15 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A to Zee, all things, balance, begrudge, boomerang, building, comes back to you, common sense, cruel, demanding world, destruction, do unto men what you want them to do to you, do unto others, epitome, evil lifestyles, for dear life, Friday chant, friends, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's plan for man, God's Word, greed, harmony, heartless massa, hell on earth, higher than the animals, holding hands, in a line, in Jesus' name, injunction, Jesus Christ, life experience, lower than the angels, Moses, negative emotions, no more work, P.S. I Love You, perpetrate, pilgrimage, pleasure, power, reaping, relaxation, rest, rocket science, rumours of war, self-aggrandizement, selfishness, single file, slaving, sowing, spiritual matters, standing in a circle, stressful, strife, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the golden rule, the law, the lust of the flesh, the prophets, the Ten Commandments, the weekend, topsy turvy world, under the gun, ungodly, unity, vicious cycle, want, wars, wisdom, you reap what you sow
Matthew 7:12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
And then it was Friday…
No wonder the workers united to sing this song of emancipation: ‘TGIF! Thank God it is Friday! No more work, no more slaving for a cruel, heartless massa! The weekend is upon us and we will enjoy all the pleasures it offers – from A to Zee! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah friends, you really can’t begrudge people some pleasure when they’ve been under the gun all week, just working and doing little else in this supposedly modern but very stressful and demanding world.
However, we can’t afford to only seek the lust of the flesh in the next two days either; spiritual matters must also be of great concern, otherwise we’ll lose the something in our souls that makes us higher than the animals and just a little lower than the angels.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective on the matter. 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.’
Now that is a much better way to handle the couple days off we have over the weekend; it keeps our soul and spirit in balance, which is something we desperately need to survive and be successful in our current topsy-turvy world.
And here’s an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. I don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but if I haven’t, I ought to have, and if I’ve shared it before, then it’s nice enough for us to do it twice. (smile)
And it says: ‘The people on our planet are not standing in a line single file. Look closely. Everyone is really standing in a circle, holding hands. Whatever you give to the person standing next to you, it eventually comes back to you.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth friends? It certainly is! It’s basically God’s plan for man; whatever you sow, you shall reap. Life is like a boomerang; whatever you throw out to it, it will eventually come right back to you.
So if you throw out bad, that’s what you’ll eventually receive, the same thing goes for good. The trouble is that we don’t think sufficiently along those lines, so we sow whatever our flesh wants, then when we get back something negative in return we wonder why.
But life is not rocket science my people, it’s a simple do unto others as you’d want them doing unto you. And Jesus’ words on that subject is our Bit for today. ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.’
Yes my people, that’s what we call the ‘Golden Rule!’ And it’s really the only sensible way to live, if what we said above, about sowing and reaping, is true.
And the scholars explain it thus: ‘Hence, rather than judging others, we are to treat them as we would like to be treated. Therefore all things…do ye even so to them, is the biblical injunction often called the “Golden Rule.” This is the law and the prophets indicates that the statement made here by Jesus is not intended to be novel, but rather a summarization of the second table of the law.’
Yes friends, it’s not new, it’s just what has been required of us ever since Moses got those Ten Commandments. (smile) Unfortunately though, not enough of us are following it in these crucial and critical times, thus the ungodly and evil lifestyles we’re seeing so prevalent over God’s great world.
But it shouldn’t be like that. If we’d use our common sense and life experience we’d realize it. However we tend to live by the lusts of the flesh and the emotions of greed, selfishness etc. which only tear us down. There’s no building of harmony and unity in those negative emotions my people, just breaking down and destroying.
And that’s exactly what’s happening in our world. I don’t know if we’ve ever gone through a more destructive period in a supposed time of peace. Steups!
Everyday we’re becoming better at destruction, for a lot of our manufacturing consists of finding and building better ways to destroy. It’s taken us sometimes hundreds of years to build the great monuments of our world, but we destroy them in mere seconds!
Hn! And not only that, no longer do we have to be up close to destroy, we can stay thousands of miles away and perpetrate hell on earth to our enemies. And then we wonder why our world is going to hell in a bucket!
Look at all the wars and rumours of wars that are currently causing such woeful strife in our world. Friends, it doesn’t take a fool to realize that if we keep destroying, instead of building, we’ll soon have nothing left to destroy.
Our leaders seem to be more inept and inefficient than ever, corruption has never been so pervasive, far-reaching and blatant. It just seems that all they are interested in is self-aggrandizement and holding on to immense power for dear life.
But what they don’t seem to understand is that the more you have, the more you control, the more you have to lose and the more carefully you have to guard it all, which only leads to more problems, in all areas of life.
Please friends, let’s not be caught up in that vicious cycle of want, of greed and selfishness that is so easy to climb on to, but ever so difficult to get off. Let’s use common sense and God’s Word to direct our earthly pilgrimage nuh. It’s the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…the Golden Rule…do unto others…as you want them to do unto you…is still the most sensible and godly way to live in this mish-mash world…
11 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, aura of love, beast of the field, bright and bubbly, bright and early, chirpy, complaining, confidence, conquerors, Creator of the universe, disobedient, do unto Jesus, earthly life, endureth through all generations, enthusiasm. joy, everlasting kingdom, evil, faith, fellowship, fools, friends, give drink, glorious kingdom, goodness, groaning, holy spirit, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, kudos, lethargic, lies, LOVE, love that day, loving kindness, make his face shine, makes glad, meat in due season, meet the enemy, method to my madness, miserable complaining, moaning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, oil, open thine hand, peace, prosperity, quench their thirst, reap corn, rebellious, reconciliation, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, repentance, rest, salvation, satisfies the desires, sour, sow peas, springs, steadfast faith, surrender, tailspin, taunts, TGIM! Thank God it's Monday!, the eyes of all, the heart of man, the Promised Land, tired, truth, ungodly world, ungrateful, valleys, victory, wait upon thee, wake up and smell the coffee, weary souls, week of work, weekend, wiles, wine and roses, wisdom
Psalm 145:15. The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you); and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season.
