the subject.
‘For the Lord your God is a God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward (the great God, mighty and awesome who shows no partiality, nor takes a bribe).
He doth execute the judgement of the fatherless and widow, and LOVETH the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. LOVE ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ (Deut.10:17-19)
Yes my fellow believers, just a little reminder that many of us were strangers at one time in the lands in which we now live, therefore we need to show some compassion and mercy on those who have come after us.
But let’s go back to our Bit now and some important explanations on it from the scholars. ’13:2. One incentive the author uses to encourage LOVE and hospitality is that some have entertained angels unawares. For example, Abraham (Gen.18:1-3) and Lot (Gen.19:1-2) were unaware that their guests were angels at the time they received them.
Care must be taken so as not to read too much into this statement. The verse says that “some have entertained” (aorist tense). The use of the present tense, meaning that some do entertain angels, would provide grounds for expecting this still to happen. But such is not the teaching.
We should nonetheless show hospitality to the needy, for it will benefit us as well as them when it is done as to the Lord (cf. Matt.25:35-40).’
And here in living colour is that reference. Jesus had just finished teaching the parable of the ten talents, and begun talking about when He came back in His glory and splendour to rule the earth and separated the sheep from the goats.
‘Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand (the sheep), Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered (hungry), and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt.25:34-40)
Oh my people, that’s how important it is to help the poor and needy in Christ’s teaching! And I can personally testify to the benefits of being taken in as a stranger, for in my second semester on the Mona campus of the University of the Wet Indies in Jamaica, a long time back, I was a stranger in a foreign land, with no friends or family around, and I fell on some hard times.
But fortunately, the Lord God Almighty in all His LOVING-kindness, opened the hearts of Amy and Aubrey Brown to take me into their home and look after me until I was able to stand on my two feet again. The tears well up in my eyes now, as I remember that fitful time.
The Lord bless and keep you all Aunt Ames and Uncle Aubrey as you sing with His angels up there in heaven, for I refuse to even think of what might have become of me, if you all had not taken in this stranger from Tobago when you did! I doubt I would be here writing this Bit today.
So friends, I implore us, as we go about our business today, let’s not forget to smile and offer any kindness we can to someone in need, because they might not be angels, but they are certainly the BELOVED of Christ! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing that a smile and a little kindness can’t fix or alleviate…
P.S. Ah friends, unfortunately late nights and early mornings don’t mix. (smile) Much LOVE!
06 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a state of godliness, adultery, all we ever need is love, atrocities, belly and backbone, Bible, blood, Burt Bacharach, captains of industry, ceased obeying the Lord, corrupt priests, covetousness, culprits, darkness, devil-worshipping, Dionne Warwick, dissipation, economic czars, evil hatred, folish pride, forgotten the law of thy God, God does not change, God-fearing leaders, godliness reigns supreme, Hosea, I will also reject thee, iconoclastic, ignorance is no defence, irreverence, it's the only thing there's just too little of, Jesus Love Revolution, killing, knowledge of God, lack of knwoledge, LOVE, love is all we need, love sweet love, lusts of the flesh, lying, make a difference, manly parts, mercy, my people are destroyed, politicians, praise and worship, rejection of information, rules the roost, rumours of wars, sacrifices of praise, shortage of information, sinful souls, stand up strong, stealing, strife, swearing, the Information Age, the Lord's wrath, the mire of hell, thou hast rejected knowledge, truth, ungodliness, wantonness, wars, what the world needs now, wisdom
Hosea 4:6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.’
‘What the world needs now is love, sweet love, It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No, not just for some but for everyone.’
Oh Friends, the haunting words of that old Burt Bacharach song made popular by Dionne Warwick, are possibly more relevant today than when they were first written and sung some forty odd years ago! I don’t know if our world has ever been shrouded in such ghastly darkness, evil, hatred and strife, dissipation, licentiousness and sinful lusts of the flesh as it is now.
But I do know that it is terribly lacking in that wonderful emotion called LOVE! And unless we raise the level of LOVE in it, very soon too, our once beautiful world will continue to crumble and finally disintegrate into the mire of hell and its surroundings. What a sad and ghastly day that would be!
But my people our world is spinning out of control so fast that it might happen much sooner than we expect. And the only antidote for the wars and rumours of wars and all the other negativity and frightful atrocities taking place in our world is LOVE; the LOVE of Jesus Christ as promoted in His LOVE Revolution!
That’s the ONLY Revolution we need in our world right now! So won’t you please join with me to promulgate it? We urgently need to turn things around to where godliness reigns supreme instead of the evil that now rules the roost. You know that our current society is just like the one Hosea describes in Chapter 4, re the Lord’s controversy with Israel.
‘Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with (a charge against) the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out (break all restraints), and blood toucheth blood (bloodshed follows bloodshed).’ (Hos.4:1-2)
Now doesn’t that sound just like what’s happening in our current world where evil and ungodliness are running rampant? It surely does! And you know what will happen if we continue down this foolish and unwise path? We will feel the Lord’s wrath; He will destroy and/or punish us just like He did Israel back then. And all because of foolish pride and the wantonness of our sinful souls!
Listen as our Bit declares the Lord’s contention. ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.’
