31 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Adam, advice, arrogant, aura of love, blessed, charles stanley, confidence, corrupt, death, destroying ourselves, earthly choir, encore, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil powers, faith, Father's bad books, fool, forgiveness, gone astray, guilty of sin, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, it is good, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, jobs, keeping families together, lake of fire, lead and guide, leave all the consequences to Him, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, loving Jesus, loving kindness, meet the enemy in battle, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, monumental sins, most wonderful experience, not a just man on earth, obey God, Oh Lord God Almighty, physical death, prideful, problems, propitiation for sins, ps and qs, punish, put our problems in God's capapble hands, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rude, second death, sense of purpose, sinful by nature, sins not, spiritual armour, spiritual death, standing 'O', strength, surrender our all, thanks and praise, the foolishness of men, the gift of God, the wages of sin is death, there is no god, trust, ungodly world, useful purpose, weary souls, wisdom, wonder, worthwhile inroads
Ecclesiastes 7:20. For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Oh what a glorious Monday morn, mih people! Please rise and greet it with enthusiasm and wonder, the same way our great God did when He made it and us!
Remember what God said when He made the universe? ‘It is good!’ So why should we dispute His statement eh? Therefore, let us put all our problems behind us, or rather in God’s capable and powerful hands.
And as Uncle Charles, (Charles Stanley) is wont to say: ‘just obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’ Wonderful advice mih breddren!
And to do that, this Monday morning we have to get up with a good attitude, prepared to meet the new workweek head on with strength, faith and a sense of purpose. But since we know that’s not always easy, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with all the gusto we can muster, to jump start our spirit motors.
As one sweet, harmonious, earthly choir my brethren, let’s show the heavenly hosts that we can warble just as sweetly as them. (smile)
‘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!’
Ohhhh! That was most excellent my people! All heaven, including Jesus and the Father, gave us a standing O, and shouted for an encore! Mamma Mia!
That means we’re ready to go out into the ungodly world and battle the evil powers into submission, with Jesus going, both before and behind us.
Now that doesn’t mean we have to be rude, prideful and/or arrogant, but rather mind our p’s and q’s very carefully, because of our Bit. ‘For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.’
Yes Friends, we’re already sinful by nature, we cannot afford to further put ourselves in the Father’s bad books. Now yesterday we looked at some scriptures which supported our Bit, today we’ll look at some more.
And here’s how Bruh David puts it in both Psalm 14 and 53, titled the foolishness of men. And oh, that’s surely plentiful my fellow believers!
Excuse the pause there Friends, I was trying to see which Psalm to use. They do convey the same message, but with slightly different words in some parts. And after seeking the Lord’s guidance, I chose Psalm 14, because it’s simpler, and more straightforward. Psalm 53 has more flowery language. (smile)
‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside (astray), they are all together become filthy (corrupt): there is none that doeth good, no, not one.’ (Ps.14:1-3)
Yes my fellow believers, we’re all guilty of sin. But the sad part is that sin is no longer such a big deal, a big negative to do in our society! Ah Lord eh! How very foolish and unwise is that attitude, my people!
And why do you think our world is in such a bad and sorry shape eh? It’s because of our monumental sins! The Father doesn’t even have to do much to punish us, because in our very sinful state, we are continually destroying ourselves and all the good things and people around us.
As Cousin Sol so wisely asks in Proverbs: ‘Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?’ (Prov.20:9)
NOBODY! Not a single human being can truthfully say that my Friends!
So what are we going to do about it eh? Remember Bruh Paul’s famous statement to the Romans? ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23)
Oh mih fellow believers, what an awesome God we serve! For right in that one monumental statement, we have both the problem and its solution! And all God’s people gave a joyful shout of: ‘Glory be to our most wonderful heavenly Father!’
Yes mih people, JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY SOLUTION, THE PROPITIATION, THE ONE AND ONLY REMEDY FOR OUR SINS!
It’s of the utmost importance that we know, believe and remember that fact, because it is one of, if not the most crucial and critical facts on this planet earth, that’s why I put it in bold capitals. If we don’t take it to heart NOW, then we’ll find ourselves in a rather untenable and horrific position later on.
The scholars have wisely acknowledged this: ‘6:23. The penalty of sin is death, both spiritual and physical. The moment Adam sinned, he died spiritually, in that sense, everyone is born dead in sin (Eph.2:1). Physical death, described as the separation of the body and spirit (James 2:26), is the ultimate result of sin (cf. Gen 3).
People who die in their sin (in an unsaved state) will have to face a “second death” portrayed as a “lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15) Application: The only escape from this second death is to receive the gift of eternal life in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. (First Ref. Gen.3:14-24); Primary Ref. Rom.6; cf. Rom.8:3).’
And that, my people, is the greatest piece of wisdom any human being can ever attain unto! Much LOVE!
…LOVING Jesus…and being LOVED by Him…is the most wonderful experience man can ever aspire to…
24 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ailments, ashamed, aura of love, Babylon, Beelzebub, blessings, bow down, Bruh David, character, cheer in our hearts, Christ died for the ungodly, confidence, cry of anguish, cry out to God, deny, enemies, enthusiasm, experience, faith, faithfully, faithfulness, fear, fellow believers, fellowship, forgiveness, forsaking, glory, harmoniously, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Israel, Jesus Christ, justification, living truth, LOVE of God, loving kindness, moaning and groaning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, omnipotent god, patience, perseverance, promise, Psalm 22, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteous man, righteousness., sincere faith, sinners, slave for Massa, song of praise, spiritual armour, spring, steadfast faith, surrender our all, take refuge, take the bull by the horns, tribulations, trust, ungodly world, weary souls, worthwhile inroads
Psalm 31:1. In thee O Lord, do I put my trust (take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
Oh Friends, at long last spring has finally sprung in the northern climes! But sadly, that’s only on the calendar, not in reality. Last Thursday, March 20, was the first official day of spring and there were a couple of half-decent days where the weather was above freezing – but just barely though. Now it’s gone back to minus figures.