‘Monday, Monday! Oh how I just LOVE that day! Monday, Monday! Don’t you ever go away! TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday!’
Yes friends, there is method to my madness. (smile) I’m figuring that if we hear that often enough, Monday’s might just grow on us like Friday did. So in future, when Mondays roll around, as indeed they will, we won’t’ be so sour and miserable and complaining, but greet it with great enthusiasm and a sincere joy to get out there and do whatever we have to do unto Jesus, and not unto man!
Ah mih people, the ole fella has to keep on trying to get us out bright and early and chirpy and chippy, so we can truly enjoy this earthly life, while diligently working on Jesus’ behalf.
Now I know some of you are tired and lethargic, moaning and groaning and complaining about my li’l chat because you did not do as you should have over the weekend. But not to worry, we have something that will brighten your spirit and raise your adrenalin level so that you can go out bright and bubbly, expecting victory. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Let’s sing it as thought we truly mean it nuh.
As one harmonious choir 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!’
Good going friends, good going! Our choirmaster Jesus was pleased! Yuh see what happens when you put your all into something! So now with our motors up and running, let’s go out into the crazy, wicked world and do whatever Jesus has called us to do nuh.
That brings us to our Bit which verily supports all of our contentions above. (smile) But before we get to it, let’s check out the two verses before it.
‘Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you); and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing.’ (Psalm 145:13-16)
Yes my brethren, Bruh David said it, so there must be a whole lot of truth to it! He extols the Lord’s graciousness in this most excellent psalm of praise! And if you don’t believe that, then listen to this from Psalm 104 – God’s preservation of nature.
The psalmist unequivocally declares: ‘He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses (donkeys) quench their thirst. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
He watereth the hills from his (upper) chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works, He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb (vegetation) for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; and wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart. ‘ (Ps.104: 10-15)
Oh my brethren, with all of that – and there’s much more if you want to read all of Psalm 104 – how can we ever doubt the goodness, the LOVING-kindness, the wisdom of our wonderful God eh? Only a fool would dare to do that!
Unfortunately though, currently there are way too many fools in the Lord’s great universe. We’re trying our very best to take him out of our society, which is a fool’s wisdom, and then when our world goes into a serious tailspin, with disasters, wars and all kinds of negative happenings across the globe, we sit back and foolishly wonder why.
Steups! Oh friends, if we insist on removing the Creator of the universe and all therein from His universe, which is really impossible, what do we expect eh? Do we expect to get wine and roses and song and heartwarming kudos for removing Him from our society?
Not on your life! We’ll get what we justly deserve, what He’s promised from day one to those who are disobedient to His Word and Will; negative happenings! Yuh see what He did to the rebellious, ungrateful Jews in the wilderness; earthquakes, snakebites and wandering around for forty years, till all of those who had come out of Egypt had died.
Not even Moses made it over to the Promised Land because he angered the Lord. So friends how can we expect anything else but negative consequences for our foolish rebellion eh? We might get away with it for a while, but eventually it’s all going to catch up to us. Remember our God is patient and longsuffering, but He’s not a patsy, a walkover.
Please, let’s wake up and smell the coffee nuh, and realize the error of our ways and wisely return to His fold through repentance and reconciliation based on Jesus’ work at the cross. For that is indeed wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…you can’t sow peas…and expect to reap corn…likewise you can’t be blatantly disobedient…and expect to receive prosperity…
29 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, artesian well, assurance, Beelzebub, belief, believe, blessed, bounden duty, bread, bread from heaven, bread of life, challenge, comes down from heaven, confidence, crapaud smoke we pipe, dissatisfaction, doubt, empty days, encourage, eternal, evil minions, flowers, fortify, freed me, glad to be alive, glorious kingdom, gloriously rich, glory hallelujah, God of glory, halfway home, hearts unfold, heaven, honest surrender, hunger, I'm not looking back, ignorance, immortal gladness, impoverished heart, Irreversible, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful joyful, life, life-changing thoughts, Lord and Saviour, Lord of love, LOVE, manna, melt the clouds, Moses, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, never hunger, never thirst, One Year Book of Bible promises, opening to the sun above, personal lives, positive vibes, praise and worship, Ruth Harms Calkin, sadness, seeking signs, sheer joy, signs, sin, spiritual, surrender, thanks and praise, the breath of life, the dark of doubt, the lake of fire, the light of day, the true bread, they that have not seen, thirst, thoughts, unmoved, uplift one's soul, vibes, vim and vigour, we adore you, Wednesday Wail, well, wisdom, wonders
John 6:48. I am that bread of life.
Awright friends, let’s begun the show with a li’l praise and worship nuh, like we ought to. Let’s sing the first two verses of the beautiful hymn, ‘Joyful, joyful…’
In full voice now: ‘Joyful, joyful, we adore You, God of glory, Lord of LOVE, Hearts unfold like flowers before You, Opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day Hallelujah we adore You! Hallelujah! Amen! Amen! Amen!’
Oh my people, that was indeed a rousing rendition! Nothing like giving thanks and praise to uplift one’s soul! Now let’s keep up the positive vibes by getting into this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings By Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘Irreversible Yes.’
And it says: ‘God, You have done A beautiful thing for me. You have freed me from the dissatisfaction Of so many empty days and months. Into my impoverished heart You have poured life-changing thoughts of You Making each new day gloriously rich.
You have struck a deep artesian well in my soul As sheer joy springs forth. All because in an act of honest surrender When life had lost its challenge I said an irreversible YES to You!’
Oh friends, that’s the joy and beauty that springs forth when we say an irreversible ‘YES’ to God! Glory Hallelujah!
Those who refuse to say yes to Him, surely don’t know what they’re missing nuh, but it’s our bounden duty to point it out to them through our words and the godly actions of our lives. So please let’s do that sincerely and diligently nuh, so that we can glorify our heavenly Father and spur on His glorious kingdom as we ought to!
And we not done yet mih people; more positive vibes to come as we declare our Wednesday Wail with plenty vim and vigour, showing that we truly believe and mean it. (smile)
Wailing now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh my fellow believers, am I ever glad to be alive, having Almighty God’s awesome breath of life flowing through me this Wednesday morning at then end of June 2016! I surely hope you are too. For what good is being alive if you’re not enjoying it eh? None whatsoever!
