03 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new crop of believers, a word to the wise is sufficent, abundantly pardon, as the rain waters the earth, backsliders, Bible, bread to the eater, call ye upon him while he is near, christianity, crying out for help, destroy the earth, divine aid, error of their ways, faith, foolish pride, free choice, Friday chant, give seed to the sower, god, good examples of godly living, great sinfulness, have mercy upon him, in the thing which I sent it, it shall accomplish that which I please, it shall prosper, Jesus, Jesus Christ, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, mercy, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, my ways higher than your ways, my word shall not return void, mysterious ways, neither are your ways my ways, only lasts for a short time, our sinful world, payback is hell, puny minds, return unto the Lord, salvation, season of rebellion, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the heavens are higher than the earth, the pleasures of righteousness, the pleasures of sin, the snow from heaven, the sweetness of sin, the throne of grace, the unrighteous man his thoughts, truth, ungodly ways, wake up and and smell the coffee, wisdom
Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
And this Friday morning in early May, as we shout ‘TGIF! Thank God It’s Friday!’ we celebrate the rebirth of the flora around us. Yes friends, spring has finally shown it’s green and wonderful face after such a long absence. And what amazes me, is that a couple days ago, trees that had no leaves, merely some brown buds, today are overflowing with greenery. But that’s how the awesome plan of God for the smooth running of the universe works; in mysterious ways that our finite and puny minds can never grasp or fully understand.
That ought to remind us of these magnificent and oh so true words of the Lord, spoken through the prophet Isaiah, informing the Israelites, and us too, that God abundantly pardons. ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:6-7)
Ah mih people, that call which was issued to the Israelites in their season of rebellion and sinfulness so many years ago, is again being issued to us in our great sinfulness and ungodly ways, for few, if any other generations have been more wicked and ungodly than ours is today. And we badly need to seek the Lord for His mercy and pardon if we expect to survive for any length of time on this earth, because as we continue in our sinful and ungodly ways we keep destroying God’s planet as well as ourselves. And if we play the scenario out to its complete fulfillment then we’ll simply destroy the earth and all therein.
That’s the foolish and arrogant plan we’re following right now. And the only way to put a stop to it, is to turn back to the God of our forefathers, who created and still controls the universe. And these further words of Isaiah ought to wake us up to reality, help us take our foolish heads from the sand in which it’s so thoroughly buried that we don’t know right from wrong, or whether we’re coming or going.
Listen up: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void (empty, without fruit), but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing which whereto I sent it.’ (Is. 55:8-11)
Oh friends, we certainly cannot deny the truth of those statements! The Lord’s ways and thoughts are certainly higher than ours. His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence far outweighs what little power and understanding we possess, and we cannot begin to understand His person and purposes. That’s why He is God and we are simply His creation! Although in our foolish pride we ofttimes behave as though it’s the opposite way, and we end up paying a hefty price for that unwise thinking. But unfortunately the high price of disobedience doesn’t stop us from being rebellious and ungodly.
Let’s remember that our gift from God of free choice was not meant to choose the ungodly things of Satan, but the everlasting and wonderful things of God. But as always, mankind has abused that gift, turning more to the pleasures of sin advocated by Satan, than the pleasures of righteousness advocated by God. And that’s why our world is in such a mess right now, with strife and all the negative emotions of the evil one overwhelming our world.
But here’s what the Lord promised the Israelites if they turned back to Him. ‘For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall calp their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up a fir (cypress) tree, and instead of the brier (thorny plant) shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.’ (Is. 55:12-13)
Now doesn’t that scenario sound so much better than the one in which we’re currently enveloped? It surely does! So why don’t we turn from our evil ways, embrace the righteousness of God and make it come to pass eh? Remember, the sweetness of sin only lasts for a short while, then comes the payback. And payback is …hell! And that’s exactly what we’re suffering right now here on earth. Remember God’s Word will not be spoken in vain. Whatever it’s sent out to do, it will accomplish. And He sent it out in the first place promising salvation to all mankind, which has been accomplished by the work and sacrifice of Jesus.
So please, let’s get smart nuh, use the wisdom that God gave us and turn back to Him while He can still be found. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace through the prayer of our Friday Chant, seeking the help we so desperately need in these evil and ungodly times. 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 the 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!’
Now friends, there’s an interesting proviso to receiving divine help…we must first show that we’re turning from our evil ways and being good examples of godly living. That’s what drives divine help! Much LOVE!