But what to do eh? Nothing but grin and bear it, especially on this Monday morning… Oh yes mih people, it is Monday! Sorry, I forgot to inform you of that most important situation. (smile) But I’m only human and cannot remember everything.
And you know if it’s Monday, then you have to get up and go out to slave for massa in this new Babylon, so you can earn a few pennies to keep life and limbs together. So let’s stop all the moaning and groaning and just get with the programme, since there’s nothing much we can do about it.
And as always, we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to give us strength, to raise our faith and get the adrenalin flowing. So let’s put a smile on our faces, some cheer in our hearts and sing loudly, proudly and harmoniously.
All together now: ‘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 so hard was it? So let’s do our do, then get out into the evil world that surrounds us and give those followers of Beelzebub, heck; kill them with LOVING-kindness, as Jesus desires of us. (smile)
Oh Friends, on a serious note though, the days are indeed getting harder and rougher, and many of us are losing hope. But that is not a real option, for we have an omnipotent and most magnanimous God in whom we can put our utmost trust.
As Bruh David so faithfully declared in our Bit long ago, when he cried out in anguish to the God of our fathers: ‘In thee O Lord, do I put my trust (take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.’
And we saw yesterday, as we went through the psalm, how God faithfully delivered him from his enemies, his physical and emotional ailments. Now why wouldn’t He do the same for us if we call out to Him in sincere faith eh? No reason whatsoever? So please don’t be afraid to cry out to God at any time at all, just remember to do it in sincere faith.
And today, we’ll look at a few scriptures that enhance and corroborate our Bit, beginning with some more words from Bruh David from Psalm 22; a cry of anguish and song of praise. He wondered why the Lord was forsaking him, since he was crying out, both day and night without any answers, (vs.1-2)
Then he remembered and changed His speech: ‘But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel/ Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded (ashamed). (Ps.22:3-5)
Oh my fellow believers, that’s the living truth! Followers of God are never ashamed once they truly trust and believe in Him!
Now hear Isaiah as he promised that Israel would be restored to Zion. ‘And kings shall be thy nursing fathers (foster fathers), and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.’ (Is.49:23)
What a monumental promise my brethren! And the good news is that our great and wonderful God CAN, and DOES, keep ALL His promises!
And since I promised myself to keep this Bit as short as possible, (smile) we’ll end with one more scripture, one from Bruh Paul, one we all know, where he talks about the results of justification.
‘And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience (produces perseverance); And patience, experience (character); and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (has been poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given for us.
For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrates his own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:3-8)
And that says it all my brethren! And it’s surely significant that that scripture was one of the readings at church yesterday morning! So let’s take the bull by the horns this Monday morning, BE NOT ASHAMED, and get out there and do faithful and strong battle in Jesus’ name, knowing that He has our back! Much LOVE!
…but whosoever shall deny me before men…him will I also deny…before my Father which is heaven… (Matt.10:33)
17 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 1 Peter, ashamed, aura of love, Beelzebub, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed, calamitous, Catholicism, celebrations, clear concience, complaining, confidence, conquerors, defence, disaster laden world, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enemy's wicked taunts, enthusiasm, evil, evil doing, evildoers, expectant faith, faith, falsely accuse you, fear, fellowship, fight the good fight, followers of good, further God's glorious kingdom, give an answer, good conduct, good fellowship, Granny's advice, grouchy, hallmarks of Jesus, harm, heavenwards, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, hope, humble servants, hungry hope, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping families together, leprechaun, LOVE, loving kindness, meekness, mighty wallop, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not afraid, pagan hordes, patron saint of ireland, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, reverential awe, reward, righteousness., roaring lion, shamrock, spiritual armour, St.Patrick's Day, stand strong, sterner stuff, strength, suffering, surrender, terror, testimony, TGIM, Thank God is Monday., the will of God, threats, ungodly world, weary souls, weekend of rest, well doing, wisdom, worthwhile inraods
1 Peter 3:13. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
Oh Friends, it’s Monday…! And by gosh, I hear a group of people loudly declaring; ‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday! Yeahhh! Time to go back to work! I can’t wait to get back out there and do my thing!’
Mama Mia! Am I hearing right I wondered in great concern. Yes Friends, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. And I gladly thought; they must be believers in Jesus Christ, because only such devoted followers would be so happy to go back out to work after a weekend of rest and good fellowship with other believers!
Okay, so I was dreaming, since most of Jesus’ people are still grouchy and complaining on a Monday morning. And the people thanking God for Monday was a group of partying Irishmen, dressed in green, from head to toe, already deep into their figurative cups, while literally holding up their green containers with green beverages, getting an early start on the St. Paddy’s Day celebrations.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day my people! So don’t forget to be attired in green today, having your green cup filled with your green beverage, as well as your green, three-leafed shamrock, and your personal leprechaun (Irish fairy) as you celebrate the Irish culture. That’s the legend of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who supposedly drove all the snakes out of the country, while converting the pagan hordes there to Catholicism.
One interesting part of the legend is that St. Paddy used the three-leafed shamrock to teach the people about the Holy Trinity; the Three in One aspect. Now that sounds like an excellent idea, as it’s always more beneficial to use stuff that people are accustomed to, to help them understand other stuff, like Jesus used the sheep and shepherd analogy to teach the Jews, since they were a sheep-herding nation.
However Friends, though you don’t like to hear it, on all such days of much celebration, it’s very advisable to keep Granny’s advice right up front: drunk or sober, mind your business, because those green beverages can pack a mighty wallop and cause us to open a space for the roaring lion Beelzebub to enter and disrupt our lives.
And now, after all that whatever you want to call it, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn the same way those Irishmen were singing in my dream – in a loud voice, but with much better harmony. (smile)
As one harmonious choir 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!’