And if we’re happy to be alive, then we need to do the things that keep the joy surging forth in our spirits, meaning keeping our hands firmly to the plough and focusing on the future, that glorious future that Jesus has planned for us.
And all God’s people declared a loud and thankful ‘Hallelujah! Amen!’
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which is also the promise upon which the ‘Irreversible Yes’ poem was based. And it’s such a simple but awesomely powerful statement made by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. ‘I am that bread of life.’
What confidence and assurance our Saviour displays! Earlier on, He’s been trying to teach His listeners about what truly matters. They were seeking signs of Him that would encourage and fortify their belief. Then they taunted Him by saying: ‘Our father’s did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ (John 6:31)
I guess Jesus spirit must have been moved, and He sadly shook His head at their ignorance. ‘Then said Jesus unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.’ (John 6:32-34)
No doubt the hungry crowd was thinking in terms of physical bread, but Jesus was talking about spiritual stuff. ‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)
What a powerful statement friends! The problem though, is do we believe it, or are we like those who heard it spoken from Christ’s lips, but remained unmoved? I certainly hope that we do believe it with all our souls, bodies, hearts and minds, otherwise crapaud smoke we pipe!
Why do I say that? Listen to this explanation from the scholars. ‘6:35. I am the bread of life means the bread that gives life. The life of which He speaks is spiritual and eternal.’
Oh my people, that means if we don’t believe we won’t have eternal life! And that’s the worst thing that can happen to a human being! Just imagine being eventually cast into the lake of fire with Beelzebub and all his evil minions nuh? Think what it would be like to endure such tribulation?
Yuh think our earthly trials and tribulations are bad? Well that will take the cake! And all because we did not believe the simple words of our Lord and Saviour. It boggles my mind to think that so many of them saw the signs and wonders He did here on earth and yet still refused to believe.
Oh friends, we didn’t see those personally, but thankfully we do believe, and our belief is strong and irrepressible because in these modern times, He’s also wrought signs and wonders in our personal lives.
Let’s keep on believing friends, and keep on doing what He desires of us, for that is undoubtedly the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…blessed are they that have not seen…and yet have believed… (John 20:29b)
26 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lying tongue, a proud look, a sun, abominations to God, actions, all other ground, an honest wage, angry, aspirations, be wise, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed is that man, blood, built on nothing less, character, Christ-like, Christians, conduct, conversion, covenant, darkness veils, falsehood, faultless, fear, foundation, glory, God is not a man, gospel truth, grace, habits, haughty, heartfelt praise, homage, immovable, indisputable truth, Jesus Christ, Jesus' blood, judges, kindled, kiss the son, lean on Jesus' name, lie not, lies, LOVE, maketh the Lord his trust, Moses, my anchor holds, my hope, my stay, nature, no good thing, oath, on Christ, Our Daily Bread, pay himself, pay the workers, perish, praise, proud, Proverbs, put off the old man, respects not the prous, righteousness, serve the Lord, shed innocent blood, shield, sinking sand, stand before the throne, stormy gale, Sunday, support me, the flood, the forces of man, the heathen, the Lord's Day, the new man, the rock that's Christ, the solid rock, the Son of man, the sons of Korah, the sweetest frame, thoughts, Trini Quote, trumpet sound, trust, truth, turn aside to lies, unchanging grace, values, walk uprightly, wisdom, withhold, within the veil, words, worship, wrath
Psalm 40:4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Well my beautiful fellow believers in Jesus Christ, it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, a day that’s supposed to be filled with even more praise and worship than usual! So let’s begin the proceedings by exuding praise in the form of the hymn we all know and LOVE: ‘My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.’
Let’s raise our loud and harmonious voices to heaven with sincere, heartfelt praise: ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. (Refrain: On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.)
When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace; in every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain] His oath, his covenant, his blood, support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]
When he shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in him be found, dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain] On Christ, the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.’
And that my people is the gospel truth of all gospel truths! (smile) But seriously though, if you’re not standing on the solid rock that’s our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, then sadly and unfortunately you’re standing on sinking sand; sand that will sink and or wash away at the slightest rain or earth tremor!
The only thing that can withstand the forces of man and nature is the rock that’s Christ! So please friends, let’s err on the side of caution and wisdom and make sure that we’re all standing on that solid rock that’s Christ nuh, so our foundation will be immovable.
Now let’s check out this ‘Trini Quote of De Day,’ from mih Trini friend. ‘If yuh don’t pay de worker, he will pay himself.’ A wise caution to someone who has hired/planning to hire a worker/s to pay an honest wage; if not, the worker/s may take their just payment or even more. Have a great day, Watch your thoughts: They become words Watch your words: They become actions Watch your actions: They become habits Watch your habits: They become character.’
Yes mih breddren, more wisdom and indisputable truth! And don’t get too comfortable, thinking that you’ve heard all the wisdom and truth for the day, because you haven’t. (smile) Listen to our Bit and learn. ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’
Wow mih people, can you handle so much truth and wisdom in one sitting? Of course you can, because you’re Christians, true believers in Jesus Christ, and with Him supporting us, we can handle anything!
And for those of you who read ‘Our Daily Bread Devotional,’ you’ll realize that yesterday’s devotion sparked today’s Bit; the same psalm they read from, and the same hymn they noted. But the Bit’s different, as you can see. (smile) And to further prove it, let’s delve into some other scriptures that corroborate our Bit.
Hear these words of wisdom and warning from Psalm 2 – Why do the heathen rage. ‘Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son (an act of homage and submission), lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.’ (Ps.2:10-12)
Oh friends, what more can I say to that eh? Nothing really, except to add that the writing of that Psalm is attributed to Bruh David in Acts 4:25. Now you know. (smile)
And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to the sons of Korah from Psalm 84 – Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:11-12)
Ah mih people, we’ve been mostly concerning ourselves with the part of the Bit that talks about trusting God, but there are also two other parts, not respecting the proud and haughty and arrogant, as well as one who indulges in lies.