..a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
07 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, accumulation of earthly wealth, Baby Boomers, become unfruitful, choke the word, curse, eternal life, every day I will bless thee, faith, fear, forgiveness, god, God's Unsearchable Greatness, grace, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, he that heareth the word, he who hath ears to hear let him hear, I will bless thy name for ever and ever, I will extol thee my God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, my neck of the woods, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are higher than yours, my ways are not your ways, negative word, no deep roots, no deepness of earth, one generation shall praise thy works to another, persecution, praise, promulgated by satan, psalms, receives it with joy, repentance, self-control, some seed fell on stony places, stumbles, success, sunshine, supernatural strength, the breath of life, the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, the parable of the sower, Thursday Blessings, tribulation, wisdom, withered away
Psalm 145:1. I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
And it’s a beautiful Thursday morning in my neck of the woods; sunshine and fairly warm temperatures! What more can one ask eh? All praise to God who looks after His people with LOVING care! (smile) And for the first time this week I don’t have anywhere to go or anything to do out the street. Glory Be! So I can just take my lazy ole time and do whatever I want to do here at home. So what shall we talk about today eh? Hang on a sec, let’s see where the Good Library opens…
Voila! It opened unto the Book of Psalms! And we will look at Psalm 145, a Psalm of Praise by Bruh David, titled – God’s Unsearchable Greatness. And is He ever great, and His greatness not understandable or appreciated by the puny minds of His most important creation. But Bruh David had some inclination of the Lord’s greatness, that’s why he writes: ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day I will bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps. 145:1-2)
Yes mih people, that’s what we need to do each and every day that we draw breath on God’s great earth; praise Him, bless His holy name! And why is that you ask? Bruh David tells us as he continues: ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and his greatness is unsearchable.’ (Ps. 145:3) And though we might not know exactly how great our God is, because of our finite minds, we ought to know that He’s much greater than us, because He made us, with His own hands, and breathe the breath of His life, His Spirit into our bodies, and still controls our every move down here on planet earth.
And if we cannot comprehend the Lord’s greatness on our own, then He’s told us about it in no uncertain terms through the prophet Isaiah. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) Now that’s telling us! But some of us still foolishly refuse to believe Him and try to go our own way, but eventually fall so low that we can no longer help ourselves and have to turn to Him in frustration, fear and repentance and ask for His forgiveness, grace and mercy.
That’s why it’s so unwise to turn away from Almighty God, for when we’re flat on our faces, through disobedience and the tribulations of the world, He is the ONLY One, capable of, and ever-willing to lift us up from the mire and restore our fallen selves and broken dreams. That’s why Bruh David writes for our edification: ‘One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare (steups!!!) thy mighty acts.’ (Ps. 145:4) Now that’s how the Lord’s greatness is supposed to be passed down from one generation to another, and has finally reached us.
Unfortunately though, our generation, Baby Boomers, or whatever we’re called, is certainly not doing a good enough job in passing it down to our children, the next generation, for too many of them have become ungodly. And why is that eh? Many of us parents have turned away from God, through the many foolish beliefs and ideas that are currently permeating our world, all promulgated by his satanic majesty, and even many of us who claim to believe, are too busy with the things of the world, accumulating earthly wealth and power and whatever, so that the truth of God and His word consequently falls by the wayside.
It’s like Jesus’ parable of the Sower, where ‘Some (of the seed) fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith (immediately) they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth (no deep roots): And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had not root, they withered away. And some (of the seed) fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked them. (Matt. 13:5-7)
Or as explained by Jesus: ‘But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon (immediately) with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he not root himself, but dureth (only endures) for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended (he immediately stumbles). He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care (cares) of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.’ (Matt. 13:20-22)
Yes friends, unfortunately, those two kinds of believers form a large part of our Christian brotherhood today. While what we desperately need are many more where seed fell on good ground and brought forth fruit.’ (Matt. 13:8) Please pay attention though to how Jesus ends the parable, with the warning ‘He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 13:9) And per the seed that fell on good ground, Jesus explains: ‘But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth (produces), some an hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.’ (Matt. 13:23)
Oh my my, that is exactly what these turbulent and unconventional times call for; sincere believers who are helping others to come to Christ and thus be able to enjoy the abundant life that He sacrificed His sinless life for us to have here on earth, with the eventuality of eternal life with Him. And the first step in it all my fellow saints, is to praise God’s name, then live the life that will show the unbelievers that we’re serious and sincere, not the hypocrites that many of them so rightly takes us for. Now let’s go home declaring (yes!!!) our Thursday Blessings, so we can activate the generous blessings that the Lord has bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere 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 now that we’ve activated those undeserved blessings, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use them to benefit others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…even if you don’t know Him personally…it’s wise to praise who ever created this awesome universe and all therein…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
27 Jan 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a frightful stench, a marvellous solution to our sinful souls, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off, anxiety, as the heavens are higher than the earth, be obedient to god's will, bread to the eater, call upon him while he is near, confusion, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, Friday chant, give seed to the sower, god is still on his throne, God's provided the way to salvation, he will abundantly pardon, he will have mercy upon him, in the thing whereunto I sent it, instead of the brier the myrtle tree, instead of the thorn shall come up the fir, introduce a new flock of believers, it shall accomplish that which I please, it shall not return void, it shall prosper, keep our promises, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are higher that your ways, my ways are not your ways, omnipotent help, pandemic, reconciled to the Father, return backsliders to your fold, salvation to all mankind, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the Lord is still in control, the righteousness of Christ, the unrighteous man his thoughts, trusting faith, wake up and and smell the coffee
Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near:
And there’s some sunshine shining on the cold white snow in a cloudy background, which my computer terms as haze. (smile) Yes friends, on this last Friday in January 2023, we declare ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!‘ in a cold and hazy atmosphere. The important thing though is that our great and wonderful God, Jehovah is still on His heavenly throne, still in control of all earthly movements, although we might not think so.