Yes mih people, let’s burst out now on an unsuspecting and non expectant world, showering them with LOVE and kindness, the hallmarks of Jesus!
For as Peter so rightly asks in our Bit: ‘And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?’ Nobody should my brethren! But in these very evil, selfish and ungodly times, anything is possible.
That’s why Peter, in talking about suffering and reward continues thus: ‘But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy (blessed) are ye: and be not afraid of their terror (threats), neither be troubled; But sanctify (set apart) the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer (a defence) to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (reverential awe):
Having a good (clear, void of offence) conscience that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation (conduct) in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing than for evil doing.’ (1 Pet.3:14-17)
Yes Friends, it’s not always easy serving Jesus, but we have to stand strong and do what He desires of us, not considering the suffering we might endure down here on earth, but casting our eyes heavenward, with expectant faith and hungry hope, knowing that the rewards there will be worth all the suffering down here. And in that respect too, it’s always better to suffer for good rather than bad stuff, although it just doesn’t seem right. But that’s the way Jesus operates.
And on that point, here is a note from the scholars’. ‘3:17. In the will of God we are sometimes called on to suffer for well-doing as a testimony to others.’
For as we said the other day, examples that people can see, always work better than words that they can only hear. Now with all of that firmly planted and entrenched in our hearts, souls and minds, let’s go out into the crazy, troubled, calamitous, disaster laden world and show them what Jesus’ people are really all about; that we are made of much sterner stuff than they think!
And may the Lord bless and keep us, give us His wisdom, peace and strength to fight the good fight in His Holy Name! Much LOVE, my fellow believers!
…when a man’s ways please the Lord…he maketh even his enemies…to be at peace with him… (Prov.16:7)
10 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abhor evil, accolades, adrenalin, anger, aura of love, bitterness, bounden duty, Bruh Paul, carnival merriment, charity, chastised, Christ fever, Christ's service, Christian, Christian's conduct, christianity, clean heart, cling to good, confidence, conquerors, debts, dissimulation, enthusiasm, faith, false concern, false doctrine, fraud, frustrations, genuine, glorious kingdom, going through the motions, good conscience, gospel truth, greed, hissing of teeth, Holy Name, holy spirit, humble servants, hypocrisy, iniquity, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, LOVE, love thy neightbour as thyself, LOVE Walk, meet the enemy in battle, moans and groans, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative stuff, outward piety, Pharisees, positive difference, pure heart, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, right heart, right spirit, righteousness., sally forth, sincere faith, sincerity, spiritual armour, strife, take a strong stand, taunts. lies, theatre of strife, time is of the essence, True LOVE, trust, truthfulness, unfeigned, ungodly world, useful purpose, war, weary souls, week of work, wiles, wisdom, worthwhile inroads
Romans 12:9. Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.
And then the day dawned on a joyful Monday… And all I can hear in the background are moans and groans, hissing of teeth, and a few deleted expletives thrown in for good measure. (smile)
So Friends, I take it that you all are still tired from all the carnival merriment, but please don’t take out your frustrations on me, for I am just the messenger sent to remind you that you have to get up and go out and labour. Yes, you have to go out and earn the money for next year’s mas costume, or to pay back the money you borrowed to buy this year’s. Hn, hn!
Oh yes mih people, it’s ever so easy to borrow, but to pay back… Brother, we behave like it’s pulling teeth – and that’s without any anaesthetic. However, as a true, blue blooded Christian, you have to pay your debts, both to man and God. And you can’t repay either party by lying in bed moaning and groaning, bemoaning your sad and sorry state, a state that you created in the first place.
So let’s stop all the complaining RIGHT NOW, because it doesn’t help matters any, just makes them worse. Let’s simply get up and get ourselves together. And to help us get the adrenalin flowing, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with whatever gusto you can muster.
All together now: ‘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!’
Oh brother, some of those voices sure sound hoarse and croaky! (smile) However, it’s not our actual voices that matter right now nuh, but the Christ fever that’s throbbing through our veins. So let’s get out into the ungodly world and join our fearless Leader, Jesus Christ, who is already at the front lines, rearing to get at the unbelievers, but unfortunately, He can’t do so without our help. So please, let’s get a move on, for time is of the essence.
And even more important than time in Christ’s service are the two statements contained in our Bit. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.’
Yes Friends, in the stellar words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, our LOVE Walk should be without hypocrisy, certainly not like that which Jesus chastised the Pharisees for: ‘Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (lawlessness).’ (Matt.23:28)
And the scholars have an interesting note on our Bit: ’12:9. Without dissimulation (lit. “without hypocrisy”). The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional caring for others, LOVING faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
And tied right into all of that, is this directive from Bruh Paul to Timothy, in his warning against false doctrine. ‘Now the end (purpose) of the commandment is charity (LOVE) out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned (sincere faith).’ (1 Tim.1:5)
Oh yes my fellow believers, it’s made very clear there, that doing Jesus’ work calls for TRUE LOVE for one’s neighbour, from a right heart. We shouldn’t be just going through the motions to impress those around us, for then we’re doing the Pharisees’ thing; looking for outward accolades, but with unclean and lying innards.
Remember too that though you can fool your fellow man with your outward piety and false concern, you can’t fool your heavenly Father, because it’s your heart that He examines to determine your truthfulness, your sincerity.
And we’ll end with another of Bruh Paul’s admonitions, this time to the Galatians. ‘For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.’ (Gal.5:14-15)
Unfortunately though my brethren, we are NOT fulfilling the law to any great extent because we’re not really showing TRUE LOVE to our neighbours or ourselves. Consequently, we’re consuming each other in anger, strife, bitterness, wars, depressions, greed, fraud, resentment and the whole host of other negative stuff that’s currently controlling our rapidly declining world.
Oh Friends, it’s up to us, true believers and followers of Christ to take a strong stand, to try and change that unwise attitude that’s permeated our world, and is now steadily destroying it. So let’s get right on it today nuh, for as you can see and hear, everyday, a new theatre of strife and war is being opened somewhere in our disaster filled universe.
