26 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bit uncomfortable, a greedy selfish and jealous place, a true disciple of Jesus, assistance, attention, bet your bottom dollar, Bible, charitable organizations, Christian brethren, christianity, Christians, Consider This, courage, curse, divine protection, easy to receive, encouraging words, faith, favour, felt lavish, give, give and it shall be given to you, giving is like a boomerang, god, good measure, hard to give, hard to wrap our minds around Jesus' love, hate to give, have the impulse to giver, In Touch Devotional, it shall be returned to you again, Jesus Christ, Jesus' generoisty is extravagant, kindness, LOVE, love to receive, makes us feel treasured, man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, money, negative word, over the top, pressed dwon, promotion, prossper, relive that moment of generosity, running over, shaken together, shall men give into your bosom, sharing with others, succeed, success, talent, thankfulness, the gospel truth, the inequity in our world, time, truth, wisdom
Luke 6:38a. Give, and it shall be given unto you;
Well there’s no rain, and the sun’s out this somewhat cool, last Thursday morning in September. Imagine that nuh, we’re about to go into October and we’re still having twenty degree weather. I can certainly handle that! But have no fear, the cool weather will be here, sooner or later, you can bet your bottom dollar on it. (smile)
So let’s enjoy the good weather while it lasts, showing our thankfulness for it by sharing what we have with others in a more generous manner than we’ve done before. And to help us with this extra generosity, let’s check out this section from the September In Touch Devotional titled, ‘Consider This.’
Please read with me. ‘Can you think of a time someone was truly generous towards you, when you were given much more than you needed? When whatever you received – whether it was money, time, assistance, attention, or encouraging words – felt lavish, even over the top? Take a moment to relive that moment of generosity you experienced. A gift like that makes us feel treasured (and maybe a bit uncomfortable).
That’s why it can be hard to wrap our mind around Jesus’ LOVE and care for us. His generosity isn’t logical; it’s extravagant. Do you want to give that feeling to someone else? If so, here’s one way to start. The next time you have the impulse to give, decide what you want to offer. Then double it. Remember: Generosity is, by definition, excessive. It shouldn’t easily fit into your wallet or schedule. But it will make someone feel truly and deeply LOVED.’
Now that’s definitely a beautiful and very interesting proposal! And the part I particularly like about it is that about Jesus’ generosity being extravagant. I’ve never before thought about Jesus’ LOVE and care being extravagant, but it’s a most wonderful expression of His compassion for us. That brings to mind the thought about whether we are extravagant in our generosity?
Oh, I know that most of us aren’t. We give as little as possible, and definitely not more than we can afford, but as the passage says, ‘Generosity is, by definition, excessive.’ Yes. Our giving ought to be somewhat sacrificial, cause us a li’l pain, cause us to look to Jesus’ selfless and extravagant sacrifice for us. And yuh know what friends, our problem today is not so much being extravagant in our generosity, but being generous period! We hate to give…but do we ever LOVE to receive.
But we ought to remember these most significant words of our Lord and Saviour on the subject. ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured to you again.’ (Luke 6:38)
Yes my Christian brethren, that’s a scripture we ought to hold much dearer and closer to our hearts than we currently do. If we did, our world would not be such a greedy, selfish and jealous place! For whatever we give, the same will be given back to us, and if we give with generosity, then even more than we give will be given back to us. Giving is like a boomerang; when we toss it away, it eventually comes back to us.
And the sad part is that in this wealthy and prosperous world, there are so many who desperately need sustenance, who’s lack is so obvious and distressing, that it hurts my heart just to think of it. I’ve known want in my time, but not like so many members of the world’s population currently do. It’s a crying shame that there’s so much wealth and provision available in our world and yet so many are suffering from terrible poverty, literally starving for food, clothing and shelter.
Sadly, the inequity of our world’s goods is completely out of whack. One percent of the population owns 90 percent of it, while the other 99 only own 10 percent. That obviously makes for much poverty and want. And our humanity, our supposed LOVE for Jesus and gratitude for all that He’s done for us, still doesn’t make us want to help our fellow man, wallowing deep in the mire of sickness and poverty.
What kind of Christians are we eh? Granted, many of us don’t have a whole lot ourselves, but we can, and we ought to sacrifice some for the benefit of others, as Jesus did for us. Our world today is filled with charitable organizations like never before. Now that should not be so with all the wealth and provision that’s in the world. But there again, the inequality of wealth causes so many to suffer.
The saying man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, is ever so real in today’s world, when it shouldn’t be because of our overwhelming prosperity. That reminds me of a statement I copied from somewhere or the other, (smile) it says: ‘Kindness is the easiest thing to receive, yet it is hard for some people to give.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people. All of us expect kindness but we feel so hard done by to extend it.
And our world will never improve unless we believers start being more like our Lord and Saviour Jesus; being extravagant in our giving. And we can see that extravagance from our Godhead right in what we call our Thursday Blessings, that He’s poured on us undeserving humans to do His earthly work. That’s a most worthy example for us to set. Now let’s declare those blessings so we can activate them.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…to give…to give…and yet to give…that’s being a true disciple of Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deceptive vision, an addiction, Bible, christianity, deepen my breath, enslaved to the possession of wealth, god, God causes us to get wealth, hate the one and love the other, healthy spiritual sight, hold to the one and despise the other, how great is that darkness, I may know you all the more, if thine eye be evil (umhealthy), if thine eye be single, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, mistaken identity, money, Mother's Day, no man serve two masters, personality without blemish, Praise the Lord, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, Sermon on the Mount, sickness, slow my thoguhts, spiritual double vision, stop running down money, storing up treasures, thank you for this tenderness, the darkening of the mind, the evil eye, the eye, the light of the body, the light of the body is the eye, the LOVE of money, the root of all kinds of evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness, thy whole body shall be full of light, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, wisdom, Ye cannot serve God and mammon, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
Matthew 6:24b. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (material wealth).