And yes, He does give us a lot of leeway to do as we please, but let’s never forget His sage, incisive and sharp-edged words, spoken through His prophet Isaiah. ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:6-7)
And in these evil and ungodly times, do we ever need to return to Almighty God and be pardoned, for the sinful attributes in our world are overwhelming, reaching up to high heaven with a frightful stench that totally boggles the imagination. And those sage and rather incisive words of God continue: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9)
Oh my fellow believers, the Lord might give us free will to do and act as we please, but we are never out of His sight nor His thoughts because He is omniscient and omnipresent and will only allow us to get away with so much wrongdoing, while constantly calling us to righteousness. And I don’t understand why we so adamantly refuse His call to godliness and righteousness, especially when He’s made such great provision for us.
Listen to his words again nuh. ‘For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void (empty, without fruit), but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’ (Is. 55:10-11)
Yuh hear that friends? Our God is purposely telling us that whatever He sends out His word to accomplish, will be accomplished, and in the exact manner that He desires. Now doesn’t that make us concerned about our culture and lifestyle, our disobedience and ungodliness? It ought to, because His word contains so many promises of the wicked and sinful being destroyed, of being punished in the fires of hell. That ought to make us sit up and take serious notice of His holy and truthful word, and turn to Him, though somewhat belatedly, for the abundant pardon that He holds out to all who come to Him in sincere repentance.
And listen to this magnificent promise of our great and ever-faithful God to those who avidly and sincerely Him. ‘For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir (cypress) tree, and instead of the brier (plant with a thorny and prickly stem) shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.’ (Is. 55:12-13)
Wow mih bredrin! What a magnificent promise! Our God includes us in the everlasting covenant He’s given to his chosen people, Israel. And are we going to refuse it for foolish and prideful self-interest? The scholars tell us that God’s ‘invitation to all men is clearly stated in the appeal, Seek ye the Lord and call ye upon him.’
They also inform us that ‘God’s sovereignty and omniscience are extolled by the statements that His thoughts (i.e. purposes or intentions) and ways (directions) are higher than ours. While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purposes. Therefore He reveals Himself to men by His word, which shall not return to Him void (empty, in vain). The Word of God, therefore accomplishes His purpose in announcing salvation to all mankind.’
And He’s kept His word by sending His sinless Son, Jesus Christ to die for us on Calvary’s cross, so that our sins can be forgiven, and we be made the righteousness of Christ, be reconciled to our Creator and no longer bear the mark of Satan, but of Christ, and no longer bound for hell fire and damnation, but for the beautiful and peaceful halls of heaven. Now, we would be everlastingly foolish to reject such a marvellous solution to our sinful souls.
So please, I implore us to day to get serious about Jesus and His amazing way of life. Though it’s not easy and ofttimes sacrificial, it is ALWAYS interesting and adventurous and leads to untold treasures and rewards in heaven that last forever, unlike the earthly treasures we run down, that soon decay and are of no further use. Therefore, in faith, hope and wisdom, through our Friday Chant, let’s go to the throne of God in sincere prayer and ask for His divine help.
As one confident but humble voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so we desperately need 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. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to 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. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, 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 as always, if we sincerely desire to receive positive answers from our omnipotent God, we need to keep our promises and be obedient to His holy will. Much LOVE!