And that doesn’t mean that the old ones have ended, it just means that they are being relegated to yesterday’s news, with still no sensible and useful solutions in sight. So for the sake of our children and their offspring, please, I’m pleading with us, let’s do something(s) to make a positive difference today nuh. It’s Jesus’ avid desire, and our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…create in me a clean heart, O God…and renew a right (generous) spirit within me… (Ps.51:10)
03 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, aesthetic, artistic pleasure, aura of love, bacchanal, Bacchus, blessed, brass, calamitous, Carnival Monday, catclysmic, confidence, Cousin Sol, Creator of the universe, disastrous, evil emotion, experiment, fame, fellowship, fight the good fight, fool's wisdom, great works, he who loves pleasure shall be poor, holy spirit, honour, humble servants, in search of enduring fulfillment, invincible, jealousy, Jesus Christ, jobs, lasting satisfaction, lord god almighty, LOVE, mas, mind yuh business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pain, pan, party hearty, pleasure, point of excess, power, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, suitable for believers, sure conquerors, time, to receive glory, trust, useful purpose, valus of earthly pleasure, wealth, wine, wisdom, word of warning, worthwhile inroads, worthy
Proverbs 21:17. He that LOVETH pleasure shall be a poor man: he that LOVETH wine and oil shall not be rich.
And then it was Monday, Friends… Carnival Monday! And at 4.a.m on a warm summer’s morn, the party-goers are starting to pour out into the streets from the all-night fetes, impatiently waiting for the steelbands to get organized and start jamming some pan to get J’ouvert, the first session of the big road party underway. Mama Yo! Fete fuh so!
Yes mih people, that’s what’s happening in T&T and various places around the world right now, in preparation for two days of pan and brass and mas out on the streets; two days of letting go, two days of uninhibited pleasure dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and partying, before settling down to a strict Lenten Season.
Meanwhile, I’m out here in the cold, on the outside sadly looking in. Steups! But not to worry Friends, I don’t mind missing the mas itself because in my opinion it’s not half as good as it used to be. What I miss is the heat of the sun.
Anyway mih bredden, one word of warning, please go easy on the pleasure, not too much bacchanal or ‘Luciferous’ type of pleasure, (smile) for as Cousin Sol so wisely advises in our Bit: ‘He that LOVETH pleasure shall be a poor man: he that LOVETH wine and oil shall not be rich.’
And there are absolutely no words to describe the truth of that statement my people!
Now generally speaking, there’s nothing wrong with pleasure, for as the Good Book tells us: ‘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 (by your will they exist.’ (Rev.5:11)
That shows our God is not averse to pleasure, that’s why He made nice things; first for Himself, then for us to enjoy. However, when the earthly pleasure reaches a point of excess, it’s no longer suitable for believers.
And there’s plenty of evidence, much research from way back, done by Cousin Sol on the topic. He had great wealth, much wisdom and plenty time, so he decided to conduct a practical and personal experiment on the subject; to try and prove the value of much earthly pleasure.
Listen to him in Ecclesiastes: ‘I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove (test) thee with mirth (gladness), therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity (futility).’ (Eccl..2:1)
Yes Friends, Cousin Sol found that too much earthly pleasure, or just living to enjoy earthly pleasure is vain and futile! You can read the rest of his documentation on the experiment in Eccl.2:2-11)
The scholars also have some good info on those verses. ‘2:1-11. Solomon pursued fulfillment through pleasure (vv. 1-2), wine (v.3), great works (vv. 4-6), wealth (vs.-8), aesthetic and artistic pleasures (v.8), and fame (v.9).
All of these failed to bring lasting satisfaction to the wisest man of all time, yet people three thousand years later are still trying them in search of enduring fulfillment. Musical instruments (v.8) translates an uncertain Hebrew word and possibly refers to a harem or group of concubines.’
So yuh see mih people, Cousin Sol tried it all, but found that embarking on a life of earthly pleasure is nothing but a fool’s wisdom! Hn, hn! That phrase seems to be popping up quite often these days.
But unfortunately so many of the things that are popular today, like the scholars say, belong to that category, and that’s a major reason why our world is so disastrous, calamitous and cataclysmic.
And no, I haven’t forgotten that not all of us can go out on the streets and party today, most of us still have to go out and slave for Massa. So to help us do that, as well as keep the evil emotion of jealousy out of our hearts and souls (smile) let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with great gusto.
All together now: ‘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!’
And on that note, we’ll close for today. Now with the adrenalin running, let’s go out and fight a good fight in Jesus’ Name, make Him ever so proud of us. Much LOVE!
…oftimes…too much pleasure…sadly turns into plenty pain…so party hearty…but remember to mind yuh business…
17 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant life, aura of love, awesome, blessed, blessings, bombarded, brave, brilliant strategist, Bruh Paul, buffeted, Chirst's army, christ jesus, Christ's Church, compassionate, confidence, courageous, cross at Calvary, earthly purpose, enthusiasm, faithful saying, Family day, follow the leader, forgiving, frame of mind, God's mercies, gracious, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, Leader Jesus, life everlasting, long-suffering, lost in sin, LOVE to hate, merciful, mighty force, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not afraid, Oh Lord God Almighty, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, one true God, personal relationship with Jesus, Pharisees, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, right mood, right perspective, road to Damascus, salvation, saw the light, sins, slave for Massa, soldiers, Son of man, soulful choir, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, thankfulness, the enemy's wiles and lies, to save the lost, to seek, ungodly world, useful purpose, wicked taunts, wisdom, worst sinner, zeal, zealous for Christ
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday – the day we all seem to LOVE to hate, but which we truly LOVE deep down inside! And I hear a lot of venom coming forth per that statement. (smile)
I guess we have a LOVE hate relationship with Mondays because on one hand, it means our free time is over, we have to get up and go out and labour. On the other hand though, it opens up interesting and unknown doors for us in the outside world. It offers us new and untold opportunities, gives us a different perspective on life, compared to if we just stayed cloistered up at home.