Ah friends, it’s a beautiful lazy-day Saturday… a tad windy, but definitely not as bad as it was a couple of days ago. And the store owners have big smiles on their faces as they are doing a brisk business on the eve of the Mother’s Day Celebration tomorrow. Ah Lord eh! It’s amazing how the economic forces can always find a way to strip us of the few pennies we have on some trumped up occasion. I’m not saying that Mother’s Day is not a worthwhile celebration, but the economic powers spread the goo so thickly in their advertisements that we can’t help but fall for it.
And I’m sure it’s disturbing a lot of lazy-day Saturdays, (smile) but not to mind, Mother is worth every penny and every thing we do for her. So let’s smile up and look up, as we offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer with all sincerity and truth. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And if you were sincere, then the presence and peace of God is flowing into you right now, for those kinds of prayers, prayers desiring His presence and LOVE, He answers right away. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’ Now, yesterday, when we looked at Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount re treasures and the folly of storing up earthly treasures as against heavenly ones, we left out a couple of interesting verses that Jesus outlined. And we did it on purpose because it would have made the Bit even longer than it already was.
So today, let’s take a look at those verses and see what more Jesus had to say on the subject of storing up treasures. After He declared: (yesss!!!) ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:21) He continued: ‘The light (lamp) of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single (healthy), thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil (unhealthy), thy whole body shall be full of darkness; If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!’ (Matt. 6:22-23)
Now those certainly are interesting scriptures my brethren. But what do they mean? Well, let’s listen as the scholars explain. ‘6:22-23: The light of the body is associated with the eye. The concept here is based on the ancient idea that the eyes were the windows through which light entered the body. If the eyes were in good condition the body could receive such light. Jesus, using this language metaphorically, affirms that if a man’s spiritual sight is healthy and his affections directed towards heavenly treasure, his whole personality will be without blemish.
The phrase if …thine eye be single indicates devotion to one purpose. The “single eye” refers to a single, fixed vision or goal. The phrase if thine eye be evil refers to either disease or deception of vision. The “evil eye” is not something mysterious or devilish, but rather a deceptive vision that causes the viewer to mistake the identity of an object. The mistake in this context is the darkening of the mind and thus how great is that darkness!’
And yes, the explanation can be almost as challenging as the scripture itself to understand, but if we take our time with it, and go over it several times, I’m sure we’ll eventually get the gist of the whole passage. So why did Jesus introduce those ideas at that point eh? So that He could assert the following wisdom: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (material wealth).’ (Matt. 6:24)
Now that’s oh so true friends! We can only serve ONE Master at a time. And that ONE ought to be God Almighty and not the material wealth of this evil world. And the scholars tell us this about that verse. ‘6:24. This kind of spiritual double vision cause one to believe he can serve two masters. Total loyalty to God cannot be divided between Him and loyalty to one’s material possessions. A master (Gr. kurios) is a lord or an owner. That God claims total lordship over His own is obvious in this passage. Therefore Jesus rightly proclaimed, Ye cannot serve God and mammon. The term ‘mammon’ is derived from the Aramaic term for possessions or wealth. Jesus is not condemning money or possessions in and of themselves, but the improper attitude of enslavement toward wealth.’
And believe me people, too many of us, even God’s people, are still too enslaved to the possession of worldly wealth. So much so, that we run it down as though there was no tomorrow. We don’t eat or sleep properly. Our relationships are in bad shape and our attitude on the whole is totally disagreeable, because we are so fixated on gaining material wealth. It becomes an addiction, a sickness that’s difficult to overcome. It has you vying with others for supremacy in wealth and power, causes envy, jealousy and strife, and last but not least, physical sickness. And the sad part is that when you get sick, whether it’s emotionally or physically sick, the material wealth is useless in helping you to get better. Just look at the many wealthy people who die from simple diseases. Their wealth could not keep them alive.
And yes friends, it’s good to have wealth, but not if you have to run it down. Remember who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and who causes us to get wealth in the first place…our heavenly Father. So if we need material wealth He is the One we ought to turn to, for everything in the universe belongs to Him, and if He gives us wealth, like he gave to Cousin Sol, then we won’t have to worry about losing it, since He won’t give it to us until He knows that we can be proper stewards of His belongings. So please, let’s stop running down money and material possessions nuh, for it only damages our lives, and when we die, we can’t even take any of it with us. it’s just left behind to cause further strife between our friends and relatives! Much LOVE!
…the LOVE of money…is the root of all kinds of evil… (1 Tim. 6:10)
10 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a caring and compassionate manner, a demanding mistress, Bible, bore us in the womb, divine help, erred from the faith, faith, Friday chant, God's omnipotent help, have rule over all my labour, heaven, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, LOVE, material wealth, money, Mother's Day, our sinful world, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, rewards for faithful service, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the accumulation of things, the LOVE of money, the root of all kinds of evil, the spiritual realm, thieves do not break through and steal, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, we brought nothing into this world, we can carry nothing out, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where thieves break through and steal, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wine and dine, wisdom, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be.
And though it’s a cloudy kind of a sunny day, we don’t care because we’ve gotten to shout, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Yes friends, the weekend’s here, work’s done for another week and we’re joyful as we set out to celebrate another eventful Mother’s Day, where we’ll wine and dine those wonderful women who bore us in their wombs for nine tough months, and then showed us what LOVE and life are all about, as they raised us in a caring and compassionate manner. And that’s a good Bruh Paulian sentence! (smile)
Today, we’re going to talk about something near and very dear to all of our hearts; that’s treasure, material wealth of the world, which all of us need to live, but too many of us live to get, to accumulate it, and will do anything necessary to get it. However friends, that’s not a good way to live at all. For running down material wealth is fraught with all kinds of problems, some even life threatening. Remember Bruh Paul’s serious warning to Timothy? ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (ruined themselves).’ (2 Tim. 6:10)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! When we run down money and all it’s inherent trials, we lose track of life, of our families, of ourselves, because the accumulation of money is a very demanding mistress. It can spoil everything around us, and even drive us from faith in God. And that’s the devil’s greatest hope. That’s why Jesus gave this very intentional warning: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal:’ (Matt. 6:19)
Now we all know that to be true, because we hear and see it every day, where someone with lots of money is either defrauded out of it, or it’s physically stolen. And if your treasure happens to be in things like clothes, art, books or some mechanical device, then, with the passing of time, moth and rust will certainly attack them and thus drive down their value, or even make them completely worthless. So what’s the answer to that conundrum, that difficult problem of storing up our treasures?