Oh friends, please remember that our God and His law do not change, so if it applied to Israel, then it will also apply to us. Now here is an interesting explanation from the scholars. ‘4:6. The cause of man’s problem is lack of knowledge. It does not stem from a shortage of information, but rather from rejection of information.’
Yes my people, our irreverence and ungodliness don’t stem from a shortage of information because we are living in the Information Age; where information is so readily available and widespread as never before in man’s earthly sojourn. So we can’t say that we don’t have the relevant and necessary info about God and His law; it’s simply that we refuse to accept it.
More Bibles and books based on it are in circulation than ever before, so there’s no excuse to say we didn’t know about it. And even then, as they say; ‘ignorance is no defense.’ So what are we going to do about this very serious problem eh my people?
The Lord also blamed His priests for being corrupt. ‘And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward (repay) them their doings (deeds). For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom (harlotry), and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord (ceased obeying the Lord).’ (Hos.4:9-10)
Yes Friends, we do have many false and corrupt priests today, but I don’t think they hold as much sway as the priests back in the days of Hosea. Our biggest culprits today are our leaders, our politicians, our captains of industry and our economic czars. Most of them no longer hold the Lord God Almighty in any kind of reverence. Instead they are trying their level best to have Him removed completely from our society.
But we simply cannot allow that to happen my fellow believers. We need to stand up strong to the greedy, irreverent, corrupt, iconoclastic and devil- worshipping people who are currently leading us.
The first step is to drum them out office and replace them with God-fearing leaders. That means encouraging those people to run for office and then electing them, else things will only get worse. And these people will also need to have a lot of manly parts, because the wicked leaders we have now will not go quietly into the sunset.
As believers, we too also need to have a lot of belly and backbone to stand up to all the nonsense that’s going on, and stop allowing them to take God out of our schools and public places. The Ten Commandments should once again be our hallmark for living, because nothing is wrong with them. Every successful society needs to not have its inhabitants, lie, steal commit murder and adultery and covetousness and the many lustful things that pass for being right today.
Anyway, today is Sunday, our day set aside for praise and worship and thanksgiving, so please let’s get ourselves to church and offer our sacrifices of praise, as well as ask for strength and wisdom to stand strong in the face of the enemy and be able to make a positive difference in our world, and thus return it to a state of godliness. For that’s the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…LOVE is all we need…all we ever need is LOVE…
01 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a talkative society, a waste of time, adult food, apocalypse, be wise, bequeath to our children, blessed is he that readeth, Christians, communication of new truth, communication technology, compassion, conveyance of truth, divine revelation, end of the age, exposure, food for thought, God's perspective on time, God's program, godly roots, Hades, have good success, he that hath ears to hear, honour, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my Friends Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, Jesus Love Revolution, John, keep those things which are written therein, legacy, LOVE, make God the focus of our lives, make thy way prosperous, mature in Christ, meditate, mercy, messenger, our first priority, our ungodly society, privilege, prophecies, put it into action, Revelation, share His love with the world, social media, talk, testimony of Jesus Christ, the book of Colossians, the book of the law, the day of the Lord, the Rapture, the revelation of Jesus Christ, the sorry state of our world, the things of heaven, the things of the world, the time is at hand, the Tribulation, the Word of god, they that hear the words of this prophecy, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unveiling, visions
Revelation 1:3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Oh Friends, what’s there to say on this wet and somewhat chilly December 1st morning eh? Not a lot… and plenty. And what do I mean by that?
Well we’ve become such a talkative society with the flourishing of communication technology and the social media, but a lot of that talk is inane and foolish, a waste of our very valuable time, while there is a lot of meaningful and important stuff that we should be talking about which we’re not doing.
Like for instance about the sorry state of our world and how to fix it, and of God and the ungodly society in which we’re currently living.
Most of us will say that God is the most important element or person in our lives, but when we check out our lives in action, that statement doesn’t hold true, otherwise our world would not be in such a sad state of deterioration. Unfortunately, the things of the world are still our first priority.
Remember yesterday we spoke about Christians concentrating on the things of heaven, rather than those of earth? And I sure hope we did our homework, reading the Book of Colossians, so that now we know what’s really expected of us, and we can go on and put it into action in our lives.
Oh my people, unless and until we truly make God and His Word the focus of our lives, our world will never get better but continue to slide into the murky depths of Hades. And I’m sure that’s not the kind of legacy we want to bequeath to our children and our children’s children.
So it’s completely up to us believers to keep on fomenting Jesus’ LOVE Revolution, so that the world can return to its godly roots. Nuff said! He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And since it’s Tuesday, let’s confess our Tuesday Mantra like we really believe and mean it. All together now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen.’
Oh my people that’s so refreshing and revitalizing! Just imagine nuh, that we are the BELOVED of God, and the FRIEND of Jesus!
Wow! What an honour and a privilege to be so highly considered! Now let’s make the most of it by going out and sharing the LOVE that they have so graciously and mercifully shown us nuh. A LOVE that our fallen world so desperately needs.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, but we also need to hear what comes before it, so that we can understand its proper context. ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly (quickly, swiftly) come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Who bare record (bore witness) of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.’ (Rev.1:1-3)
Oh Friends, what powerful and meaningful scripture! And I know that many of us don’t understand what the Book of Revelation is all about, so here is some info from the scholars that will help us to better understand.