Anyway Friends, Monday is like every other day the Lord has made, so if we’re smart, we’ll also be glad and enjoy it like we do the weekends. And luckily for some of us in good, ole Canada, we don’t have to go to work today because it’s a holiday! Bless the Lord, O my soul! In Ontario it’s called Family Day, ostensibly a day to spend with family. In other provinces it’s know by other names.
However, many of us around the world aren’t so blessed, we have to go out and slave for Massa. So let’s join with those unlucky ones and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to help us all get in the right mood and frame of mind. As one, vibrant, sweet sounding, soulful choir 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!’
Hopefully that put some pep in your step, got the adrenalin running. Please remember that we are all soldiers in Christ’s army, and for armies to win battles, their soldiers must be brave, courageous, positive and truly desirous of following their leader… And oh mih breddren, mih breddren, we have the BEST Leader in all the world!
He’s not only a brilliant strategist, but is also beautiful, LOVING, compassionate, thoughtful, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, merciful, forgiving, gracious and upstanding: He’s a God-man called Jesus Christ!
Wow! And He’s so wonderful, so selfless and giving, that two thousand years ago He left His comfortable abode in heaven and came to earth in human form so that we could have a better and more abundant life. Now which other supposed deity has even considered such a wonderful deed, much less to put it into practical operation eh?
None whatsoever! Because they are all false, dead gods. For there is ONLY ONE TRUE GOD; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the ONLY ONE who is alive and kicking, the ONE who sent His ONLY Son, Jesus Christ to earth to be sacrificed on the cross at Calvary to pay for our sins. As Jesus so simply and straightforwardly puts it in our Bit: ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’
And all God’s people loudly and joyously declared: ‘Thank You Jesus, for saving us when we were lost in sin!’
Oh Friends, what an amazing and mighty force is our Leader Jesus! But you’ll never know that from His simplicity and humility. And it’s not until you develop a true and fast personal relationship with Him, that you’ll realize how truly awesome He is.
Now the last couple of days we’ve been looking at scriptures where He describes His earthly purpose, or where others commented on it. Today we’ll continue doing the same, but for brevity’s sake (smile) we’ll only look at Bruh Paul’s words to his young protégé Timothy, re his thankfulness for God’s many mercies.
‘This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am the chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.’ (1 Tim.1:16-17)
Yes my fellow believers, Bruh Paul considered himself the worst sinner in the world because of how he had tried to destroy Christ’s church in his more youthful days. But after Christ waylaid him on the road to Damascus, he saw the light, both literally and figuratively.
Through Christ’s mercy he was saved, to be used as an example to other sinners. If he had saved the worst one, then it would not be a problem to save the less sinful ones. And in all fairness, once Bruh Paul turned his life around, he used the same zeal in building Christ’s church as he had hitherto used to destroy it.
Oh Friends, are we being more zealous for Christ since we’ve been saved? I surely hope so. Anyway, that’s enough for us to ponder on today. I know you are all very busy people, so I don’t want to take up too much of your valuable time talking about God. I hope you detect the note of sarcasm there. (smile)
So until tomorrow, God in favour, please walk safely with Him, and let His Holy Spirit guide and keep you in all that you do. For that’s wisdom of the highest order. Much LOVE!
…unfortunately…those who don’t think they need saving…are the ones who need it the most…like the Pharisees…
10 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all day long, anxious, apathetic, aura of love, babe in swaddling bands, be prepared, being destroyed, bounden duty, bow down, buffeted and bombarded, cause people to err, Christendom, church at Laodicea, cold winds, concentrate solely on Jesus, concerned about the opinions of others, confidante, confidence, conquerors, cool sea breezes, crooked, dark and threatening, deprive, desolation, destroyed, destruction, earthly choir, enthusiasm, eventually prevail, evil, evil and corrupt schemes, evil earth, evil minions, evil ungodly world, excitement, exude confidence, faith, fatherless, fearful, flee for help, further your glorious kingdom, get ready right now, gratitude, harmony, his anger is not turned away, his hand is streteched out still in justice, holy, holy spirit, humble servants, humbly ask, interest, invincible, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, justice from on high, keep that fire burning brightly in our souls, keeping lives and families together, lead and guide, Leaders, leads to heaven, leave your glory, level of excitement, lies, listless, living with and working for Jesus, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Lucifer, lukewarm, maority of the planet, meet the enemy in battle, memory, misfortune, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mortal man, mounds of snow, omnipotent god, physical circumstances, power and majesty of Jesus, prey, prisoners, promised, punishment, refereshing, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, sally forth, Second Coming of Christ, Second Coming of Jesus, selfish schemers, selflessly sacrificed, sin debt, sincere feeling, sinless life, spiritual armour, spunk, steadfast faith, straight and narrow path, suffering, surrender, tepid, the enemy's wicked taunts, the Lord's stand, the needy of justice, the slain, travesty of injustice, true friend of Jesus, unjust world, unrighteous decrees, visitation, warrior king, weary souls, widows, wiles, wisdom, Wonderful, workweek, worthwhile inroads
Isaiah 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed.
And now Friends, it’s another Monday morning, but one quite different to what I experienced and enjoyed last week. There is no open balcony, no more lush greenery overlooking a neatly coffered golf course, with cool sea breezes washing over me. Instead, it’s a closed basement, surrounded by mounds of snow, and cold winds blowing the down the avenue and the chimney.