Jesus answers it thus: ‘But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal.’ (Matt. 6:20) More gospel truth my people! For heaven is such a secure place where there’s no moth, rust nor thieves. No, none of those negative things exist in God’s, and our soon to be home. So it’s obviously the best place to lay up your treasures. Then Jesus makes this oh so important statement: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be.’ (Matt. 6:21)
And there’s absolutely no doubt about that, for wherever your treasure is laid up there you will concentrate your focus. Thus, if you have an accumulation of earthly treasures, you will focus on them down here on earth more than on anything else. That means God will most likely not be an important aspect of your life. However, if your treasures are in heaven, in the spiritual realm, then there will your heart be also, and God will be the focus of your life. What Jesus is saying my brethren, is that the spiritual things of life are more important than the material things. And therefore one must concentrate on building up one’s spiritual maturity and life.
That brings up Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy shortly before he told him about the destruction the LOVE of money can cause. ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ (2 Tim. 6:7) More indisputable truth, since we didn’t bring anything when we were born, and we certainly cannot carry all, or any of the material wealth we’ve accumulated here on earth. So why kill our selves to accumulate it eh? Only to leave it for others to enjoy and waste.
As Cousin Sol so wisely says in Ecclesiastes about leaving one’s wealth to others. ‘And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity (futility).’ (Eccl. 2:19) That’s another problem with leaving behind too much material possessions; people either waste it, or fight over it and the lawyers end up getting most of it. That’s why it’s so important to lay up treasures in heaven where you will be spending eternity.
And the scholars offer these explanations on the subject. ‘The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term ‘treasures’ implies the addition or accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven). The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather of rewards for faithful service, as is illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’ And since treasures in heaven come from faithful service to God, that means we cannot both focus on earthly treasure and heavenly rewards at the same time. As Jesus puts it: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (money, riches).’ (Matt. 6:25b)
More gospel truth! So we therefore have to decide which one we’re going to serve, and for all the reasons listed above, serving God is obviously the wisest decision. And to help us make that crucial decision today and stick to it, in light of all wiles and lies of the devil, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, for divine help. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land.
We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And to get that divine aid rolling, as our prayer directs, we first need to show ourselves as true and faithful believers. Much LOVE!
…since earthly life is short and heavenly life lasts forever…wisdom dictates storing up more heavenly treasures than earthly ones…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
31 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool and his money are soon parted, a protective shade, a shadow, anger resteth, better is the end than the beginning, common sense, contentious days, defense, end of January, enduring mercy, evil, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, God's sovereign plan, Gods thoughts are higher than ours, good, gospel truth, grace, in short supply, in the bosom of fools, judgement day, knowledge, Kobe Bryant, legacy, LOVE, mental capacity, money, money is a defense, ours to reason why, patient in spirit, proud in spirit, relaxation, rest, ripe for the taking, salvation, strife filled, sufficient time, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the excellency of knowledge, the former days, the good old days, the weekend, the work of god, this is my time, time flying fast, what He's made crooked, who can make straight, wisdom, wisdom gives life, wisdom is a defense
Ecclesiastes 7:12. For wisdom is a defense (a protective shade, shadow), and money is a defense: but the excellency (advantage) of knowledge is that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
Well hello there my beautiful Scrip-Bit friends and family! How goes it with you today eh, this last day of January? And can you believe that January is already done, one month of the new year is already over? Time sure is flying fast. At least I think so, but the duchess holds the opposite opinion; she thinks that January took a long time to finish, was just crawling along like a turtle in no particular hurry. (smile) But regardless of your opinion on the subject, one thing is certain sure; time is not waiting on us to do it’s thing. It never has, and it never will!
That means we have to get our acts together and also do our thing, whatever God has called us to do, for when we come before him on the Big Day, and He asks why we didn’t complete our appointed task(s), we can’t tell Him that we didn’t have sufficient time, since He’s the Master Planner and gives us all enough time to do our duty. No friends, simplistic excuses like that won’t cut it on the judgement day!
And yes it’s Friday, and yes, many of us are crowing like the ordinary workingman: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! Hallelujah! The weekend is here; ripe for the taking, and believe me I’m going to take it! Take it and enjoy it whichever way I can. Forget about the slave master work until Monday morning, because this is my time now! Wow! And January done too, that means spring soon come! Yes, in another two months, the two coldest months of the year! (smile)
But what’s a man to do eh? He has no choice but to enjoy his days to the best of his ability! And this year of 2020 is one I’m going to remember forever as one that I enjoyed to the fullest! Me and mih li’l family going to indeed have a bright and prosperous new year…well it mightn’t be all that prosperous in terms of money…but it certainly going to be a happy one, because we going to live and LOVE each other like there’s no tomorrow.
Yuh see how Kobe Bryant with all his money and power and privilege just take off without a word of warning… with his big daughter to boot, the one who was supposed to carry on his legacy…Well I going to make sure that if that ever happen to me, my family going to know that I treasured them and LOVED them as best as I could! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’
And who says the ordinary workingman isn’t wise eh? He might not have a lot of education, but he does have plenty common sense, something that seems to generally be in short supply in these strife-filled and contentious days! We supposed believers (yeah!) would certainly be wise if we took a page from his book and began seriously enjoying life with our friends and families, letting them know in no uncertain terms that we truly LOVE and value them, because the breath of life can be taken away from any and all of us so unexpectedly.