Cousin Sol puts it nicely in Proverbs, as three of the seven things that are abominations to our God: ‘A proud look (haughty eyes), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.’ (Prov.6:17) And that’s no lie! (smile)
And to shed more light on God’s character, here’s what Moses says in the Book of Numbers. ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good.’ (Num.23:17) Yes friends, God is truth, therefore He cannot lie! But with mankind it’s certainly a different story.
Now listen to Bruh Paul’s advice on the subject to the Colossians. ‘Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.’ (Col.3:9-10)
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘3:9. Seeing means “since.” The old man is all that a person was prior to salvation: his worldly thinking and sinful acts. Since all this was renounced at conversion, one should lie not. Falsehood ill becomes a person claiming to be a disciple of Him who said, “I am the…truth.”
‘3:10. The new man is the person one becomes after conversion: he possesses a new nature, values, aspirations, and a new life-style. This “new man” is constantly being renewed or developed until he attains a mature knowledge of the God who (re) created him. The more a believer knows and understands of God, the more he will be like God in character and conduct.’
And what better way to end than on that note my people. So please, until we meet again, God willing, please ponder all that we’ve said to day, and go safely to LOVE and serve the Lord! Much LOVE!
…one can’t become Christ-like…unless one knows about Christ…and then acts Christ-like…
16 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a new song, a pillar of cloud, a pillar of fire, all the earth shall worship thee, beneficial, blessed, bread and butter, caught up, Christians, cleave to the Lord, comfort, Creator, disappointed, eaxalted, end all, error, eternal life, exceedingly rejoice, excited in Jesus, exhortation, faithful readers, fear the Lord, glad to be alive, glory, glory hallelujah, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, goodness, heal our hurts, History, hold fast, honour, how awesome art thy works, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, Jesus, Jesus the only answer, joyful, judgement, justice, King of Kings, let the righteous be glad, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving kindness, make a joyful noise, manna, merciful giver, Moses, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, our be all, pains, part the Red Sea, Pharaoah, Praise the Lord, problems, rejoice, rejoice before God, righteous, righteousness, ruler of heaven and earth, salvation, Selah, sing forth the honour of his name, sing to thy name, sing unto God, stars of heaven, swear by his name, tendencies, testimony, the breath of God, the days of the week, the First and the Last, the greatness of thy power, thine enemies submit, this is the day the Lord has made, time of sorrow, under the weather, wailing, water from a rock, we will rejoice and be glad in it
Psalm 68:3. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Oh friends, the ole fella’s somewhat disappointed this morning. First in myself, for writing that yesterday was Thursday when it was only Wednesday. And second because none of my supposed faithful readers saw it fit to write me and point out the error.
But all of that’s history now. It’s become a testimony; that one can get so caught up and excited in Jesus that you don’t even know the days of the week! (smile)
So what shall we do today? I guess we’ll just preach yesterday’s sermon today, beginning by wailing our heads off. There’s nothing that says we must wail on a particular day. For that matter we can do anything on any given day.
So let’s wail nuh. ‘Thursday, Thursday, Thursday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Thursday! Thursday, Thursday, Thursday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Thursday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes my brethren, the day’s not as important as what we declare in it! And I’m sure glad to be alive on this Wednesday or Thursday, (smile) although I’m a tad under the weather, with a touch of the flu. But it’s certainly great to be alive, and I’m trying my best to keep my hands on the plough and look straight ahead to that glorious future with Jesus!
I sure hope that you all are feeling the same way too. If not, you’d be doing yourself a huge disservice, for Jesus is the ONLY answer to our problems! He ALONE can heal our hurts and pains, give us comfort in time of sorrow, feed us with manna from heaven, and bring us to salvation and eternal life!
Give Him some thanks and praise for His wondrous deeds on our behalf nuh! And all God’s people declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for He is our Be All and End All; the First and the Last; King of Kings and Lord of Lords; Ruler of heaven and earth! There is NONE else like Him! NONE worthy to be exalted above Him! All glory and honour be to Him!’
Yeh mih people, that’s how important Jesus is to us. And we’ll continue with our Bit, the same one from yesterday: ‘But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.’
Ah friends, if we’re Jesus’ people, and we’re righteous – well as righteous as we can be – then we ought to be glad and rejoice in the presence of our great and wonderful God.
As the psalmist so rightfully says: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24) It would be good, very beneficial, if we can remind ourselves of that fact each and every day my people.
Now let’s check out some more wonderful scripture passages that deal with praising Almighty God. Listen to the psalmist from Psalm 66 – The great works of God.
‘Make a joyful noise (shout) unto God; all ye lands: sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto God, How terrible (awesome) art thou in thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.’ (Ps.66:1-4)
Yeh friends, ponder that for a moment nuh! Now listen to Moses exhort the Israelites. ‘Thou shalt fear the Lord they God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave (hold fast), and swear by his name.
He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible (awesome) things, which thine eyes have seen. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with three score and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.’ (Deut.10:20-22)
Ah mih people, what mighty and awesome works the Lord our God did indeed do in the sight of those Israelites of old! Who else could part the Red Sea and allow them to walk across it on dry land eh, then swallow up the army of Pharaoh in a wall of water?
Who else could have led them through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night, assuring them of His presence and safety from their enemies? And who else could have given them water from a rock, manna and meat more than sufficient for their needs in the wilderness eh?
NONE but the mighty, ever-lasting and ever-living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! No wonder we praise and thank Him as much as we do!
Now let’s end with this exhortation from Psalm 33 – Praise to the Lord for His creation. ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for his praise is comely (beautiful) for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise (shout of joy). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He LOVETH righteousness and judgement (justice): the earth is full of the goodness (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord.’ (Ps.33:1-5)
And indeed it is my fellow believers! So today, as we go about the Lord’s business, please let’s remember to be thankful and give Him praise for all that He’s done, is doing now and has promised to do in the future for us.
Remember, He is our Creator, our bread and butter, our calm in the time of storm, and the merciful giver of salvation and eternal life! Much LOVE!