‘1.1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the title of the book. The revelation is both from Christ and about Christ. Since Christ is the revelation of God Himself (John 1:18), God gave the revelation to Christ to be shown to John by means of an angel (messenger).
The word “revelation” (Gr. apokalypsis) refers to an unveiling or exposure of God’s program for the world through Christ. The prophecies of the book will occur shortly in the sense that the day of the Lord (the end of the age) may begin at any time (following the Rapture). The statement must be understood in accordance with God’s perspective on time (cf. 2 Pet.3:4, 8)
The word signified (Gr. esemanen) refers to the conveyance of truth by means of signs and symbols, and refers to the visions described throughout the book. Symbols must be interpreted either from something in the context or from other scriptures.’
Now let’s rest for a moment after taking in all that heavy stuff. (smile)
Yes friends, it’s time we start eating some adult food, some meat and potatoes, rather than just drinking baby milk all the time. If we want to mature in Christ, then we need to take our understanding of His Word to a higher and deeper level.
And before we go any further, allow me to point out something. Please note that the word ‘apocalypse’, as we see from above, means the unveiling or revelation of what’s going to happen, not the eventual fiery and tumultuous destruction of the world as many of us consider it, although that might be involved in the revelation.
Now let’s continue getting deeper in God’s Word with some more explanations from the scholars. ‘1:2-3. Bare record: John was a witness of what he wrote. He saw the revelation and wrote what he saw. The blessing of verse 3 has a threefold condition: (1) read the book, (2) hear (understand) it, and (3) keep (obey) it.
The essential nature of prophecy was the communication of new truth (divine revelation). God has given it to be obeyed, not simply to be discussed and debated. The time is at hand in the sense that nothing else now has to occur before the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation Period.’
Awright mih breddren, that’s enough food for thought for today. But let’s be wise and ponder all the things we’ve read and heard, so that our hearts and minds can be truly filled with the Word of God and the things of heaven.
More on this tomorrow, the Lord willing. Till then though, let’s all try to walk in sincere peace and LOVE, showing mercy and compassion to others, as our wonderful Lord God has shown, and is still showing to us. Much LOVE!
…this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth…but thou shalt meditate therein…day and night…that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein…for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous…and then thou shalt have good success… (Josh. 1:8)
26 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: attitude of gratefulness, be thankful everyday, challenging times, chrysanthemums, Come ye blessed of my Father, corn souffle, drink the sweet, drunk or sober mind your business, eat the fat, ethereal, family, for He is good, friends, give plenty thanks, give thanks unto the Lord, good relations, Granny's advice, guests, his mercy endureth for ever, homelessness, homemade bread, hustle and bustle, I was a stranger, I was hungry, I was in prison, I was sick, I was thirsty, in every thing give thanks, incarcerated, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, lack of family, last minute preparations, LOVE, LOVED ONES, loving kindness, make known his deeds, mercy, one of the loneliest days of the year, One Year Book of Bible promises, poverty, praise the Lord of hosts, psalm of thanksgiving, pumpkin pies, relaxation, Ruth Harms Calkin, salad, selfish, send portions, sick, sing psalms unto him, sing unto him, talk of his wondrous works, thankless, Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Day Dream, the breath of God, the foundation of the world, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the sacrifice of praise, the voice of gladness, the voice of joy, this day is holy unto our Lord, this is the will of God, to those who have nothing, truth of the matter, Turkey, ungrateful, yams, ye came unto me, ye gave me drink, ye gave me food, ye took me in, ye visited me
Psalm 118:1. Oh give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; because his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING U.S. OF A !
Well a Happy Thanksgiving Thursday to all you fine folks in the U.S. of A! Let’s hope that it will indeed be a happy one, with lot’s of thanks and giving and LOVING, as there ought to be.
We are indeed blessed in these challenging times and should truly pay homage to the One who has brought us such prosperity. I know things aren’t all hunky dory, but believe me, we in the West are having it much better than many others in the rest of the world, and that is enough to be thankful for.
Now here is an interesting and appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, entitled ‘Thanksgiving Day Dream.’
And it says: ‘On this fragrant, frosty Thanksgiving Day The huge turkey browns beautifully In our king-size oven. The tender yams are evenly candied; The corn soufflé is beginning to bubble; The congealed salad is ready to unmold.
The homemade bread with its crunchy texture Is wrapped in foil for reheating. The ice cubes are bagged in plastic; The relishes are artistically arranged On a round crystal plate. The pumpkin pies are still slightly warm. Fresh yellow chrysanthemums Grace the long, colourful table. The house glistens and shines. My makeup is evenly applied…
So dear family How about settling down In our favourite chairs For an hour of relaxation Before our guests arrive! Lord I dream of this happening Some ethereal Thanksgiving Day!’
Yes Friends, I know that most of you dream that a Thanksgiving Day could play out as simply and efficiently as that. But the truth of the matter is that that seldom happens, because there are always last minute preparations and hustle and bustle to complete before the guests arrive.
I guess though, that is a part of all that makes the Thanksgiving Day special, especially since this is probably the biggest and most widely celebrated holiday in the U.S. with everybody heading home, or to some where, to meet and greet long lost or long unseen friends and family and enjoy turkey and pumpkin pie, and good relations.