So let’s think seriously on that nuh, as we declare (yeah!) our Friday Chant in strong voice with sincere hearts. Remember friends, the sincerity, the rightness of the heart is what counts with the Lord. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
And yes friends, as I keep saying, our God is indeed a great and faithful Deity, for just now, as I was perusing the Good Book, seeking words to justify our contentions above (smile), He eventually led me to these most appropriate words of Cousin Sol, speaking as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. ‘Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? For thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this. Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun. For wisdom is a defense (a protective shade, shadow), and money is a defense: but the excellency (advantage) of knowledge is that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.’ (Eccl.7:6-12)
Oh friends, we cannot dispute the almighty value of wisdom over the other things of the world! Look at how many rich, unhappy fools there are, and how many money poor but spiritually prosperous wise men! Yes, it’s nice to have wisdom and money too, but too many of us opt for the money and not the wisdom, that’s why the saying, a fool and his money is soon parted is gospel truth! (smile)
And Cousin Sol continues his awesome truth: ‘Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over the other (surely has appointed the one as well as the other), to the end that man should find nothing after him (nothing that will happen after him).’ (Eccl. 7:13-14)
Ah mih people, as the scholars advise, ‘to talk about the former days (v.10), or the “good old days,” is not wise. Both good and bad days are the work of God and are used, apart from our ability to understand them, in God’s sovereign plan (vs. 13-14).’ Yeh, God said it all in Isaiah, that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, so we can’t deign to understand His reasoning and plans. (Is. 55:8-9)
So please, let’s stop trying to understand what God is all about nuh, because we simply don’t have the mental capacity to do so. Instead let’s just run with what He’s given us and be thankful for His ever-faithful LOVE, His magnificent and unbeatable offer of salvation, plus His enduring grace and mercy! Much LOVE!
…it’s not ours to reason why… but both good and evil…serve the sovereign plan of God…
07 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pound of ointment, a thief, anointed the feet of Jesus, begging for funds, deacon, denarii, do as I have done to you, example of Jesus, for my burying, holy spirit, humility, Immortal words of Jesus, Judas, kettle of fish, lay reader, let her alone, LOVE, Magdalena Hotel, Mary, mentor, money, proud, pulling teeth, spikenard, stewards of God's things, talents, the house was filled with, the odour of the ointment, the power to get wealth, time, vain, washed disciples, washing feet
John 12:3. Then took Mary a pound of ointment (oil) of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour (fragrance) of the ointment.
Oh mih people, mih people, please accept my most humble apologies for the Bit being so late, but it all happened under circumstances beyond my control. First off I was up and about early to make it down to church for 7.30. Then there was a baptism at church this morning, so that took up even more time than usual, for we can’t just welcome a new member to Christ’s church family any ole how, we got to go through the proper rituals. (smile)
Then the lay reader, soon to be ordained deacon, preached a long, but very good sermon on offering our talents to God, like how Mary, Martha and Lazarus’s sister broke the jar of expensive perfumed ointment and washed Jesus’ feet, then dried it with her hair. ‘Then took Mary a pound of ointment (oil) of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour (fragrance) of the ointment.’ feet, pulling teeth
Jesus didn’t have to ask her, she just did it because of her great LOVE for Him! (John 12:3) The washing of Jesus’ feet also showed her humility. That got the deacon to wondering how many of us supposed believers are willing to wash someone else’s feet eh? Not too many, cause we too proud and nice and vain and full of we self! And remember, in Jesus’ time the washing of feet was a slave’s job! And yuh see how Jesus also washed His disciples’ feet? (John 13:1-11) Well let’s contemplate for a moment or two, if we that humble nuh! (smile)
And then there was communion, with quite a bit of people in church this morning. There were also a lot of announcements, including the raising of funds to repair the church floor because the tiles raising up as water from some ground source invading them. But which church ain’t begging for funds nowadays eh? Hn!
It’s sad, but God’s work has now become a beggarly situation! In the early times the believers gave generously of their possessions, but today, mih brother, it come like pulling teeth without anesthetic to get God’s people to give generously to His work! We quick to give to the world, but where God is concerned it’s an entirely different kettle of fish, where we always wondering where the two pennies we done give already going, and how come they always needing more.
But friends, the truth is that we suppose to put God first, because He’s put us first through His unconditional LOVE for us, His sending of Jesus to die and pay for our sins, as well as making us His adopted children and heirs to His kingdom! And besides, He is the one who gives you the power to get wealth in the first place. (Deut.8:18) And all things belong to Him, we are only stewards looking after His business.
Now what is all of that worth to you eh? I think that will show up in the generosity of your time, talents and wealth to Christ’s work! And remember, is not me, or some earthly minister you have to answer to eh, but the Lord God Almighty Himself! When He asks you, come that big day, what you did with all the talents He imbued you with? (Matt.25:14-30) For your sake, I hope you have a good answer, and you don’t tell Him, like the foolish and lazy fella who only had one talent, that you went and buried it and didn’t make proper use of it for His master’s cause.
And here is where the service got real interesting. It was noted to the congregation that someone had stolen the speakers of the church…for the second time in a short while too! Glory be! And it seems like it was a church goer. But not only that, there was some paint and varnish being kept to spruce up the physical appearance of the church for Easter, that was also stolen! Mama Yo!
That led the lay reader to compare whoever was doing such dastardly deeds to Judas, Jesus’ betrayer, who had complained: ‘Why was not this ointment (oil) sold for three hundred pence (denarii), and given to the poor. This he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the (money)bag and bare (used to take) what was put therein.’ (John 12:5-6)
Jesus didn’t make a fuss because He knew that Judas had a major role to play in His upcoming proceedings. He simply said: ‘Let her alone: against (for) the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you, but me ye have not always.’ (John 12:7-8) And that was quite true at the time. But after Jesus set the world on fire with His death, resurrection and ascension things changed somewhat; we still have plenty poor, but we now also have Him for all time through the presence of His Holy Spirit that indwells us!
Glory to God my people! What a big difference that has made in our lives! And when church was finally over, we had to stay and fellowship some, and buy breakfast; saltfish and bake and then I had to go down the road to get gas. And yes, I forgot to check out the quote on the board down there. (smile) Then I had to drop home a friend from church, and on the way home we stopped by my Aunty Cicely, who lives in the same area. So with all of that, I never got home until after eleven.
Then the duchess wanted to go up to the Magdalena Hotel for brunch, which took place around twelve. And by the time we got back, around one thirty, with the good food, the blazing hot sun and the Magdalena Rum Punch I had imbibed, I had to rest, and the rest just took longer than I expected. That’s my story…and I’m sticking to it! (smile)
And I’ll leave us with these immortal words of Jesus, after He washed the disciples feet. ‘For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.’ (John 13:15) Yes friends, please let’s be wise and go out and follow Jesus’ example nuh! Much LOVE!