Ah Lord eh! What a bam, bam! And though my physical circumstances have changed for the worse, my spirit has to pick up the slack and keep me moving on, keep me excited about living with and working for Jesus. Yes my brethren, that’s a big problem in Christendom, for its members are not as excited as they should be to have Jesus in their lives. Most of us are tepid, lukewarm, like Jesus said of the church at Laodicea. (Rev.3:15-16)
But after all the wonderful things He’s done, and is still doing for us, we can certainly show a little more enthusiasm than we’re currently doing. We’re too listless and apathetic, fearful and anxious, and more concerned about what others will say and do if we show too much excitement and interest in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the one who selflessly sacrificed His holy, sinless life to pay our large and abominable sin debt.
But Friends, when Jesus comes into our lives, excited is exactly how we ought to live, so that others can see, feel, and then greatly desire to catch the excitement we generate through Him. That’s the only way they will be convinced of His great importance in their lives. So this Monday morning, as the work week looms dark and threatening, let’s forget about that and concentrate solely on Jesus.
Let’s ratchet up the gratitude in our souls, and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a whole lot of spunk, harmony and sincere feeling. As one big, tuneful, earthly choir, 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!’
Bravo, mih breddren, Bravo! That was great! And it ought to raise our level of excitement for Jesus. So let’s endeavour to keep that fire burning brightly in our souls all day long nuh, so that we can exude confidence and also show others how refreshing and wonderful it feels to be a true friend and confidante of Jesus, for truly, there’s nothing else in the world like it.
It’s completely different to what our Bit so sadly offers. ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed.’
Oh my brethren, Jesus doesn’t lead people astray and cause them to be destroyed. But right now that statement is very, very true about our leaders, and it’s our bounden duty to help it become much less so. Our current leaders seem to be just a bunch of crooked, selfish schemers, and under their evil and corrupt schemes the majority of the planet is suffering and slowly being destroyed. That includes both human beings and nature.
But my fellow believers, hear the Lord’s stand on the situation, as He makes it known through Isaiah. ‘Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness (misfortune) which they have prescribed. To turn aside (deprive) the needy from judgement (justice), and to take away the right (what is right) from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!’ (Is.10:1-2)
Oh Friends, we all see the great travesty of injustice and oppression being played out every day in our evil, unjust world! But rest assured it will not continue for ever, for the Lord has promised its destruction.
‘And what will ye do in the day of visitation (punishment), and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? Without me they shall bow down under (among) the prisoners, and they shall fall under (among) the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still (in judgement).’ (Is.10:3-4)
Ah mih people, have no fear, for justice from on high will eventually prevail. Our omnipotent God is not going to let Lucifer and his evil minions run roughshod over His beautiful creation for very long. So please be prepared. Get ready today, right now, for we know not when that justice will be delivered. But delivered it will be, through the Second Coming of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And this time it won’t be as a babe in swaddling bands, but as a full grown, fierce and powerful warrior king, coming to claim what is rightfully His. But until He returns, we His followers need to keep His faith and memory strong by living the way He desires, and causing others to want to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour too.
So let’s get to it this Monday morning nuh! Let’s show the world the power and majesty of Jesus, by allowing His Holy Spirit that dwells within us, to lead and guide us along the straight and narrow path that leads directly to heaven. That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…to truly live for Jesus…is the most exciting thing a mortal man can do on this evil earth…
27 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ambassadors, apathy, ascension, aura of love, benefits, birth, blessed, blessed be the Lord, blessings, brand new day, breath, cast out, children of God, Christ, christianity, church of Jesus, circle the wagons, confidence, conquerors, darkness, death, dim, disaster prone, disciples, displeases Jesus, do good, enemy's wicked taunts, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil powers, faith, fear, flavour, flavourless life, forgiveness, frail and mortal bodies, frogiveness, get our act back together, glorious kingdom, God of our salvation, God's Word, good for noting, good news, grace, great commission, heal wounds, heavens and the earth, hidden, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, humbly ask, illuminate the darkness, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice, jobs, lies, light, LOVE, lust, make Jesus proud, makes a mockery of, mercy, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, praise, preservative, proud and faithful, put God first, quality of life, Red Letter Day, regroup, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renaisance, renewed vitality, resurrection, revival, rise up victoriously, salt, salvation, selfless sacrifice, shining examples, sit up and take notice, spiritual armour, spread the gospel, steadfast faith, straight and narrow path, strength and guidance, sufficiently, surrender our all, thanksgiving, the day the Lord has made, things of the world, trodden underfoot, troubled world, true meaning, turn around, undesirable situation, ungodly world, walk obediently, we shall rejoice and be glad, well enough, while there's life there's hope, wiles
Psalm 68:19. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Aye mih people, it’s Monday, a brand new day! And like every day that there’s breath in our frail, mortal bodies, it deserves the same opening sentence of praise and thanksgiving, namely: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we SHALL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Psalm 118:24)
So as proud and faithful children of God, let’s rise up this Monday morning, the first day of the new work week, with supreme faith and confidence in our great, most wonderful and faithful God, asking for His strength and guidance to go out today and face the evil, ungodly world in which we live. And we’ll do that by boisterously, but also harmoniously singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
All together now, let’s make both the heavens and the earth sit up and take notice. ‘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!’
Oh Friends, that was an awesome rendition! We got a standing ‘O’ from the angels in heaven. Jesus beamed with delight, and the Father was seen to be tapping His toes and keeping time to the riddim with His right hand on the arm of His throne. Mama Mia!
So let’s take this excitement and enthusiasm out into the imperfect world today and do good, like Jesus did, when He walked this earth two millennia ago, for that’s what He desires of us. As He said, we’re to be His disciples, His ambassadors here on earth, the salt and light, shining examples of His grace, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness. (Matt.5:13-16)
And these troubled times certainly call for us to exhibit those heavenly and godly qualities more than ever before. Our salt has recently been losing its flavour, and our light has indeed been dim, because we have been hiding it under a bushel, a basket. But my fellow believers in Christ, what’s the purpose of having flavourless salt and hiding our light eh?