Oh, it’s never all sugar and spice when families get together, but it doesn’t have to be nasty and ungodly. Now please be careful. Enjoy it, but don’t over do it! Remember to give plenty thanks, because that’s what the holiday is all about.
Oh, and don’t forget Granny’s words of heavenly wisdom: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober please mind your business!’ (smile)
Unfortunately though, many residents of the U.S will not be enjoying such a Thanksgiving Day because of a lack of family or LOVED ones, because of poverty and homelessness, or being sick in the hospital, or incarcerated. So please, as much as is within your means do help those who don’t have as much as you do.
Remember Nehemiah’s admonition when the Jews returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon and first heard the Word of God read to them. ‘Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10)
And it is indeed my brethren. So in your joy today, please don’t forget those who have no joy, or anything to celebrate with.
That brings us very appropriately to the promise to which our earlier poem was linked. ‘Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food):
I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’ (Matt.25:34-36)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s what Jesus wants to see from us, especially on such an important, but also one of the loneliest days of the year. So please help whomever and wherever you can, so that the light of Jesus can shine brightly in this too dark world.
And finally, we come to our Bit. ‘Oh give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; because his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.’
Oh what a wonderful scripture my precious people! And it shouldn’t only be followed on Thanksgiving Day, but EVERYDAY, because we have so much to be thankful for EVERYDAY!
And sadly, somehow or the other we’ve lost that attitude of gratefulness, of thankfulness that our fathers had. I don’t know if that’s because they had to depend so much on Almighty God for their livelihood, or we have just become such an ungrateful, selfish and thankless bunch.
Now we are just going to end with a couple of scriptures that wisely advise the giving of continual thanks. Listen to Bruh David from his psalm of thanksgiving. ‘Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.’ (1 Chr.16:8-9)
And Jeremiah reminds us of what will happen when Judah is revived; all the desolation will be removed, and this will occur. ‘The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say,
Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land (cause the captives of the land to return), as at the first saith the Lord.’ (Jer.33:11)
So Friends, on this glorious day, with the wonderful breath of Jehovah God flowing through our bodies, let’s all offer the sacrifice of praise to Him nuh, because we all have so much to be thankful for. Much LOVE!
…in every thing give thanks…for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus…concerning you… (1 Thess.5:18)
10 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all praise and thanks, all ye lands, bless His name, blessings, canyons, child-like behaviour, children of the Most High God, churlish, City of Toronto, come before his presence with singing, concrete jungle, confrontational, daily commuters, donkey's years, eternal life, glory hallelujah, glory to God, Go station, Go-Bus, He is love, his mercy is everlasting, his truth endureth for ever, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, it feels good to be alive, lazy, like ants, LOVE, loving kindness, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, mercies, mercy, miserable, my neck of the woods, our heavenly Father, our Lord and Saviour, resentful, salvation, Scrip-Bit Friends, scurrying along, serve the Lord with gladness, share His love with the world, shout joyfully unto the Lord, shouting for joy, skyscrapers, sons and daughters of God, stressed out, thanskgiving, the elders in heaven, the Light of our lives, the Lord he is God, The Lord is good, the sheep of his pasture, the things of God, the wisdom of heaven, thou art worthy O lord, thou hast created all things, tired as a dog, to get to and from work, to receive glory honour and power, traffic congestion, Tuesday Mantra, Union Station, walking stick, we are his people, with the help of God, worthwhile action, written indelibly into our souls
Psalm 100:1. Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord all ye lands (all the earth).
Well a hearty good morning to you my Scrip-Bit Friends and family! It’s a somewhat chilly Tuesday morning in my neck of the woods, but that’s the norm for this time of year. And it surely feels good to be alive, especially after inhaling some of that fresh air while doing my garbage man duties. (smile)
Now, before I forget, the ole fella had a thrilling adventure in the goodly city of Toronto yesterday afternoon… well it wasn’t all that thrilling, but it certainly was interesting. I had a medical appointment in the city and through my young daughter’s encouragement, I parked my car at the nearby Go Station and took the Go Bus into the city.
That in itself was a first, and from high up, I noticed a lot of stuff that I never notice while driving in my car. Unfortunately though, after reaching the Bus Terminal I had to walk some four or five blocks to my appointment. But glory to God, between Him, my trusty walking stick and I, we made it without too much trouble. The knees held up admirably!
Oh Friends, Toronto has become the veritable concrete jungle that Bob Marley sang in his song of the same name. All you can see is the sky right above you, as you walk down the streets that resemble canyons between the numerous skyscrapers. And you’d better believe that there are still several buildings in construction around the downtown area. Ah Lord eh, when is it ever going to end?
Then I had to walk back the same distance to Union Station to catch a train home. I haven’t been in that place for literally donkey’s years, (smile) and with its new and refurbished look it was at first somewhat disconcerting. But again, with the help of God and the service people there I found my way to the train on time.
Now that too was another eye-opening experience, since I had never ridden the Go-train on that route before. And it’s amazing what you see when you ride the train; all the undesirable and not-so beautiful backside of the city. I never even knew that there were so many stops along that route either.
And if you think the traffic congestion is bad now, just imagine if the hundreds of cars parked in each Go-station parking lot were also on the road. Mama Mia! But I can now understand what the daily commuters go through; just like little ants scurrying along to get to and from work.