…Christians are the most blessed people in the world…therefore they should also be the most joyful… P.S.
Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, you know the ole fella’s late night tendencies. (smile) Much LOVE!
09 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A journey of love, a man after God's heart, a man of God, a second cahnce, an integral part of our lives, anger, basking in the Father's presence, be of good courage, blessed be the Lord, Christian's desire, climate change, cold, compromise, courage, disobedience, doubt, fear, hate, he shall strengthen your heart, how great is thy goodness, I will give thee rest, Jonah, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, Moses, my presence shall go with thee, negativity, Nineveh, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, pray, prayer, prophet, provider, rainy, repenting, reproach, responsibilities, rewards the proud doer, Saint of the Little Flower, secret of thy presence, seek God's face, shame, snowy, spring, St. Therese, strife, the Alpha and Omega, the Creator, the First and the Last, the irony of it all, the Lord preserves the faithful, the Lord's presence, trials, tribulations, troubled times, trust, vocation, walk in your steps, wet, winter, wisdom
Exodus 33:14. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
And then it was Saturday, and the next couple days in my area are supposed to be cold and snowy and wet and rainy. Steups! Whatever happened to that thing called spring eh? In winter we didn’t get any snow, and now in what’s supposed to be spring, it’s too often cold and snowy! Chuh! And yet they insist that climate change is not real.
But anyway, whether it is real or not, we believers in Jesus Christ don’t have to let it worry us. Oh yes, the weather will become irascible like many of us, (smile) but we can’t afford to allow that to dictate our lives, that ought to be done by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
So to help us handle all the unwanted stuff we have to handle, let’s pray this prayer taken from a Devotional titled ‘A Journey of LOVE. Walking with St. Therese of Liseux’ – The Saint of the Little Flower. I’ve shared it before, but in these troubled times, times of hate and anger and doubt and all the negative stuff that’s predominant in our world, we need something to counteract that negativity.
And the only thing able to do that is LOVE, and we have been assigned the vocation of LOVE. So let’s pray for help in our vocation. Please pray with me: ‘Jesus, I desire above all else to centre my life in you. Only you can give me the courage to face up to my responsibilities, to be compassionate and forgiving, to let go of what is not important and to embrace what is important.
I am called to accept and to cherish your LOVE for me and to allow your LOVE to go out from me to all your people, Help me to walk in your steps without compromise and to be open to your presence in all of the people I meet. I make my prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.’
Yes friends, the irony of it all is that we cannot do God’s work without God’s help! And the most effective way to receive that help is through prayer. The Lord has promised that when we diligently and sincerely seek Him, He will be found by us. That’s why prayer is so important in a believer’s life.
That’s also why Bruh Paul told the Ephesians to pray ALWAYS; (Eph.6:18) the Thessalonians to pray WITHOUT CEASING; (1 Thess.5:17) and his young protégé Timothy to pray EVERYWHERE. (1 Tim:2:8) So to all intents and purposes, prayer MUST BE an integral part of a believer’s life, because in doing so we will always be in the presence of God, which is ever so important for our earthly journey.
Moses, one of God’s greatest prophets was adamant about not continuing the journey through the wilderness if the Lord’s presence was not going to be with him. That is even after God promised in our Bit: ‘And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’
Ah mih people, without God’s wonderful presence in our lives, innumerable trials and tribulations will come our way, from which we’ll have little or no leeway to escape. However, when we are basking in the Father’s presence, we are assured of His help to get through the difficulties, though not necessarily complete escape.
That’s because He has promised to work everything out for the good of those who LOVE Him and are called according to His purpose. (Rom.8:28) And if there’s one thing we can rest comfortably on, is that our ever-faithful God NEVER reneges on His promises.
Now let’s look at some scripture that exalts the glory and wisdom of being in God’s presence. And we can’t talk about that without including words from Bruh David’s heartfelt declarations. This comes from Psalm 31 – In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust.
‘Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence (secret place) from the pride (plots) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord: for he hath showed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.
For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. O LOVE the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart.’ (Ps.31:19-24)
And we can’t argue with Bruh David because in spite of his mistakes, he was still considered a man after God’s own heart, so intense was His longing for Him.
Meanwhile, in Jeremiah, when the Lord is dealing with the false prophets, He promises: ‘Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence. And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’(Jer.23:39-40)
Yes friends, that’s the kind of thing that happens when we are cast out of God’s presence. Please pray that it never happens to us. And we’ll end with this great example from the prophet Jonah.
The Lord had said to Jonah: ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry (out) against it: for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.’ (Jon.1:2-3)
Now how foolish was that eh my brethren? As a prophet, a man of God, Jonah should have known better than that. And we all know the story of the terrible storm that arose, due to Jonah’s disobedience, and how he was thrown overboard and spent three days and nights in the belly of a great fish, before coming to his senses and repenting. And the Lord in His great mercy and LOVING-kindness forgave him and gave him a second chance.
Oh my fellow believers, fleeing from the Lord is not easy if He doesn’t want us to flee. But why should we want to flee from Him anyhow eh, when He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Creator and Provider of all? That’s certainly not wisdom. So please, let’s be wise today and seek the Lord’s presence rather than try to flee from it. Much LOVE!
…the Christian’s desire ought to be…to continually seek God’s face…and to continually bask in His presence…
07 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed life, a true believer, Abel, abundance, Amazing grace, believe in your dreams, Cain, care, circumstances, compassion, crapaud smoke we pipe, despairing thoughts, destined to do well, Dr. Robert H. Schuler, exile, faith, family, fear, forgiveness, found grace in your sight, fugitive, glory hallelujah, God's beloved children, grace, have faith in your faith, have the world by its tail, hopes, humanity, hurts, I know thee by name, I will give thee rest, ice on summer seas, kindness, LOVE, mercy, Moses, Most High God Jehovah, my presence shall go with thee, our earthly condition, our eyes of faith, peace of mind, peaceful, placid, praise Your Holy Name, problems, punishment, Scrip-Bit, set a mark, terroe, the dawning of day, the face of the earth, the flash of lightning, the heavenly realm, the land of Nod, the morning dew, the noonday sun, the presence of God, the Promised Land, the troubled heart, trust, truth, vagabond, wisdom
Exodus 33:14. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Well hello there my beautiful Scrip-Bit family! How you all doing this wet and windy morning in the first week of April eh? I do hope that you all are doing fine, despite the problems that are hovering over you, for we are the beloved children of the Most High God Jehovah and are destined to do well, regardless of our circumstances. Glory Hallelujah!