…God’s provided the way to salvation…it’s up to us…to accept or reject it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Jan 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as the heavens are higher than the earth, covered me in my mother's womb, crapaud smoke we pipe, ease the pain, faith, for God so loved the world, full work week, God's Sovereignty, hope, how great is the sum of them, how precious thy thoughts unto me, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, made in God's image, marvellous are thy works, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are higher than yours, negative situations, pay a high price for not believing, sincere repentance, surrender, the breath of life, the God who heals, trust, wisdom
Psalm 139:17. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
And finally, we come to the first full work week of this new year. Isn’t that just grand? Many of us won’t think so, because we’ve had a few consecutively short work weeks in the recent past. And before that, it was already tough for us to handle the five-day variety, I just wonder what’s going to happen to us now, that we’re going back to the same old, same old. (smile) But I have faith in us, for our awesome God made us to be resilient to the max!
How did Bruh David describe our exotic creation in Psalm 139? ‘For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered (weaved) me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well (very well). My substance (frame, bones) was not hid from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously (skillfully) wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect (unformed); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them, (the plans for my life were written before I was even made). How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.’ (Ps. 139:13-18)
Now friends, that’s how important we are to our heavenly Father and Creator! He took His time and perfectly planned out our entire course before He even began to make us! That means we are very precious, special and important to our God. Why would He send His sinless Son Jesus Christ to die for us eh, if we weren’t important to Him eh? Jesus said: ‘For God so LOVED the world…’ (John 3:16) That’s why!
And Bruh David also addressed the matter of our importance to God in Psalm 40, when he writes: ‘Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order (counted) unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.’ (Ps. 40:5) It just goes to show that we were not simply an afterthought of God, but a greatly desired and well-planned creation.
Thus, He’s so good, so merciful and gracious unto us. We’re made in His image, living through the breath of His life, and destined to be with Him till eternity! If that doesn’t shout importance, LOVE, and togetherness, then I don’t know what does! The problem though is that our minds are too puny and finite to understand God’s great LOVE for us. As Bruh Paul declares in his epistle to the church at Rome: ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways are past finding out!’ (Rom. 11:33)
That’s gospel truth my faithful brethren! And the prophet Isaiah said it long before Bruh Paul, when he wrote of our Creator: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That’s putting it mildly my people!
And the scholars explain: ‘God’s sovereignty and omniscience are extolled by the statement that His thoughts (i.e. purposes or intentions) and ways (directions) are higher than ours. While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purpose.’ Simply stated: we can never fully understand or know our Creator! But that’s why He gave us those things called hope and faith, trust and surrender. So that despite our inability to fully know and understand His purposes and intentions, we can rest assured that His intentions to us are always for good.
Like Jeremiah puts it: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) Now seeing all the good that the Lord has done for us, in spite of our rebellion, disobedience and blasphemy against Him, why is it so difficult to believe that He truly cares for us and wants only our best eh? And why do we fight against this reassuring scripture eh? ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)
Our problem is that we are so selfish, greedy and entitled that we don’t want to have any unfortunate circumstances happen to us, we’re just interested in living for today. We don’t care about it all ending up right, we want it right, right now! But that’s not the way the world or our God operates. And if we don’t hurry up and get smart and accept those facts, then crapaud smoke we pipe! We’re going to pay an awfully high price for not believing and trusting Almighty God.
But for those of us who have already woken up from our slumber, let’s go to our Creator through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, offering thanks and praise, then asking for forgiveness and help. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations.
Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now the ball is in our court; time to keep our promises and turn from our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…humans are the most important of God’s creations…His awesome LOVING-kindness to us…though undeserved…shows that in spades…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
12 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: deliver us from the heathen, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, ever-saving grace, fear before him all the earth, frail fickle and finite ability, glory and honour are in his presence, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, great is thy faithfulness, heart is made of stone, his compassions fail not, his mercy endureth for ever, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, in god's eyes, It is of the Lord's mercies, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, moving and grooving, my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, our devilish souls washed clean, sacrificed His only Sn, save us O God of our salvation, share His love with the world, sing unto the Lord all the earth, strength and gladness are in his place, the cocoon of God's love, the cross of Calvary, the depths of Hades, the indwelling Holy Spirit of Christ, the price we pay, they are new every morning, to whom we belong, Tuesday Mantra, unconditional LOVE, wallowing in the Love of God, we are not consumed, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
1 Chronicles 16:34. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
And it’s a bright and beautiful spring Tuesday…getting warmer every minute too! (smile) Oh yes, it’s high time that we are blessed with some of the sun’s real warmth after such a long winter of hibernating. But that’s just the price we pay for living in the cold northern climes. Nothing that we can’t handle though with the indwelling Holy Spirit of Christ moving and grooving with us. And one of those marvellous moves happened just now. I’m talking about where the Good Book opened this morning; at 1 Chronicles 16, which contains this beautiful song of praise and thanksgiving from the mighty pen of Bruh David.