And I left the city early, before the real rush began. Thank the Lord I don’t have to do that kind of commuting nuh! I can now understand too why the society is so stressed out, miserable and confrontational. Doing that sort of thing twice a day, five times a week is no joking matter. And by the time I got back home, I was as tired as a dog.
Anyway, enough about my adventures. (smile) Today is Tuesday, so let’s recite our Tuesday Mantra. All together now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Glory to God my people, for being such a wonderful Deity! And as children of the Most High God Jehovah, we have all His considerable and wonderful blessings and mercies set out before us in new batches each and every day! All praise and thanks be to our incomparable heavenly Father!
Sadly though, I don’t think that we do offer our wonderful and awesome God enough sincere thanks and praise for our blessings, that’s why we’re continuing today with more scripture extolling those facets of our faith. Our Bit from Psalm 100 – A call to praise the Lord – declares it in great fashion. ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord all ye lands (all the earth).’
Now that’s exactly what we ought to be doing my fellow believers! We have so much to be thankful for, especially salvation and eternal life, that we ought to be jumping and shouting for joy, praising and thanking the Light of our lives, our Lord and Saviour, for His endless mercy and LOVING-kindness towards us, when we don’t deserve one iota of it.
But what do we do? Instead we get sour and churlish, miserable and resentful as soon as some little thing doesn’t go our way. Chuh! That’s selfish and child-like behaviour my brethren, definitely not suitable for true followers of, and believers in Jesus Christ!
Oh my people, what we truly ought to be doing as sons and daughters of Almighty God, is what the psalmist lays out as he continues: ‘Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.’ (Ps.100:2)
That is what the elders in heaven are doing; around God’s throne: singing a new song to Christ: ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.’(Rev.4:11)
So Friends, if the heavenly hosts can sing praise and thanks to the Lord, why can’t we earthly beings do it to eh? No good reason whatsoever my people!
And it’s not like we don’t know what we’re to do, but we’re just lazy and uninterested in the things of God, paying more attention to the earthly circumstances of our lives and the unprofitable sleek and shining things of this world.
And though this will make the bit longer than I desired, I believe it’s necessary for us to hear the rest of the psalm. ‘Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps.100:3-5)
Please my people, let’s allow that scripture to be written indelibly into our souls nuh, for it is the gospel truth! And as we ponder upon it today, let’s ask our heavenly Father, who refuses us nothing that’s within His will, to help us put it all into worthwhile action. That my Friends, is the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…praise Him, praise Him…Glory Hallelujah…for He is LOVE…He is LOVE…
09 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: angels, aura of love, common grind, confidence, conquerors, Creator of the universe, creeping things, daily task, don't shoot the messenger, enthusiasm, excellent greatness, flying fowl, forgiving, fruitful trees, generous help, glorious kingdom, grace, gracious, heavenly beings, holy spirit, hosts, humble servants, if you don't work then you shouldn't eat, invincible, Jesus Christ, joyful song, kings, lies, LOVE, maidens, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mountains, praise the Lord from the heavens, Praise ye the Lord, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, shout Hallelujah, spiritual armour, stars of light, steadfast faith, sun and moon, taunts, the children of Israel, ungodly world, universal praise, verve, warms the cockles of God's heart, wiles, wisdom, young men
Psalm 148:1. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah): Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights.
Well Friends and neighbours, the day of the daily task and common grind has rolled around again. It’s Monday… And I hear a whole set of disgruntled ‘Chuhs’ and ‘Steupses!’
And I have to quickly declare: ‘Wait up Friends, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m only doing my job.’
‘So who should we shoot then?’ comes the reply.
‘Nobody,’ I answer. And truly my brethren, there’s no need to shoot anyone, for it’s not like we don’t know that Monday is coming around, it’s been doing that for ages. It’s just that we refuse to prepare properly for it, so when it does roll around, we get ourselves all in a thither, because we have to get up and go to work and we’re still tired and sleepy from the exhausting weekend.
Now we can always arrange it so that you don’t have to go to work. But as Bruh Paul advised the Thessalonians, if you don’t work you won’t be eating either. (2 Thess. 3:10) So let’s cut out the nonsense and just get up and get ourselves together nuh. Part of that entails thanking our heavenly Father for allowing us to see a new day, and asking for His strength, wisdom and guidance as we face the evil and dangerous world.
And as always, to help in that department, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with as much verve and enthusiasm as we can manage. Oh… just one word of warning; our choirmaster, Jesus, isn’t looking too pleased this morning, having had to wait so long on us, so we had better mind our ps and qs and sing a good song. (smile)
As one, in perfect harmony now, let’s sing: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that wasn’t too bad Friends, except for a little croaking here and there. And I wonder if that’s because Jesus was serious all through it, with only a faint glimmer of a smile at the end. Hn! We do indeed show mucho wisdom when we don’t activate His wrath. (smile)
Anyway, today we’re going to continue concentrating on the positive aspects of our faith; re giving thanks and praise to our mighty, and all powerful God. Our Bit spells it out in spades. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah): Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights.’
Yes my people, there’s nothing that warms the cockles of the Father’s heart and puts a big smile on His face like hearing us offer sincere praise and thanksgiving for all that He’s done, doing and promised to do for us. So let’s continue with the words of Psalm 148, fittingly titled – All creation to praise the Lord.