…the best example to follow…the best mentor…the best person to look up to…JESUS…!
P.S. I know we didn’t sing any songs of praise today, but we just didn’t have time…and I didn’t have anything ready to sing anyway. (smile) Much LOVE!
28 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, accept Jesus now, angry, be ready, be wise, blessed, Canadian behaviour, catch us by surprise, concrete jungle, Cooksville, divine revelation, end up, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fatality, for my benefit, frustrated, gaze out, glad to be alive, gloriousness of heaven, glory, halfway home, hands on the plough, he that reads, hope, hospital, i-pads, in the twinkling of an eye, investigations, Jesus Christ, keep those things, laptops, life after death, light of heaven, live track, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, money, moral of the story, new truth, no man comes to the Father, not looking back, obey, on Jesus, ophthalmologist, police, position in Christ, prophecy, read, smartphones, stealing, thankful, the breath of life, the coroner, the dragon lady, the grim reaper, the lair, the last trumpet sounds, the Life, the Lord's Spirit, the passing landscape, the prince of darkness, the Rapture, the time is at hand, the Truth, the Way, the words of the prophecy, the wrong place, they that hear, train station, Tribulation period, understand, waited patiently, Wednesday Wail, wet snow, which are written
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.
Well friends, it’s another day, and hopefully another dollar …(smile) but unfortunately it’ll be more like twenty-five cents, since the value of the dollar has fallen so much. Anyway, we’re alive and thankful for that glorious fact, regardless of our circumstances.
And as the old people would say, what ain’t meet you ain’t pass you nuh…but something interesting met me yesterday. I was already unhappy that I had to go into the city for a second day straight, and some anger coursed through my system as I saw Toronto’s concrete jungle skyline for the second day in a row.
But I reasoned that it was all for my benefit and went along quietly. I got to the hospital shortly after two, for a two thirty appointment, but didn’t leave there until minutes to six.
But thankfully the Lord’s Spirit was with me and I didn’t get angry or frustrated by the wait. I just read quietly until the dragon lady ophthalmologist was ready to see me. She can be a bit abrasive at times, that’s why I call her that, but she’s really a sweet ole soul, takes a great interest in her work and she LOVES the ole fella everlasting. What’s not to LOVE eh? (smile)
So I leave the hospital, get down to the train station, get on the six twenty-five, heading west, and everything goes well until three stations out, at Cooksville. Around seven o’clock, as the train is about to enter the station, it suddenly stops short of it.
Nobody pays much attention to that because most of them are too wrapped up in their I-pads, laptops and smart-phones, with headphones in their ears – not the ole fella though because I don’t have any of those things – I just gaze out at the passing landscape.
A minute later though, the conductor comes over the p.a. letting us know that a fatality has occurred on the train and we’ll be stopped there for at least two hours, until the coroner and the police have conducted their investigations.
Well you can imagine the stir that announcement caused, because most of those people were on their way home from work, ostensibly to make the journey back to work the next day, and stealing two hours of their valuable time was like stealing their gold.
But as always, our good Canadian behaviour rose to the occasion! Yayyy! We all settled down and did whatever we could do and waited patiently.
I’m sure if that had happened in some other countries there would have been a big uproar and possibly people pushing and shoving, trying to get off the train. But here they couldn’t even open the doors because we were on a live track, and who wanted to get off when wet snow was pouring down anyway. Eventually, we got moving some two and a half hours later, and the rest of the trip proceeded uneventfully – at least to my stop.
And the moral of the story? If you have to ask that, then you’re certainly in bad shape. But I’ll tell you anyhow: It’s that the Grim Reaper can show up suddenly and unexpectedly, at any time, any place, for anyone of us! Therefore, it behooves us to be wise and have our houses in a state of continual readiness so that he won’t’ catch us by surprise and we end up in the wrong place.
That’s why we have to pay special attention to the words of John in Revelation. ‘Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and 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.1:2-3)
Ah friends, we simply refuse to believe that our time is near, nearer than we think. I sure hope that person whose time expired on the train yesterday evening was ready, else they’ll be in for a rude awakening when they end up in the lair of the prince of darkness instead of the light of heaven.
Now hear the scholars, re those two verses: ‘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.’
Oh my people, please, please understand that anything can happen at anytime. And believe me, you’d much rather be amongst those that are Raptured, taken up in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet sounds, (1 Cor.15:52) than those that are left behind to endure the time of serious tribulation!
That means we have to accept Jesus NOW! For who knows when the Grim Reaper or the Rapture will show up? Nobody but our heavenly Father! And why Jesus? Because He said quite emphatically: ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: NO MAN cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6)
Friends, it’s your decision to believe Him or not. But I can assure you of ONE thing; you’ll never darken heaven’s door, unless you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! End of story! Now for those of us who have already wisely done that, let’s go home telling the world of our position in Christ nuh! In full voice and true sincerity of heart:
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh my, my…just think about it nuh – the gloriousness of heaven…And it will be even more glorious than that! Much LOVE!
…I’m believing that there’s life after death…and putting my money…my hope,,,and my faith on Jesus…oh glory, glory…
23 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sad world, a tad grouchy, all the nice things, an easy mark, another week of work, be in the world, Black Friday, black up, body soul and mind, boundaries, brought nothing, Bruh Paul, Canada, carry nothing, Christians, clothing, confession, contemplating life, contentment, coveted after, crooked, deceitful self, destruction, disrupt our souls, drown men, earthly life, economic czars, enthusiasm, erred from the faith, essentials, eternal life, every step, fellowship, fend him off, fight the good fight, food, foolish public, frantic attempts, Friday chant, full mih belly, full mih eyes, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, godliness, great gain, I will rejoice and be glad in it, idols, in Jesus name, LOVE, lying awake, many arrows, meekness, money, never gives up, not of the world, on sale, on the lookout, patience, pierced themselves, raiment, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, righteousness, ruin, rush to shop, seek first, slave work, sober, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, Thanksgiving Day, the devil, the folly, the kingdom of God, the LOVE of money, the root of all evil, the trend, the workingman's song, this is the day the Lord has made, Timothy, witnesses
1 Timothy 6:6. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Well friends, it’s that big day, Friday…but unfortunately the ole fella’s not in great shape. I went to bed late last night and my sleep was disturbed so many time by getting up to go to the bathroom and just getting up and lying there awake so many times that I eventually lost count. Chuh! I was even up for about half an hour contemplating life before I finally got out of bed.