Yes friends, as God’s intimate family we have been promised a blessed life, filled with our heavenly Father’s grace, mercy, truth, care, compassion, forgiveness and abundance. So please let’s not allow our circumstances to rule us, let’s rise above them instead and live in the heavenly realm, through our eyes of faith, not worrying about our earthly condition.
And here is some encouragement and advice from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) for when we are traversing the fearful valley of the shadow of death, taken from his Hours of Power Devotional.
He says: ‘Peace of mind comes to the person who feels the presence of God…. Nothing can stop the man who feels the presence of God in his life. Terror is like morning dew in a noonday sun. Fear is ice on summer seas. The tense, trembling, troubled heart becomes as placid and peaceful as water in an inland lake moments before the dawning of day….
Don’t trust the clouds – trust the sunshine. Don’t set your compass by the flash of lightning – set it by the stars. Trust the sun – don’t trust the shadows. Believe in your dreams – don’t believe in your despairing thoughts. Have faith in your faith – and doubt in your doubts. Trust in your hopes – never trust in your hurts.’
Ah mih breddren, what wonderful words of advice and encouragement! And I particularly like the positive aspect of the last few lines: ‘Believe in your dreams… have faith in your faith… trust in your hopes…’
Oh friends, when we sincerely and diligently do those three things, we have nothing to worry about, for we will then have the world by its tail, with the presence of God richly dwelling in us. Nothing can be more beautiful and peaceful than God’s presence in all our doings!
And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Father for Your wonderful and peaceful presence in our lives! We couldn’t face this evil world positively without Your amazing grace! We LOVE You and praise Your Holy Name! Amen!’
And today friends, we’re going to look at two instances of how God’s presence with us is ever so important. And we’ll begin with the passage from Exodus that includes our Bit, when Moses prays for God’s presence.
‘And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou will send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.’ (Ex.33:12-17)
Ah friends, Moses recognized the importance of God’s presence with them, if they were ever to traverse the wilderness safely then enter the Promised Land and successfully conquer it. And God recognized the validity of Moses’ argument and agreed to do as he asked.
Note that Moses even told the Lord that if He wasn’t going to go with them, then He shouldn’t bother to send them up. Such was the importance of God’s presence. And so it is in all our lives my fellow brethren in Christ. If the Lord’s presence isn’t with us, then we’re in for an even rougher time than normal.
And even before Moses, we have another example of how God’s presence, is, was, and will always be important to us. Listen to what happened to Cain after he killed his brother Abel. The Lord cursed Cain for his evil deed.
‘When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength: a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Behold thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod (lit. Wandering), on the east of Eden.’ (Gen.4:12-16)
Ah mih people, yuh see what happens to us when we are shut out of the Lord’s presence? Nothing good comes of that friends. But even in his exile, the Lord showed grace and kindness to Cain, by setting a mark on him, that people wouldn’t kill him.
And the scholars add this explanation. ‘4:16. This portrays the direction of fallen and unsaved humanity into exile from God, without hope in the world, “wandering aimlessly” about.’
Now that, my fellow believers in Christ, we cannot afford to let happen to us, otherwise crapaud smoke we pipe! So let’s continually keep seeking the Lord’s presence in our lives nuh, for that is a mark of eternal and everlasting wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to be in God’s presence continually…is the mark of a true believer…
02 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive manner, a very present help in trouble, Anselm, Bible Study, Calder Hall, Christian faith, Christians, church going, cow foot, cry to keep going, dasheen bush soup, devotions, don't cry to give up, don't cry to quit, earthly sojourn, earthquakes, encouragement, eyes of faith, get a reward from it, glory, go crazy, God is my salvation, God is our refuge and strength, grin and bear it, gungo peas, hiding place, humble pleasure, imaginations, inspiration, Jesus, laughing, learn from our pain, LOVE, mettle of faith, Moses, part of human life, pigeon peas, Port of Spain, pour out your heart, salvation, Saul, Scarborough, serve the Lord, songs of love, sons of Korah, soup, stand up strong, testing, the earth be removed, the mountains be carried into the sea, the mountains shake, the potter's wheel, the rock of my strength, the waters roar, tidal waves, Tobago, tower of power, trust, truth, useful lessons
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.
Well friends, it’s Saturday and I’m just biding my time to go up Calder Hall and get some of the revitalizing and refreshing and energizing soup of Brother Kirby. Oh mih people, I can see those three big iron (Dutch) pots sitting on the fire under the tent, just filled with delicious tasting soup.
One containing pigeon peas, or as my Jamaican family calls it, gungo peas; then the other is bubbling with dasheen bush, and the last with a thick cow foot mixture, just guaranteed to set your palate right. Oh I know some of you will skin up your face at that last one, but truthfully, I believe that the cow foot is the most nourishing of the three kinds of soup.
So I’m dreaming, so big deal! That’s why the Lord gave us imaginations, and through the eyes of faith I’m seeing myself slurping back some of that nourishing and tasty Tobago soup, not too far in the distant future. Mama Yo! Tobago soup!
Yeh friends, the ole fella misses Tobago; the sunshine, the saltwater, the friends, the family, early morning devotions on the patio as the sun rises and the birds chorus their songs of LOVE, the church going and Bible Study, watching the ferries go back and forth from Scarborough to Port of Spain, not to mention the peaceful calm of the sea just breaking over the reef and washing up on to the rocky shore.
And I miss it even more, when up here, they are calling for rain and snow today and tomorrow. But what to do eh? Not much but grin and bear it, because this is where the Lord has me currently planted and that means He has work for me to do here. But one day, one day, provided the Lord is in favour, I know it will surely happen.