And you know what means, we’ve got to declare it today. (smile) So, let’s do as Bruh David says nuh. ‘Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols (worthless things): but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.
Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Fear (tremble) before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth. Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr.16:23-36)
Oh my people, my people, what beautiful, wise, true and sure sentiments! Bruh David surely knew how to pull one into the Lord’s sphere, to wrap one in the cocoon of God’s LOVE, mercy and greatness! If, after reading those true and worthy sentiments and you have not felt the LOVE, the nearness, the warmth and safety emanating from God’s Holy Spirit then your heart must really be made of stone. For the words just evoke a sense of totality, an all-encompassing serenity, stability and unchangeability that flows from the wonderful Creator of the universe and all therein. ‘For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.’
Now there’s no doubting His greatness if He can merely speak into existence this amazing world and all that’s in it. And just for that He definitely deserves praise and glory! Then when you add His goodness and mercy, His salvation, His saving grace…Oh friends, the honour and glory He truly deserves for all that He is, is way above our frail, fickle and finite ability. No wonder the Good Book tells us: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9)
We just are not in His league my brethren! And why should we be eh, when He is our Creator, the author of infinity, and we are just lowly, though highly adored minions with a finite existence? And that’s why we should be forever grateful and do like Bruh David says: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.’ And friends, not only the Lord’s mercy endures for ever, but also His amazing unconditional LOVE and ever-saving grace! Without His mercy, grace and LOVE, we’d be totally destroyed long ago!
Jeremiah said it so succinctly and wisely in His Lamentations. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Blessed be His Holy Name! Give thanks for His wonderful goodness to the undeserving children of men!’
And so we should my fellow saints, for without the Lord’s abundant faithfulness, patience and long-suffering, we would have already been ignited with hell-fire and damnation! Because He promised, the fire next time, no more simplistic water. (smile) But yet still we refuse to bow to Him, to be obedient to His holy law and live according to the guidelines found in His word. And that’s even after He sacrificed His only Son on the cross of Calvary so that our abominable sins could be forgiven and our devilish souls washed clean.
For whatever reason, the deceitful enemy still holds the reins of too many of our hearts and souls, desiring to take us down to the depths of Hades with him, forever separated from the God of our creation and salvation. But people, that’s the worst decision, the biggest mistake any created being can make, for eternity is a long, long time, and without Almighty God in our lives, for any time at all, much less such a long period, we will endure much ‘sufferation.’
Remember, that God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours. He’s our Creator and keeps the breath of life, His breath of life, going in us. He has the power to do whatever He wants with us through His omnipotence, omniscience, and omni-presence. And above all He is the God of our salvation! So, with all those things going for Him, doesn’t it make sense to bow down and worship Him, to give him much thanks and praise? I certainly think so!
And for those of us who also think that way, let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, proudly telling the whole world to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, 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!’
Consequently, we must now go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, just as generously as He’s shared it with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Oh what a wonderful task that is my people! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing better than…wallowing in the LOVE, mercy and grace of God…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
25 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, all praise honour and glory to God, as the heavens are higher than the earth, But God commendeth his love toward us, Christ died for us, courage, creativity, curse, disobedience to God, don't bow to the foolishness of Satan, eternal life in heaven, experience God's wrath, faith, favour, God is no pushover, God is the source of all our blessings, God is the source of healing, Happy Thanksgiving U. S of A, hell fire and damnation, if the Son sets you free, if ye continue in my word, kick God out of our soicety, LOVE, love the Lord with all thy heart soul and mind, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, negative word, neither are your ways my ways, on the junk pile of history, on which side their bread was buttered, One Nation Under God, prosper, set free from the tentacles of sin, sinful children of men, so are my ways higher than yours, succeed, sufferation, the greatest commandment, the truth shall set you free, Thursday's Blessings, to God the Father all gratitude and thanksgiving, too big for his britches, while we were yet sinners, ye shall know the truth, you shall be free indeed
John 8:32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING U.S. of A!
All praise, honour and glory to our heavenly Father this Thursday morning, my faithful brethren! It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Let’s hope that they do not get caught up and lost in the festivities and forget on which side their bread is buttered and spend some serious time considering their Creator because He is the source of all their blessings and also the source of the healing that their nation so badly needs. For their motto ‘One Nation Under God,’ no longer holds true, since they are now as divided and cantankerous as the days before the Civil War a couple hundred years ago, with Almighty God no longer the mainstay in the land.