So you must know that I was a tad grouchy, and to make matters worse that slimy crook, the devil, who’s always on the lookout for an easy mark, was there on my shoulder whispering all sorts of nonsense to me, until I shut him up by telling him: ‘Listen here nuh devil, I might be feeling somewhat low this morning but I’m not the easy mark you think I am eh. I still know that this is the day the Lord God of Israel has made, and yuh know what…I will rejoice and be glad in it, despite how I feel, so be gone with yuh ole lying, crooked deceitful self!’
Wow! And he was gone! Sometimes friends we just have to tell the ole deceiver where to get off. But he’ll be back later to try again. We constantly have to fend him off, because he NEVER stops trying to get into our souls and disrupt them! And I’m saddened not only by lack of proper rest but also because today is what has become known as ‘Black Friday.’
Steups! The day after Thanksgiving Day in the U.S has now become the biggest shopping day of the year in North America, overshadowing even the Boxing Day charade! Hn! Hordes of unruly human animals line up at all ungodly hours of the morning to rush and push and run over each other in their frantic attempts to get into stores that advertise a few things on sale; things that most of them don’t really need, neither can afford, but because it’s on sale…Ah Lord eh!
The economic czars are lowering everything to their lowest denominator, so they can catch the foolish public into making their cash registers go kaching…kaching! And the saddest part is that Thanksgiving is no longer about really giving thanks, but much more about Black Friday. Everything seems to be rushed so that we can get ready for it. Even in Canada now the trend has caught on, because if the shopkeepers here don’t adapt, our foolish citizens will head to the U.S. to participate in the folly.
And I really heard more about Black Friday than Thanksgiving in the last week or so, on the t.v and in the newspapers. Everybody had an ad out for it. Truthfully, if a friend hadn’t written me yesterday morning and reminded me, I would probably not have mentioned Thanksgiving at all in the Bit. What a sad world we’re living in eh mih breddren, where the LOVE of money and useless stuff is all the rage.
And the workingman doesn’t do us any favours in his song either: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Black Friday to boot! Where we shopping to kill! Buying up all the nice things in the stores and dem! Brother! Look at that nice big t.v on sale for only three hundred dollars nuh! And that tablet computer for only a hundred! Ah mih people, ah full mih belly yesterday, Thanksgiving Day, now today ah going to full mih eyes and dem. And no slave work until Monday morning, if ah not black up still… Who say ah not thankful for Black Friday and weekends eh?’
Ah friends, what a sad tale. And people have indeed been killed in the rush to shop…but it continues nonstop. Thankfully though, as believers in Jesus Christ, we’re not allowed to go so far out on the limb. We’re restrained by more sober boundaries. So let’s chant our Friday Chant with just as much, if not more enthusiasm than the workingman did in his song nuh. (smile)
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, there’s something to be said for being sober! (smile) And we’ll end today with a sermon from way back when, from Bruh Paul to Timothy that addresses the problem they faced two thousand years ago, and which we still face today. He’s been talking about all the strife and evil that’s been happening in Timothy’s surroundings, and finally declares:
‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us be therewith content. But they that will (desire to) be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction). For the LOVE of money is the root of (all kinds of) evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many arrows.’ (1 Tim.6:6-10)
Ah friends, food and clothing and money are essentials in this earthly life, but it’s when we go overboard and let them become our gods, our idols, that we fall into trouble. There’s nothing wrong in wanting to be rich, but it’s the path we take to fulfilling that dream that causes problems. Jesus says that we should seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first, then we’ll get all the earthly things we need. (Matt.6:33)
And Bruh Paul tells Timothy: ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience and meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim.6:11-12)
Yes my fellow believers, we too have confessed a good confession before many witnesses as to our trust and fellowship in the body of Christ, so please, let’s do as Bruh Paul says nuh, and stop behaving like the rest of the world! That’s our bounden duty as followers of Christ! Much LOVE!
…Christians…be in the world…but not of the world…
13 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirmative attitude, antidote, aura of love, chief scout, chutzpah, confidence, conversation with Jesus, earning our pay, enables us, enthusiasm, evil, falling asleep, five days a week, foundation, free choice, God willing, guards in vain, Guide, heartfelt cry, holy spirit, humble servants, humming a happy tune, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, LOVE, low productivity, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, money, negative state of affairs, on the road, parking lot scenes, productive time, reducing stress, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, sickness, spirit level, spiritual armour, spiritual walk, steadfast faith, summer season, taunts, the Lord build the house, the Lord keep the city, the one who strenthens us, the watchman waketh in vain, they labour in vain, till we meet again, to get wealth, traffic jams, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom
Psalm 127:1. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep (guards) the city, the watchman waketh but in vain (stays awake in vain).
And as the summer season of 2018 winds down, so do the long weekends and short work weeks. We only have Labour Day and Thanksgiving to look forward to before Christmas. That means we’ll be really earning our pay, on the road five days a week, facing the stressful traffic jams morning and evening.
Yuh know, every time I get caught up in one of those highway parking lot scenes, I can’t help but think of the great amount of money and productive time our society loses with so many of us just sitting in our cars, literally crawling to work or home. And these traffic jams are getting worse instead of better because more cars are coming on the road than are being taken off.
Now I don’t claim to know how to fix the problem, but I think it’s something we should seriously look at because it would be of the utmost benefit to our society, greatly reducing the stress, tiredness, sickness and low productivity we now suffer because of the gridlock on the roads. But until some bright mind comes up with a solution to the problem, we’ll just have to grin and endure it my brethren.