‘Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created. He hath also stablished (established) them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.’ (Ps.148:2-6)
Yes Friends, the psalmist is first calling all the heavenly beings and bodies to celebrate and praise our omnipotent God, who, having spoken them into existence, decreed that they last forever, and for that He deserves everlasting praise.
Then the psalmist continues with the list of earthly beings and substances that ought to offer praise to Almighty God: ‘Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons and all deeps (sea creatures): Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:’ (Ps.148:7-10)
Oh my people, what a vast and rather inspired imagination our God had, when He created such exotic creatures and beautiful things!
Then the psalmist finally turns to God’s greatest creation, mankind. ‘Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent (exalted); his glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn (strength or dominion) of his people, the praise of all his saints; even the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah!)’ (Ps.148:11-14)
Yes my fellow believers, as the scholars say: ‘Psalm 148: Since nothing in heaven above or on earth below is left out in this praise psalm, it may appropriately be designated as the psalm of universal praise.’
And believe me, ALL of God’s creation ought to lavish eternal praise on Him, especially His most wonderful creation, man! Why? Because He is such a wonderful, LOVING, magnificent, merciful, gracious, forgiving, awesome God, Creator and Provider!
So Friends, let’s display our heavenly wisdom by continually lavishing sincere praise on our heavenly Father nuh, because that’s what we were made for. Much LOVE!
… praise Him, praise Him…tell of His excellent greatness…praise Him, praise Him…ever in joyful song…
08 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ambassadors of Christ, cleansed from sin, compassion, disharmony, disunity, encouragement, forgiveness, gathering of believers, give thanks and praise, glory, Glory be to God, grace, great is the Lord, Greetings in the name of Jesus, honour to God, I will bless thy name for ever and ever, I will extol thee my God, in the congregation of the saints, justice, let everything that hath breath praise the Lord, live in harmony, LOVE, loving kindness, lukewarm, mercy, one generation shall praise thy works to another, our Father in heaven, peace, pride, reaching up to high heaven, resentment, reverence, righteousness., shout Hallelujah, shouts of praise, sing unto the Lord a new song, thanskgiving, the church of Christ, the cross at Calvary, the god of Jacob, the gospel of christ, the Psalms, walking with Jesus, washed clean, witness for Christ, working for Jesus
Psalm 145:1. I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
Greetings my Friends, in the holy name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so that we could be made whole, be washed clean, cleansed from our abominable sins and be reconciled to our Creator, our Father in heaven!
What a mouthful! (smile) But it’s all true. And from that selfless sacrifice came forth the best gifts ever bestowed on mankind; salvation and eternal life! Oh, glory be to the wonderful Deity that we serve and worship!
That’s why on this Sunday morning in November, we ought to be filling the Lord’s sanctuaries to give Him thanks and praise for His continued LOVING-kindness to us undeserving sinners. All over the land, shouts of praise and glory and thanksgiving ought to be reaching up to high heaven in true reverence and honour to our majestic God!
Yes my people, the gathering of believers in Jesus Christ is of the utmost importance, for that is one of the major ways in which we build and also express our faith; worshipping together, encouraging and edifying each other. As the church, the body of Christ, we are expected to be as one, to live in harmony and unity, with the gospel of Christ as our true foundation and guide.
And just like if one part of our physical body malfunctions, it causes problems for the whole body, likewise, if one part of Christ’s church doesn’t live up to expectations, the entire body will malfunction; there will be disharmony, disunity, selfish pride and resentment, amongst other things, bringing dishonour to Christ.
And that’s one thing we certainly don’t want to do! We are His ambassadors, that means we ought to be doing good things in His name, setting a good example, living true to His godly principles, not to negative or evil ones. Unfortunately, these days negative and evil principles are taking a stranglehold on our world. War, hate, anger and strife are paramount in today’s world, while peace, LOVE, justice and righteousness are running a poor second.
That’s not right Friends, that’s not how it’s supposed to be. The good ought to be overpowering the bad by a sizeable majority, not the other way around. That is why in these difficult and dangerous end times we believers have to seriously increase our witness for Jesus if we want to save our world.
We can’t afford to do like Jesus said of the people back in His time, re John the Baptist. “He was a burning and a shining light (lamp): and ye were willing for a season (time) to rejoice in his light.’ (John 5:35)
Oh my brethren, we cannot rejoice just for a season in Christ! We have to be doing it continuously, until whenever He returns to claim His throne. But sadly, that is one of the downfalls of believers; we’re not consistent in our walk with Jesus, most of the time we’re just lukewarm, no real pep in our witness. How then can we encourage others to come to Jesus eh?
Unless we’re enthusiastic and sincere about walking with and working for Jesus, we’re doing His cause more harm than good, not being very worthwhile ambassadors. That is why the Psalms are full of encouragement to praise and worship God. Let’s hear some of those scriptures so that our spirits can be boosted this Sunday morning.
We’ll begin with our Bit from Psalm 145 – The Lord is Gracious- Bruh David’s psalm of praise. He boldly proclaims: ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.’ Yes my brethren, that’s the kind of stuff we have to envision then put it into action.