And yes, to God the Father all gratitude and thanksgiving should go from all of us, for our awakening, our ability to walk, talk, eat and have a job to go to, for He is an awesome deity, the ONLY true and living God there is! And ALL Jehovah God’s children said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Father for your unconditional and undying LOVE, mercy, grace and faithfulness to us, sinful children of men. We LOVE You and praise Your holy name! Amen!’
And so we ought to friends, on account of the heartache that the Lord put Himself through for us, by sacrificing His only Son Jesus Christ so that we could be set free from the overwhelming tentacles of sin. Please note these heartrending words from the Good Book and let them soften our hearts. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Can you imagine that? Sacrificing your only Son to set a bunch of ungrateful sinners free, when they did not seem the least bit interested in you. Hn! But the Lord did it because of His great LOVE for His best creation. However, to be set free from the bondage of sin we must acknowledge and believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Like He said to the Jews at one stage in His ministry. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.’ (John 8:31-32)
That means if we really want to be set free from enslavement to sin, then we need to know the truth, and the truth is found in Christ’s written word. So, we have to read the word carefully and study it diligently. That’s the only way to know what it says. Then, most importantly, we need to obey what it says, for knowing and not obeying is sin. A dusty, unopened Bible is of no use to us. We need to always have a well-read one close by, and also have what it says written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
For remember, the greatest commandment is ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ (Matt. 22:37) And you can only truly LOVE the Lord when you know who He is and what He’s about, and you can only discover that when you read His word, His enlightened description of Himself and His ways.
And just one li’l footnote here to remind us of why He is God. As He says through the prophet Isaiah. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) It would do us all a whole lot of good if we would just keep those words at the front of our minds as we go about our daily living and don’t bow to the foolishness that Satan and his cohorts are trying to do in the land, like kick God out of our society.
Satan is a bloody fool, a created being who got too big for his britches! He couldn’t kick God out of heaven, what makes him think he can kick God out of the earth that He created eh? Hogwash! But unfortunately, too many of us are believing Satan’s lies and deceptions and are turning away from God. That’s the worst decision we can ever make my people, for all Satan has to offer is hell fire and damnation, while Jesus has eternal life in heaven with the Father, the Holy Spirit and Himself.
Now which one seems the best offer eh? Jesus’ obviously! But we fear what the world will say and do, and neither are we willing to put out the effort it takes to live sincerely for Jesus. But friends, if we read and study the Good Book, we will see how it ends, with God’s wrath levied against the evildoers. And believe me, our God might be LOVING, merciful and all those good things, but He’s no pushover, and I don’t think any of us will willingly want to experience His wrath. Just read about the ‘sufferation’ the Jewish people underwent for their disobedience to God, and all those other nations who got too big and proud to follow God. Where are they now eh? On the junk pile of history.
But that’s a decision each one of must make, so I am pleading with us to make the decision to live for Jesus, because that’s the ONLY wise and sensible one. As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) likes to say, there are consequences to every decision, but eternal wisdom decrees to: ‘obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’ You can’t argue with that statement. So, for those of us who have already committed our lives to Jesus, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one strong and confident 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!’
Now, let’s rise up and go out and share those blessings just as generously with others as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know, LOVE and glorify Him as we do! Much LOVE!
…if the Son shall set you free…you shall be free indeed… (John 8:36)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
06 Mar 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good and faithful God, a great while before day, a man's life consisteth not, a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, and in the morning, and there he prayed, asking for guidance and wisdom, be grateful for what you have, bet your bottom dollar, beware of covetousness, do not fear failure, don, don't repay evil for evil, evil for evil, fear not trying, flavourful salt of the earth, good vibes, he went out and departed into a solitary place, He will never let you down, in failure you learn the true lessons of life, in the abundance of things, light of the world, LOVE, LOVE our enemies, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, new mercies and compassions, react with a good attitude, recompense to no man, retaliation principle, rising up, set a right template for the day, spend time giving thanks, start each day, take heed, the evil twin sisters of greed and jealousy, transported to your soul, wisdom of the highest order, with a positive thought and a grateful heart, you can choose how you respond to it, you cannot control the behaviour of others
Mark 1:35. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there he prayed.