Now here is an interesting quote from our friend Anselm, as always inspiring us to aspire to a better tomorrow. This quote says: ‘Somebody came into my office crying. I said, “Look, don’t cry to give up! Cry to keep going!!” Don’t cry to quit! You already in pain, You already hurt! Get a reward from it!’
And you know that does make a whole lot of sense my brethren. As Christians we keep talking about the Lord testing us, teaching us useful lessons, putting us on His potter’s wheel and reshaping us, then putting us in the kiln to bake for a while to toughen us up.
Now that is all painful, but you know what? We need to always learn from our pain. And coincidentally, it’s just in the last few days I heard two preachers say the same thing. We must not waste our pain. What’s the point of bearing the pain if we don’t learn something from it, or as Anselm says: ‘Get a reward from it.’
Yes friends, a lot of us are hurting in some form and fashion, and none of us like to be hurting, but it’s an essential part of human life, especially the Christian faith, where we grow stronger and more Christ-like through painful situations. So since we cannot get around the hurt and pain of this mortal life, we might as well embrace it and use it for some useful purpose.
Just don’t ask me what and how? (smile) I have some here that I don’t understand the whys nor the wherefores, but when I figure it, out I’ll let you know.
Ah mih people, life just happens to us all, and we can only benefit by using it in a positive manner, and laughing some at our problems, otherwise we’ll go crazy in no time at all. And as Christians we have it better than anybody else, because as our Bit so truthfully and powerfully declares: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.’
And that is the gospel, the indisputable and irrevocable truth my brethren! Our God is our hiding place and our tower of power!
Consequently, the sons of Korah continue the psalm thus: ‘Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (the heart) of the sea: Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps.46:2-3)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s how strong we ought to be, even with earthquakes and tidal waves surrounding us. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible or practical, but it is the pinnacle for which we ought to aim, since the Creator and Controller of the world is our heavenly Father, our refuge and our strength in time of trouble, and furthermore has promised never to leave or forsake us. What better place to put our trust and faith eh?
Now listen to Bruh David say it in his own inimitable style. ‘My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God: for expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62: 5-8)
Ah friends, there’s not much more that I can add to that. And we all know the painful but faithful life Bruh David lived. Some of his problems were of his own making, but others, like Saul hunting him down like a wild animal, was God’s way of testing him. It took him something like twenty years after he was anointed, to actually become king.
Likewise, some of our troubles are self inflicted, while others come to try our mettle of faith. And hopefully, like Bruh David, we will have the wherewithal to stand up strong and pass most of the tests, as the Lord desires of us.
Now let’s close with these awe inspiring words of Moses, as he exhorts the Israelites to obedience. ‘For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh (a God so near) unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?’ (Deut.4:7)
And the truthful answer to that my brethren is a resounding ‘NO OTHER!’
So with all of that godly encouragement and inspiration, please let’s go out today, and every day henceforth, to LOVE and serve our Lord, and do His will with humble pleasure, as Jesus did in His earthly sojourn. It won’t be easy, but with God’s always available help, it’s doable. Much LOVE!
…with the Creator as our refuge and strength…Christians don’t need any other protectors or protection…
30 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anxious, assurance, assuredness, be not dismayed, brothers and sisters in christ, Christ's Resurrection, christianity, disharmony, divide and conquer, division, do not tremble, doubtful, encouragement, ever-faithful, evil cronies, exodus, faithfulness, fear not, fearful of life, foremost, front and centre, glory hallelujah, grateful, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, I'm so glad to be alive, jehovah god, Joshua, let not your hearts faint, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, Lucifer, magnanimity, Moses, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, omnipotent, passion, Praise the Lord, sacrificed, sincerity, sinful man, strong and steadfast, the breath of life, the Good Book, the Lord goes before thee, the Lord will neither fail nor forsake thee, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, walking with Jesus, Wednesday Wail
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Well friends, it’s a bright and sunny, though somewhat chilly morning in my area. But yuh know what, it’s so beautiful that we won’t even notice the chill because our hearts, minds, bodies and souls are concentrated, are completely focused on Almighty God!
And when that happens, brother, nothing gets in the way of His work, His praise and glory!
And all God’s children said a loud and proud, ‘Praise the Lord, for He is indeed a great and wonderful God!’
And that He is my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. For who else would have sacrificed His only Son so that he could provide a way out of eternal death for a bunch of human ingrates eh? Absolutely no other Deity!
And for that we ought to be eternally grateful. Just look at how we’ve been celebrating the wonder, the majesty, the LOVE, the magnanimity and faithfulness of Christ’s resurrection these past few days nuh.
It’s the greatest thing that has ever happened to sinful man! And though we especially celebrate it around Easter time, we ought to remember and be thankful for it each and every day of our lives, both the mortal and the eternal one.
And since today is Wednesday, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with truth, sincerity and great passion, for those three things, especially passion, are sadly lacking in the believers’ lives these days. And unfortunately, we can’t be successful at anything, unless there’s noticeable passion in our behaviour.
As one wailer now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh my brethren, isn’t it great to be alive and walking in step with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? Oh it surely is! There’s absolutely nothing else like it in this evil and ungodly world!
And without further ado, we’ll get right to our Bit, because we have plenty appropriate scripture to share this morning. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Yes friends, that is what our great God said to His people through Moses long long ago, and it is the same thing He’s still saying to us today. So why are we so anxious, doubtful and fearful of life eh?
That attitude surely doesn’t deserve the name of Christianity for we’ve been assured on numerous occasions in the Good Book and our individual lives that our omnipotent and ever-faithful God will lead and guide us and never forsake us.
So let’s look at some scriptures that declare such assuredness, and which will hopefully strengthen us in these sad and trying times. Listen to this proclamation from earlier on in Deuteronomy, when Moses gave the Israelites laws concerning war.
‘And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies to save you.’ (Deut.20:2-4)
Oh precious people, what encouragement and assurance that is! And it still holds true for us today, when we go out to fight our daily battles against the godless and the heathen who are so desperately trying to remove Jehovah God from our society.