Remember too that Jesus is always in our cars, right beside us, so we can just have easy conversation with Him, while we listen to some inspiring music and not let the endless traffic back-up spoil our day. You can’t get a better co-pilot and conversationalist than Jesus!
Now for those of us who find it difficult to get going on a Monday morning, we have the sure antidote for that negative state of affairs. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; a powerful, sincere and heartfelt cry to our heavenly Father. So let’s sing it and raise our spirit level nuh…with plenty positive expectation and chutzpah to match. (smile)
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!’
Yay friends! I can see the effect already. A light has gone on in our eyes, and our movements are more sprightly and positive, and we’re humming a happy tune! Wow! Please, let’s keep up that affirmative attitude as we go out today and talk about Jesus, as well as exemplify Him in our behaviour. That’s all He asks of us.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep (guards) the city, the watchman waketh but in vain (stays awake in vain).’
And that my people is truth to the nth degree, undeniable truth! If the Lord isn’t involved in building whatever we’re building; a house, a business, our spiritual walk, you name it, then it will not be built properly, and/or it will not last. That’s because our great God must be the foundation stone in ALL we do for it to stand strong and prosper.
Remember He is the One who enables us to get wealth, the One who strengthens us so that we can do ALL things. ALL things are possible with Him, and without Him we can do nothing much in our own strength. Even when we’re watching for the enemy to attack during the night, if we’re not watching with the Lord as our companion, guide and chief scout, the enemy will be upon us before we even know it.
Remember Jesus parable about the houses built on rock and on sand? (Matt.7:24-27) Only the one built on the rock will withstand the storms of time, because it’s built on a foundation that’s God! Ah friends, such is the way of the universe! That’s how it’s Creator created it and though we have free choice to do as we please, we’d be wise to do as the Creator planned.
And we’ll finish there for today because what I still have to say would make it way too long. And let me apologize for the Bit being this late, but as I was writing it earlier on, I began falling asleep on myself, (smile) so the only solution was to get some sleep. The ole bod was definitely not its usual self this morning.
So till we meet again on the morrow, God willing of course, please have a bright, blessed and prosperous day! And remember both God and I LOVE you very much! Much LOVE!
…nothing built on a weak foundation lasts…especially our lives…
28 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a hard task, a part of life, am known of mine, an hireling, Anselm, aspires to inspire, bellied into silence, conquer us, criticized, deceitful times, define yourself, dictators, do the best you can, end times, fall for anything, feel in your heart, feel the lash, Finbar Sebro, flees, follow the crowd, follower, for the sheep, friend, from glory to glory, gives his life, giving up our independence, glory to God, go with the flow, gospel truth, grow in the likeness of Christ, guiding light, have Jesus, helpmeet, hired man, household chores, I am the good shepherd, in respect to God's will, in the Lord's heart, know my sheep, lead us astray, leader, lonely road, LOVE, made a victim, make it through, mature in faith, money, mourning, never satisfy everybody, our wits end, power, saved, set free, sheep, sleeping in, social media, stand for something, surrendering ourselves, the bondage of sin, the easy way out, the Good Shepherd's fold, the things of the world, the wolf coming, walk alone
John 10:11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Ah friends, it’s Saturday and some of you are sleeping in, some of you have been up bright and early to do your household chores; as they say no rest for the wicked. (smile) Meanwhile, others are mourning the passing of their dear departed ones, like my friends and family back in Tobago, mourning the passing of their mentor, teacher and pastor, father and friend, Finbar Sebro.
But yuh know what? It’s all a part of life, and we just have to go with the flow, and once we have Jesus as our helpmeet and guiding light, we WILL make it through, though not always as easily as we desire. (smile) Yeh, we always want the easy way out, but that’s not how God operates.
Sometimes He desires us to feel the lash, so that we can reach our wits end and turn to Him, or to grow us in the likeness of his Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. But know this, that whatever He allows to come against us, He WILL NEVER allow to conquer us! What an awesome and wonderful God we serve my brethren!
And since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to some quotes from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Listen to this first quote: ‘Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.’ And isn’t that living truth! Whatever we do, somebody or some group will criticize us. We’ll never be able to satisfy everybody. However, we have to make sure that’s what’s in our heart is also what’s in the Lord’s heart for us.
And this next quote sort of runs on from the last one: ‘Do the best you can until you know better, and when you know better do better.’ Yeh friends, that’s all the Lord asks of us; to do the best we can. And as He moves us along from glory to glory and we get more mature in the faith, He does expect us to do better than we did before in the lower class. (smile)
Then there’s this: ‘Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.’ And I’ll say Amen, to the first two aspects. However, to the last one, I’d like to add, ‘define yourself in respect to God’s will for you.’ If you don’t bring Almighty God into the equation, then you’ll still be a victim. For as they say, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything, especially in these deceitful and untrustworthy times.
And the last quote tells us: ‘The people who follow the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The people who walk alone are likely to find themselves in places no one has been before.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth friends! You see it happening all the time, especially in these days of a prevailing and pervasive social media. It’s all about how many followers you have. Steups! And the followers are no brighter than you!
Now why would I spend so much of my time following the lives of others, to the detriment of mine eh? It’s obvious that the time you spend following others is time lost on your own. Following the crowd, for the sake of merely following the crowd, never benefits the individuals’ involved. It only benefits the leader.
That’s why it’s always better to be a leader rather than a follower, even though leading is a hard task in and of itself, and it very often causes you to walk down a long and lonely road. But in the end, you will go places that being a mere follower will never take you.
Friends, the ONLY person we should be followers of, and very avid followers at that, is of Jesus Christ, for He is the ONLY Leader who will NEVER lead us astray. He came down from heaven to be a man like us, He died so that we could be set free from the bondage of sin, and is now interceding for us at the right hand of the Father in heaven… So why would He do all of that and then lead us astray eh? No reason whatsoever!
Hear His immortal words in our Bit: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ Yes my faithful brethren, the good shepherd looks after His flock with LOVE and tender care, even to the point of dying to save them! Oh precious people, that is exactly what Jesus did on our behalf! Glory to God!