So here it is, that big day called Saturday! (smile) So what’s in store for you today eh? Hope it’s more of those new mercies and compassions of our wonderful God! And if you have stayed with Him, surrendered your life and will to Him, I am sure that those good vibes will be, or have already been transported to your soul and spirit. Bless His holy name my faithful friends! For He is indeed a good and faithful God and will never let you down, or leave and forsake you. You can bet your bottom dollar, as well as your life, your eternal destiny on that!
He’s so awesome, so powerful and all-knowing that we can’t even comprehend His thoughts and ways. No wonder He proclaims to us mere mortals: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is, 55:8-9) And all of God’s people said a loud, proud and grateful ‘Amen!’ Yes friends, once we admit those two statements, then we are on the way to a good thing.
Now let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week. Hope I can get my head around them. (smile) And this first one is boss! ‘Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.’ Now that’s definitely the best way to begin each day: on a positive note, with prayer and thanksgiving. That way you set a right template for the entire day. Yuh notice how Jesus began His days? Mark tells us: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there he prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Oh my people, if Jesus needed to get in touch with His heavenly Father each and every morning, who are we to be different eh, especially if we’re His loyal and faithful followers? No, we don’t have to get up before the break of day, and go out into a deserted place, but we do have to spend at least a few moments giving thanks and asking for guidance, wisdom and safety to begin our day. That’s just wisdom of the highest order!
And the next quote says: ‘Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.’ That’s more gospel truth my brethren! We should not be afraid to fail, but we should be afraid of not trying, because it’s only in trying that you can find success. If you don’t try, you’ll never succeed!
And though you may fail when you try, it’s in that failure that you learn the real and true lessons of life. There are so many who people failed many times before they eventually found success. That means that every time you fail, you’ve got to get back up and try again, especially if you’re a follower of Jesus, because giving up does not exist in His vocabulary. (smile)
And that’s a rather appropriate message for us believers in this pandemic time; we can’t afford to fail, or to give up on doing Christ’s work, because He’s depending on us. He expects us to be the very flavourful salt of the earth and light of the world, so that people can see our good deeds and glorify His Father in heaven. So let’s not even think about failure or giving up nuh.
And then there’s this: ‘You cannot control the behavior of others, but you can always choose how you respond to it.’ Oh friends, more indisputable truth! We can’t control how people behave, but we can certainly control how we react to their behaviour. And Jesus desires that all His followers always react with a good attitude…well within reason, (smile) for we are frail and weak human beings, so we do make mistakes.
But seriously though precious people, these times we’re living in are so prevalent with bad behaviour that it’s hard to avoid it on any given day. Things like manners no longer exist in our selfish and me first and alone society. So it does take a strong and mature spirit to avoid reacting to bad behaviour with our own bad behaviour.
Jesus taught us to LOVE our enemies, not to use the retaliation principle of an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth, but to turn the other cheek when smitten on one, and to go the extra mile.’ (Matt. 5:38-44) And Bruh Paul said it thus to the church at Rome: ‘Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil… Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:17a, 21) It couldn’t be any clearer than that my brethren.
Now here comes another tough nut to crack. ‘Even if you cannot change all the people around you, you can change the people you choose to be around. Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you. Spend your life with people who make you smile, laugh, and feel LOVED.’ And it’s all very true, but not very easy to do in practice, because you can’t change people unless they want to change, and ofttimes you don’t have the power to get different people around you, those who make you laugh and respect you.
For example, in the many families we have nowadays where respect and compassion for each other is sadly lacking. You might want to get away from them but you can’t because they are family and you live together. It’s the same with co-workers who don’t treat you right. It’s not always easy to find another job, so sometimes you just have to put up with negative attitude and show a positive one yourself, like Jesus told us above. You can do it more easily with friends though.
And when you become a follower of Jesus, He will probably ease you away from some old friends, who are bad influences on you, and bring new ones who are a better supporting cast. But we do need to do our best to have people around us who care for us and are willing to encourage us and keep us accountable. It makes no sense to spend too much time around sour, negative, disgruntled people who only pull us down. End of story! (smile)
And the last quote is also a great one. ‘Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.’ Oh friends, that’s the nature of the beast! We are never satisfied with what we have, yet we keep wanting more. How many of us have oodles of stuff around us which we once thought was so wonderful, but now lies in a disregarded pile heaven only knows where?
So what makes us think that the more we have the happier we will be eh? The evil twin sisters of ‘greed and jealousy!’ And Jesus covers that splendidly in the parable of the rich fool, where He says: ‘Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ (Luke. 12:15) Yes friends, that says it all; more is not necessarily good or better; ofttimes it’s worse. Let’s remember that and live accordingly nuh. Much LOVE!