As Bruh David continues: ‘Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding). One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness.’ (Ps.145:2-6)
Oh my fellow believers are we praising God’s name as conscientiously and enthusiastically as we should? Are we passing on His greatness to the next generation? Are we continually speaking of His splendour and majesty, of His awesome works? Hn! I don’t think so really – at least not as much as we should, otherwise our world would not be in such an evil mess.
Now listen to Psalm 146 – the blessedness of trusting God: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise thee Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have my being… Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:1-2, 5)
Then Psalm 147 – Great is our God and of great power- begins: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah): for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is comely… Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.’ (Ps.147:1, 7)
Meanwhile Psalm 149 – The Lord taketh pleasure in his people –boldly declares: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of the saints…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.149:1,3-4).
And we’ll end appropriately with Psalm 150 –Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in the firmament of his power (mighty firmament). Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness… Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah!)’ (Ps. 150:1-2, 6)
Oh my people, my people, I do hope that we’ve gained some measure of insight into the need for praising and glorifying our great God on a continual basis. So today, please let’s hear His praise in the congregation of His saints and in His sanctuary as we gather to worship and give thanks for His undeserved mercy, LOVE, grace, compassion forgiveness and LOVING-kindness, for that’s wisdom at its wisest! Much LOVE!
…when we sing the praises of God…our hope, faith, belief and trust are increased…
29 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: . the fountain of wisdom, a faithful Creator, according to the will of God, against that day, and am persuaded, bounden duty, Bruh Paul, cease from anger, children of the Most High God, Christians, commit thy way unto the Lord, divine destiny, do no evil, eternal life, evildoers shall be cut off, for I know whom I have believed, for the which cause, forgiveness, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, God has chosen me, God has inscribed me in the palms of His hands, God's grace is sufficient, God's thoughts towards me, grin and bear it, Hurricane Patricia, I also suffer these things, I am forever linked to divine destiny, I am not ashamed, I belong to the God of the universe, I do know, kindness, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, my life has purpose and dignity, nail scarred palms of Jesus, One Year Book of Bible promises, praising my saviour all the day long, Rest in the Lord, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, sing and shout, that he is able, the assurance of salvation, the judgement seat of christ, the keeping of their souls, the life of the Son, the love of the Father, the magnitude of God, the object of His lavish love, the power of the Holy spirit, the very essence of our beings, them that suffer, this is my song, this is my story, those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, Timothy, to keep that which I have committed to him, wait patiently for him, wisdom
2 Timothy 1:12. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
Well Friends, it’s a crazy Thursday morning in my neck of the woods. Yesterday we had the tail ends of the rain from Hurricane Patricia, and we might still get some more later, but right now we’re getting some of the tail end winds.
The wind’s a howling out there! I opened my front door just now to pick up the newspaper and the wind fought me to close it back. (smile) I surely am sorry for those who experienced Patricia’s wrath a few days ago. Please, let’s keep them in our prayers.
On a point of interest, my ole right knee is still acting up. Steups! I really don’t understand it nuh. They don’t usually ache for so long. I’ve taken painkillers, rubbed it with stuff, talked with the Lord about it, but still no relief. I guess I just have to grin and bear it and limp along, knowing that God’s grace is indeed sufficient for me to do whatever He desires.
And though I might not like it, I am comfortable with it, especially when added to these facts from the following excerpt from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is titled ‘I Do Know.’
Listen up my people: ‘There is much I cannot begin to fathom concerning the vast, indescribable universe created by our majestic God. There is much I will never comprehend. I want to sing and shout, (I was doing that the other night, (smile), so utterly overwhelmed I am with the magnitude of God.
But I do know with confident certainty that I belong to the God of the universe – the Creator of all that exists. I know that I, a mere mortal, am forever linked to divine destiny. I know that my life has purpose and dignity.
I know that God has chosen me as the object of his lavish LOVE; that his thoughts toward me are thoughts of kindness and mercy; that he has inscribed me in the palms of his hands. I know that all the LOVE of the Father, and the life of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit are freely, inseparably mine – now and throughout all eternity. This I do know!
Wow mih breddren! Do we know all of that? I surely hope so, for if we are truly children of the Most High God, it is imperative that we know those things!
How can we not know that we are linked to a divine destiny; that our lives have purpose and dignity; that Almighty God has chosen us to lavish His unconditional and everlasting LOVE on us; and all His thoughts towards us are of LOVING-kindness, forgiveness and mercy; and most surely we must know that He has inscribed us in the nail scarred palms of His wonderful Son, Jesus; and all that they have, the power, the life and the glory are ours from now until forever?
All of that is the very essence of our beings as Christians! Oh what a mighty, generous and wonderful Deity we worship my people! Give Him some well-deserved thanks and praise!
And the promise of scripture to which that message is attached is also our Bit for today. ‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’ Those are the words of Bruh Paul to Timothy, as he exhorts the young pastor to endurance.
And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘1:12. Persuaded (Gr. peitho): The perfect tense indicates that “I was persuaded in the past and remain so now.” That he is able to keep refers to the assurance of salvation which is committed…against that day, when we will stand before the judgement seat of Christ.’
Oh Friends, do we know whom we have believed? And is it the gracious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? And if we do, I hope we are not ashamed of Him, and are willing to testify loudly on His grace and mercy from the rooftops of every building.