So why is it so difficult to follow Him eh? Why is it like pulling teeth to bow to His kingship? I guess because we want to do our own thing, and surrendering our lives to Him means giving up our independence and no longer dabbling in the things of the world.
And Jesus continues imploring us: ‘But he that is an hireling (hired man), and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.’ (John 10:12-13)
Yeh friends, all the other leaders in the world are mere hirelings, working for money and power, and don’t really care about you or I. It’s all about them. And we see it so blatantly in these end times, there are so many dictators and would be dictators. But Jesus is not like that. He truly cares about us, that’s why He died for us. Glory to God!
So let’s end with this most pertinent statement of His on the topic. ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:14) What confident words my brethren! The question now is, do you know Jesus, and does He know you? Let’s hope the answer to that is a resounding ‘YES!’ Much LOVE!
…only the sheep in the Good Shepherd’s fold…will be saved…come the end time…
14 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sheep before shearers, afflicted, as a lamb to the slaughter, atonement, charitable organizations, Christ's sacrifice, church, come unto me, compassionate heart, complaint, courage, creativity, curse, Daily Bread Devotionals, damage, disasters, do God's will, down and out, dumb, electricity, faithful believers, floods, Florida Keys, for the sake of another, generously, give, give God thanks, given unto you, giving up, glory hallelujah, God's economics, good measure, government, great invitation, greatest sacrifice, greedy, heavy laden, hoard, humility, hurricanes, I will give you rest, in a positive manner, labour, measured to you again, money, motivates us, nature of man, needy, negative circumstances, negative stuff, negative word, no one understands like Jesus, opened not his mouth, oppressed, personally testify, pressed down, Puerto Rico, running over, sacrifice, sacrifice ourselves for others, same measure you mete, self-control, self-discipline, selfish, shaken together, share with others, stingily, succour, sunny days, supposed neighbours, talents, the living truth, the Love of Christ, thunderstorm, Thursday's Blessings, time, tornadoes, trailer parks, trials, tribulations, trying conditions, urgent, volcanoes, wildfires, windstorm, wisdom
Isaiah 53:7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
‘Sunny days are here again! Glory Hallelujah!’ Yeh friends, it’s sunny and beautiful once again, although yesterday did turn out nicely, except that in the afternoon a mild thunderstorm swept through the area leaving a devastating windstorm in its wake.
Ah Lord eh! The thunderstorm wasn’t bad, but the wind provoked the region all evening, late into the night, blowing down stuff and causing a fair amount of damage. Thankfully my property didn’t seem to suffer any damage this time, as the last windstorm we had blew down a part of my fence.
And if that’s the extent of our disasters, then let us give God much thanks and plenty glory yes, because so many others are undergoing much worse disasters, like floods, volcanoes and wildfires, and the tornado and hurricane seasons will soon be upon us in full force, so we have a lot of negative stuff to look forward to.
And I was just reading that a lot of people in Puerto Rico and the Florida Keys are still living in very trying conditions, without electricity, in rundown trailer parks etc, nine months after the last hurricane devastated their areas. How sad is that eh friends? Where is the government…and the church…and we, the supposed neighbours… and the many charitable organizations that are constantly collecting money from us eh?
I don’t know the answers nuh friends, but I do know that in the LOVE of Christ, our fellow men and women should not be living in such trying conditions through no fault of their own. And to help alleviate our concerns, I have two seminal quotes from the Daily Bread Devotionals. The first says ‘No one understands like Jesus.’
And isn’t that the living truth my people! Nobody understands our trials and tribulations like Jesus because He experienced them too in His earthly sojourn. So in times when our small, finite understanding fails us, He is the One we need to go to and just lay all our burdens before Him.
Remember what He said in His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt.11:28) And He was not joking my brethren, but being very serious. There’s no other Being in man’s history who has ever made such a declaration! That’s because no other has ever had the parts to fulfill it. But Jesus does my people.
So whenever we’re down and out and don’t know what to do, please turn to Him, that’s the wisest thing to do, and He will give you succour. I can personally testify to that. He might not drive away the negative circumstances, but He will certainly give you the wherewithal to bear them in a positive manner. And sometimes that’s all we really need if we are true and faithful believers.
And the second quote is: ‘Christ’s sacrifice of Himself, motivates us to sacrifice ourselves for others.’ Or at least it ought to. Unfortunately though in too many cases it does not. In fact, the word ‘sacrifice’ is not one that’s used much in our everyday lives. Some people don’t even know it, or know what it means.
And for our information, here is how the dictionary defines it. ‘Sacrifice: Giving up of thing for the sake of another that is higher or more urgent, thing thus given up, loss thus entailed.’ Yeh friends, it means giving up something, losing something for somebody else’s sake, because their need is more urgent than ours.
And what’s the greatest sacrifice ever made on the face of this earth? That of Jesus giving up His sinless, holy life for our sinful, disgusting one, so that atonement could be made for our sorrowful, sinful state. The Good Book declares: ‘He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.’
Yeh friends, that’s how Jesus died on our behalf; without a word of murmur or complaint. So why is it so difficult for us to give up much simpler stuff for others eh? Why are we so greedy and like to hoard stuff for ourselves, even when we sometimes have no use for them?
I guess that’s the natural nature of man, especially in today’s selfish and greedy world, and the LOVE and sacrifice of Jesus have not yet truly infiltrated our hearts and souls so that we can become more like Him, generous to a fault. But we LOVE to get, to receive. Oh brother do we ever!
But please remember these immortal words of Jesus: ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure that you mete (use to give) withal it shall be measured to you again.’ (Luke 6:38)
Yeh friends, that means if you give stingily, you will be given back stingily. However if you give generously, you will receive generously. That’s just the law of God’s economics. So please let us start giving generously nuh, of our time, talents and money, so that we can receive generously from God and man too. It’s only wisdom friends.
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us, although we don’t deserve many of them. But that’s the kind of God He is! So all together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now please note that the Lord didn’t give us all of that to hoard for ourselves, but to go out and share with the less fortunate. So let’s do His will on that nuh, so that He can bless us even more. Much LOVE!
…it is so much better…to give than to receive…but we must also learn how to receive…in humility…
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