None whatsoever! The salt is supposed to add flavour to our food, act as a preservative, melt coldness and heal wounds. And when it stops doing those things, then it’s of no use, like Jesus said, ‘good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.’ (Matt.5:13b)
The same goes for the light, which is supposed to illuminate the darkness. However, when it’s hidden it cannot do so. That’s why the darkness of the world has recently become so expansive and powerful; the supposed children of God have not been effectively lighting and showing the way on that straight and narrow path that leads to heaven.
And we know that displeases both the Son and the Father. Why you ask? Because then it only makes a mockery of the Father engineering the Son’s sacrifice to pay for our abominable sins, and thus enable us to be reconciled to Him.
So at about twenty to six this morning, as I sit on the balcony of my little bungalow in Lowlands, trying to wear off the effects of an unusual headache which caused me to go to bed early last night and also rise up early, I’m pleading with us, my fellow believers, to regain the flavour and all the other wonderful properties of our salt, and remove the covering from around our brightly burning lights, so that we may show the unbelieving world the true meaning of Christ and Christianity.
Remember Friends, that’s the great commission that Jesus entrusted to each and every one of His followers. To go out into all the world and spread the gospel, the good – no great news of His Birth, Death, Resurrection and Ascension, the selfless sacrifice He made so that mankind could have salvation and eternal life. (Matt.28:19-20)
Now isn’t that a most worthy cause to give our all to? Absolutely! But unfortunately we haven’t been doing it sufficiently, or well enough, that’s why the darkness has enveloped, has taken over so much of our beautiful world.
My Friends, it’s high time we circle the wagons, regroup and seriously and sincerely get our act back together, cause that’s the only way the church of Jesus here on earth will ever rise up victoriously against the evil powers of this troubled and disaster prone world.
Now it’s not too late to turn this thing around, for remember while there is life, there’s always hope. And we still have lots of life left, which means that there’s also lots of hope that we can turn this undesirable situation around, thereby improving the quality of life for ourselves, this young generation and those to come.
I’m sure we’ll all prefer our legacy to be one of successfully building Christ’s church, like our forefathers did, rather than one of destroying it, as our current, fear, apathy and lust for the things of the world are doing. So please, let’s make this Monday morning at the end of January, in the year of our Lord 2014, a RED LETTER DAY nuh!
A day on which we can truly look back and say that it was the end of our dim and flavourless life, but enthusiastically and ecstatically, the beginning of our revival, our renaissance, when we truly put God first in our lives and began doing what we ought to. My Fellow believers, that is the ONLY WAY that Christ’s church will ever stand strong and grow.
And likewise, the only way we will ever be able to truly repeat the words of our Bit. ‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.’
Now let’s go out and make Jesus proud of us. Much LOVE!
…the Lord blesses those…who praise Him… give Him thanks…and walk obediently to His Word…
13 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer's life, adrenalin flowing, aura of love, awaken joyfully, blessings, courageous leader, crass demeanour, crossroads of decision, cursing, direct my prayer, diseased soul, early in the morning, earnest prayer, enemy's ranks, enemy's wicked taunts, enthusiasm, evil ungodly world, excellent advice, faint, fearless, further God's glorious kingdom, groaning, guidance, healing, holy spirit, humble servants, humbly ask, imperative, importance of prayer, important decisions, inspiring words, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping families together, lies, man's body, meditation, men ought to pray, miracles, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, motors revved up, necessary changes, new week of work, not afraid, not lose heart, Oh Lord God Almighty, persitent prayer, positive frame of mind, praise Your Holy Name, preaching of the gospel, protective spiritual armour, public preaching, recognition, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, sally forth with confidence, seek guidance, sinful mortals, Son and Saviour, son of god, spiritual strength, standing 'O', steadfast faith, suffering, sure conquerors, surrender our all, temper tantrums, the Father's wisdom, visible fruit, voice of my cry, weary souls, weekend, wiles, wisdom, worthwhile inroads
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee.
And now Friends, it’s Monday… Easy now…easy does it… No cursing…no temper tantrums. So you overdid the weekend, and now your mental and physical states are not what they should be. As a believer you ought to know better, but it’s too late to worry about that now. Just take a deep breath and control yourself…
Now release it and thank the Lord for allowing you to see another day on His glorious planet earth, and ask for His guidance and blessings. Regardless of your mental or physical state, you know you have to get up and go to work, so why not do it the easy and smart way eh, by communicating with your heavenly Father?
Oh mih people, I’m still trying to get us to awaken joyfully, instead of right away developing a crass and miserable demeanour when the alarm goes off, especially on a Monday morning. And we’ll keep doing it until victory is achieved! (smile) Until then…and even after that, we’ll continue to sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get our adrenalin flowing and our motors properly revved up.
So as one harmonious choir 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!’
Awright mih breddren, that wasn’t a bad rendition, though we’ve done better. It didn’t get us a standing ‘O’ in heaven, but the applause was polite enough. (smile) But seriously Friends, I can’t impress on us enough, the utmost importance of prayer in a believer’s life. Remember yesterday we saw Jesus tell His listeners a parable about how men ought to pray and not faint, not lose heart? (Luke 18:1) Now if He says so, then of a truth, it must be so!
Bruh David takes that a step further though. In Psalm 5, his prayer for protection, he solemnly declares these sentiments. ‘Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation (groaning). Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee.’ (Ps.5:1-3)
In our Bit there, Bruh David proclaims that in the midst of his suffering, he will make his supplication to the Lord early in the morning. And that’s excellent advice Friends, whether you’re in the midst of suffering or not!
As we said yesterday, and I advised right at the beginning today, it’s always best to start our day with prayer, because it starts us off in a positive frame of mind, gives us the necessary spiritual strength to face the day. And the good thing is that it doesn’t have to be an overly long session for the Lord knows how busy we are, but acknowledging Him as soon as we wake, certainly pleases Him.
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to these inspiring words from the Good Book. ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (quiet, deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Yuh know who Mark’s talking about there Friends? It’s our own beloved Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, while out on His first preaching tour!