And not only that, but also we are persuaded, confident, assured that He can do what He says; that is grant salvation and eternal life! To be true Christians we need to believe all these things and have them written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
And Peter admonishes, as well as encourages us thus: ‘Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.’ (1 Pet.4:19)
And believe me Friends, if there is nothing else I can vouch for, I can vouch for the faithfulness of our creator, because I have experienced it throughout my life! Oh Glory to Him!
And we’ll end with these well-known, superb words of advice and confidence from Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked.
‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:5-9)
Oh my fellow believers, as a Christian, that is the best advice you can ever get! So please, today, let’s take it all to heart and run with it nuh, putting it all into action in our lives, so that we can truthfully testify to God’s greatness and glorify Him in all that we do. For that is our bounden duty and the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…this is my story…this is my song…praising my saviour…all the day long…
27 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abide in me and I in you, all our sins and griefs to bear, all things are possible, doing God's work, Donnie McClurkin, earthly pilgrimage, everything to God in prayer, evidence of Jesus' power, faith, Gospel Concert, grace, happens in the best of families, He giveth power to the faint, Hezekiah Walker, I am the beloved of god, I am the vine, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, joy, life just gives us time and space, LOVE Jesus, meaning, mercy, No one is guaranteed happiness, our God-given responsibility., share His love with the world, spiritual superman, surrender to Jesus, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the same bringeth forth much fruit, to them that no might he increaseth strength, truth, Tuesday Mantra, under the weather, we must fill it with joy and meaning, what a beautiful way to live, what a friend we have in Jesus, what a privilege to carry, without me ye can do nothing, ye are the branches
Isaiah 40:29. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Aye Friends, it’s Tuesday and unfortunately the ole fella is late and somewhat under the weather. But I guess that happens in the best of families eh? (smile)
My ole right knee’s been acting up and doing some serious aching for the last couple days… Steups! It might even force me to cancel an appointment with a medic in the fair city of Toronto later on today to talk about my shoulder. Chuh!
But yuh know what? It isn’t going to stop me from going down the street later to see a big American Gospel concert featuring the likes of Hezekiah Walker and Donny McClurkin and a host of others. (smile)
Isn’t life great? It surely is my people. The aches and pains of old age and otherwise might slow us down, but we must not allow them to stop us from doing God’s work to the best of our limited ability.
And here is a most appropriate quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. It says: ‘No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’
Indisputable truth that my brethren! Regardless of how blessed or ‘unblessed’ we are, it is still and always will be our responsibility to put joy and meaning into our lives. So let’s stop looking to other things and people to make us happy and meaningful. It is our God-given responsibility to do that for ourselves.
And having made that point clear, let’s turn to our Tuesday Mantra and declare it with absolute faith, joy and meaning. (smile)
Altogether now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen.’
More indisputable truth my people! And as the old hymn so rightly corroborates and reminds us: ‘What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!’
Yes Friends, whatever it is, good, bad or ugly, we need to take it all to Jesus and let Him help us sort it out, for without Him we cannot do much, but with Him…oh my people, ALL things are possible!
That’s why we can believe our Bit. ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.’ What an awesome promise!
Then when we add the seminal, the seed bearing scripture of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me,’ (Phil.4:13) ohhh, we get a most powerful and faithful promise that just lifts us up and takes us to a whole new level!
Now I’d be rather amiss if I didn’t include the scholars’ explanation on that quote of Bruh Paul. ‘4:13. The apostle’s ability of knowing how to live skillfully on little or in prosperity does not mean that he is a spiritual superman. The reason he can live in such extremes is not owing to his own ability.
Rather, he can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth him, thus enabling him to adapt to his various, ever-changing circumstances. God orders Paul’s various situations, and God gives him the strength to be content in them all, trying and perplexing though they may be.’
Yes Friends, the same thing applies to us all; the Lord orders or allows whatever circumstances we experience, then He, in His wondrous grace and mercy gives us the wherewithal to handle them. Now isn’t our God a wonderful Deity? He surely is! No other supposed deity does that for His followers.
And then to cap it all, we have Jesus’ take on the subject. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him; the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
Oh Friends, that’s what I LOVE about Jesus; He doesn’t hold anything back, He says it as it is: without Him, we can do nothing. And that’s the living truth!
Now here is a short explanation on that verse from the scholars’. ‘15:1-9. Jesus explains the divine human relationship by the analogy of a grapevine. Jesus is like the main vine. The disciples are compared with branches. The Father tends the branches like a gardener. At that time of year (when Jesus spoke those words), branches of grapevines would be budding in Jerusalem.’
So my people, with all that evidence of Jesus’ power and LOVE and care and compassion, why do we find it so difficult to surrender our lives to Him eh? Why are we so reluctant to put our entire trust and faith in Him?
I personally can’t see any good reason for that reluctance. But as we said earlier on, ‘life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’ And believe me, the most joy and meaning to be found in this earthly pilgrimage is in concert with Jesus!
That’s wisdom in spades my brethren! So please accept it, and put it into action. You will never regret it. Much LOVE!
…to know Jesus…ohhh…is just to LOVE Him…to LOVE and worship Him…with all our hearts mind, bodies and souls…what a beautiful way to live…
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