And that, my fellow believers, is something we must never allow to happen. And they are using the age-old tactic of divide and conquer against us. Note the amount of division and disharmony amongst the Christian element. Lucifer and his evil cronies are not so divided and disharmonious, that’s why they are holding the upper hand right now.
But as strong and true believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we need to strenuously fight back and regain the lost territory. Jesus’ LOVE Revolution depends solely on us. If we don’t fight seriously, He would have died in vain.
And just think about it nuh, our God has promised to go before us and lead us and not forsake nor leave us. What more can we ask eh? Nothing really!
And we’ll end with one more promise of faithfulness on the part of our immortal God; this from when He handed over the leadership of the Israelites to Joshua, after Moses’ death.
‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh.1:5)
Oh friends, Joshua would have been rather foolish not to believe God’s promise, especially after he had seen God’s mighty work and miracles throughout the Exodus from Egypt.
Now please let us believe that promise which is also being held out to us today, especially when we are confronted by the miraculous and LOVING work carried out by God in the resurrection of Jesus. There’s no reason to fear, my people, when Jesus is foremost, is front and centre in our lives.
So if He isn’t there today, please, please, let’s put Him there nuh, so that we can go out and be strong and steadfast and do His work without fear or anxiety. This I pray, in His Holy Name. Much LOVE!
…with Jesus leading the way…Christians have no reason whatsoever to be anxious or afraid…
29 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pillar of cloud, a pillar of fire, agape, assurance, at such times, Babylonian captivity, biblical promise, bondage, Buccoo, comfort, comprehend, doing the Lord's work, Easter Tuesday, empower us, evil, faithful God, fear not neither be dismayed, Goat races, God's presence, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, heartache, heartbreak, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, Israelites, keep on keeping on, lost and alone, LOVE, Moses, no longer endure, One Year Book of Bible promises, peace, people of god, promises, share His love with the world, shekinah glory, solace, state of mind, the Lord goes before thee, there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother, Tobago, transforming peace, triumphantly risen Christ, true believers, trust, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly world, writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, Yahweh, zeal
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
And then it was Tuesday my friends – Easter Tuesday! Now that means it’s also time for the great spectacle of goat races in Tobago!
Yes my brethren, it’s time to get us down to Buccoo and enjoy an afternoon of goat races and great partying at possibly the only stadium in the world built to host that sport. Only in T&T, you say!
They had a small offering while I was there the other day and it was really enjoyable. I hadn’t seen goat races in many a year. I vaguely remember the last time as being completely wasted and partying down the place with a friend’s sister on the verandah of a house near the track.
Ah Lord eh! Those were the days! In those times they had individual parties at houses that surrounded the track. But now, progress has come along, and it’s held in a brand new state of the art facility, with all the amenities; food, drink, music, etc, all in one place. So don’t hesitate to check it out. (smile)
And since Today is Tuesday, it’s of the utmost importance that we declare our Tuesday Mantra, with sincerity, joy and a true sense of belief and purpose.
All together now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers, that’s exactly who we are, the beloved of God; a fact that NO ONE can take away from us. So as many of us go back out to work after the long Easter weekend, let’s hold that thought, that fact, close to our hearts, and let it empower us as we go about our day, doing the Lord’s work.
Let’s remember too that Jesus is our friend, in fact our BEST Friend; one who sticketh, stands closer with us than a brother, as Cousin Sol says in Proverbs 18:24. And basically, all we are called to do is share His LOVE with the world. Now that shouldn’t be too hard to do, should it? (smile)
Unfortunately though, our world today is not interested in true LOVE, the agape, the brotherly kind of LOVE that Jesus desires to share. But friends, we’ve got to keep on keeping on and pursue our vocation to LOVE with a strong, never-ending zeal, for that’s what makes us true believers and followers of the triumphantly risen Christ!
Now here is something from our One Year book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is titled ‘At Such Times.’
And it says: ‘God, there are times In the midst of heartache and heartbreak When there is no comfort, no solace Anywhere at all. There are times When in my crumbling state of mind I feel I can no longer endure – Not for a day, not even an hour.
It is at such times, O God That I draw heavily upon Your unfathomable LOVE. At such times I implore Your transforming peace. At such times I live By the power and promises Of a Father who cares infinitely more Than I can begin to grasp or comprehend. Today, dear God, is a “such time.”
Oh my precious and beautiful people of God, I’m sure that resonates so truthfully with us all, because there are times in all our lives when we feel lost and alone, and Almighty God is the ONLY One who understands our situation, and the ONLY One who can provide us true solace and comfort!
So let us never be afraid, ashamed or whatever, to call upon our heavenly Father for His peace and LOVE, because He’s always there, ready and able to help us.
And the Biblical Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today: ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Yes friends, our God made that promise through Moses oodles of years ago, and it still stands even to this day!
And all God’s people loudly declared: ‘O heavenly Father, thank You for Your promises! We don’t always put our full trust in them, but deep down we know that they are solid, solid as a rock, and that You will never renege on any of them, because You are a faithful and true God.
Please help us to stand more securely on the many promise You have made to us over the years, for that is the only way we will ever successfully handle the evil and ungodly world that now surrounds us. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.’
And one of the best-known instances of our God going before His people and neither forsaking nor failing them is this passage from Exodus when the Lord took the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt.
‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex.13:21-22)
And please note the last verse there friends. I believe the writer added it to assure us that God did keep His promise for the long haul. And we’ll close with these words from the scholars re the pillars of cloud and fire.
’13:21. This glowing cloud was the shekinah glory of Yahweh, which later filled the tabernacle (40:35) and then Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:10), and finally departed from the temple and the city just before the Babylonian captivity (Ezek 8-11).
This “glory of the God of Israel” will not return to Israel until the second coming of Christ (Ezek.43:1-7), at which time the glowing cloud will once again cover God’s earthly people (Is.4:5). It guided the people through the wilderness, assured them of God’s presence, and protected them from the Egyptians (cf.14:19-20).’
Oh friends, what a faithful and mighty God we serve. Please never let us forget that. Much LOVE!
…the God of Israel…faithful and true…is His name and nature…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness. Just too much late night Easter Monday partying. (smile) Much LOVE!
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