So my people, fellow believers and otherwise, if our wonderful, wise, fearless and courageous Leader, the Son of God, could get up early to pray, why can’t we eh? Because we’re too lazy, or just don’t believe that early prayer is valuable, or just don’t believe in prayer at all, who knows? The truth of the matter though my brethren is that prayer is extremely important, and praying as soon as we awaken is best.
Anyway, here is an interesting note on that verse from the scholars. ‘Mark emphasizes that it was a great while before day. Showing that Jesus began each day of His earthly ministry with prayer is only the secondary intention of this verse. The primary aim is to show how Jesus made important decisions: by earnest, persistent prayer. Here Jesus stands at the crossroads of decision.
His first year of public preaching (vv. 9-20) has borne little visible fruit. But His miracles of healing are drawing huge crowds (vv.31-32) and bringing Him recognition (v. 28). So the question is whether He should continue to put the stress of His ministry on the preaching of the gospel for the healing of man’s diseased soul, or place the stress of His work on the more popular performing of miracles for the healing of man’s body. To make the proper choice, He seeks by prayer the Father’s wisdom.’
And that my people, is the truest and highest state of wisdom that exists! So please, let’s ponder all that we’ve learned today, then, as always, get the Lord to help us make the necessary changes in our lives. Much LOVE!
…again I ask…if it was imperative for Jesus…the Son of God…to seek guidance through prayer…why should it be any less so for us…sinful mortals that we are…
06 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abandoned, admonish, adrenalin, all year round, aura of love, be proud, believe, best present, blustery winter's morn, bright sunshine, brother, Bruh Paul, busybodies, Christ-like feeling, Christmas Season, commanded, confidence, conquerors, correct, Creator of the universe, death row, Devil's workshop, disobedience, enemy's wicked taunts, enthusiasm, evil, excommunication, faithful Being, forgiveness, further your glorious kingdom, good works, goodwill to men, grace, heavenly Father, hoopla, humble servants, idle hands, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, judgement morn, jump start, keeping lives and families together, lies, lord god almighty, lord jesus christ, LOVE, meddlesome ways, meddling, meet the enemy in battle, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, new year 2014, New Year's hangover, obedience, peace, Praise the Lord, praise Your Holy Name, pray, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, sally forth, second chance, serve a useful purpose, shame, should not eat, sing God's praises, snow, snow-white Monday, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strength and energy, surrender, Thessalonians, ungodly world, valiant fight for Jesus, walk disorderly, warm temps, warn, we're not afraid, weary souls, week of work, well doing, wiles, wonderful god, work ethic, worthwhile inroads, would not work
2 Thessalonians 3:10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday, a beautiful snow-white Monday in my area, and the ole fella’s feeling a tad better. Praise the Lord!
However for those of you going to work in the Greater Toronto Area, please leave early, and be very careful, for there’s a fair amount of snow on the ground. And for those of you enjoying bright sunshine with warm temps, please enjoy it and pray for us who unfortunately don’t have that luxury. (smile)
Anyway Friends, it’s Monday and all the hoopla from the Christmas season is now over, but please let that Christ-like feeling of joy, peace and goodwill to men reign all year round. It’s the best present we can give to Christ.
And I know that many of us are still suffering from the New Year’s hangover and don’t want to go back to work, but that’s life mih people, for as Bruh Paul says, if you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat. But though we find it extremely difficult to get up and get back in the flow of things, we just have to.
And as always, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn is here to help us do just that. So with all the strength and energy we can muster this blustery winter’s morn, let’s sing it out loud, believe and be proud.
‘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 my people, let’s allow that adrenalin build up to jump start our motors and get us going, so we can get out there and fight a valiant fight for Jesus, thereby enabling us to walk closer with Him this new year of 2014. For remember, that’s what we’ve resolved to do.
And Friends, I can’t help but sing and extol our wonderful God’s praises everyday, because everyday He does something that amazes me. Now, after writing above, about Bruh Paul saying that if you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat, I went looking for that particular scripture, so I could note it.
And, lo and behold, I not only found it, but found in it a Bit that nicely dovetailed with the work ethic that we were talking about on this first Monday in the new year. Up until then, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to write about.
That’s why I keep saying that our great God is the most faithful Being there is, if we sincerely try to adhere to His dictates. We might not understand all that He says or does, but we can be assured that He will never leave us suspended in mid-air without a safe way to escape.
Now let’s turn to that most interesting Bit. ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’
And there’s a lot of sense to that my people! As Bruh Paul continues: ‘For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.’ (2 Thess.3:11-12)
And there are undoubtedly many amongst us who fall into that category; spend more time meddling than working. And the scholars have this to say about those verses.
‘3:10-12. Paul expounds his simple and straightforward work ethic; If a person will not work, he should not eat! The Thessalonians’ diversion encouraged their meddlesome ways, demonstrating that “idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.’ Or as we would say; the devil finds work for idle hands.
However my fellow believers, please note Bruh Paul’s next words. ‘But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish (warn, correct) him as a brother.’ (2 Thess.3:13-15)
So though there are annoying and meddlesome people amongst us, we still need to keep up with our good works.
As the scholars put it: ‘3:14-15. This instruction falls short of excommunication. Paul intends his readers to shame the brother, who is not an enemy, into obedience.’
Yes Friends, we ought to try our very best to get our misbehaving brothers and sisters to see the light, not simply abandon them because of their disobedience.
Remember that if God had simply abandoned us because of our disobedience, right now we’d be sitting on death row, waiting for the judgement morn to come, when we’d be separated from Almighty God forever. But He, in his great mercy, LOVE and forgiveness, gave us a second chance, and so should we to our brethren.
And we’ll end with Bruh Paul’s words. ‘Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all… The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.’ (2 Thess.3:16, 18) Much LOVE, my brethren!
…but let none of you suffer…as a busybody (meddler)…in other men’s matters… (1 Pet.4:15b)
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