…be grateful for the little things…for when you are…big things usually come your way…
19 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundantly pardon, action our words, as the heavens are higher than the earth, as the universe unfurls, bring light to the darkness, call ye upon him, Christ bashes some sense in our heads, Christ comes back, come short in obedience, common sense dictates, confirmation of our sincerity, continual turmoil, death, ease their suffering, evil, hardhearted, have mercy upon him, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, joy, lays down the law, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, my ways higher than your ways, need your divine help, our Father who art in heaven, pandemic of Covid 19, peace, praise Your Holy Name, return unto the Lord, roll along with the tumbling tunbleweed, seek ye the Lord, sin, sincere repentance, standing in faith, stubborn, the days of man, the fool say in his heart, the Garden of Eden, the God who heals, the mass confusion, the only one, the power to solve our many problems, the unrighteous man his thoughts, there is no god, Togetherness, tumultuous times, until we implode, violence, we have all sinned, wherever the unseen wind blows us, while he is near, while he may be found, whomsoever will may come, wise guidance and direction
Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
And the days pass, one after the other, just like they were programmed to do since the beginning of time. Likewise, the days of man, with God fulfilling them as He promised. (Ex. 23:26) And from the day that our forefathers fell for the deception of the enemy, and were kicked out of Paradise, the Garden of Eden, there has been sin, death, evil, violence and every ungodly thing that the devil and fallen man could devise corrupting the world. And I guess it will remain like that until Christ comes back and lays down the law; sets up His eternal kingdom, because mankind doesn’t seem to truly want, desire or like the things of God, like LOVE, joy, peace and togetherness.
So it’s no wonder our world has been in continual turmoil down through the ages, and right now is experiencing one of the most tumultuous times ever. And just to show that we’re not as brilliant or wise as we believe, we can’t seem to get a handle on any of the problems we’re currently facing, because we can’t even agree that there’s a problem. And those who do agree that we have problems, can’t agree on how best to fix them either. Thus, it looks like we’ll just roll along with the tumbling tumbleweed, wherever the unseen wind blows us, until we implode, or Christ comes back and bashes some sense in our heads.
But thankfully, on this Monday morning, as the universe unfurls like it ought to, I am here, on Jesus’ behalf, to try and put a li’l sense in our heads, so that we at least don’t get any worse than we currently are. We’ll bring a li’l light to the darkness that’s covering way too much of our wonderful world. And we’ll try to do that by expounding the Word of God, through His prophet Isaiah, as He generously offers free mercy to all and sundry. ‘Whomsoever will may come.’ That’s it in a nutshell.
Now hear the words the Lord put in Isaiah’s mouth, way back then, words that are still applicable to us today, since our world has not changed, possibly gotten worse, if anything. ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.’ (Is. 55:6) Now isn’t that marvellous advice my brethren, especially in these rough and tough times? It surely is, especially since we can’t seem to solve our many problems in our own strength. And common sense dictates that if you can’t solve a problem, then you go to a higher power for help.
And the highest power we can ever go to is Almighty God. And He spells it out for us in no uncertain terms. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) Now if that isn’t putting us in our place then I don’t know what it is nuh! (smile) And the scholars tell us that ‘While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purposes.’
Yeh friends, though our God is close to us, our minds are too puny to even contemplate His true greatness. And despite His awesomeness, He’s most magnanimous and merciful. Hear how Isaiah puts it. ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:7)
Oh mih people, what a wonderful promise from our Creator! And we all know that He faithfully keeps all His promises, so why are we so reluctant to turn back to Him and receive forgiveness and mercy, grace andLOVE, reconciliation, righteousness, justification and sanctification, all earned on the strength of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary eh? It just doesn’t make sense. As I keep saying, when the Israelites messed up and suffered for it, they were quick to run back to God and receive forgiveness.
Why won’t we eh? Why are we so stubborn and hardhearted, revelling in our disobedience, as we pay an exorbitant price for it? I really don’t know nuh. I guess my mind is just not big and wise enough to fathom such mighty things. (smile) Anyhow, for those of us who are willing to stand by the promise of God, let’s seek His face right now nuh, let’s call upon Him through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, so that we can find Him and receive forgiveness and all the other wonderful things He has to offer.
As one now, in confident humility: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
The next move is for us to action those words, and begin showing sincere repentance in our hearts, for that’s where the Lord is looking for confirmation of our sincerity.Much LOVE!
…the fool says in his heart…there is no God…how foolish…
20 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all ye that labour, anger, antidote, as for me and my house, blessing and cursing, calamitous times, call heaven and earth, choose life, come unto me, Coronavirus, Daniel Darling, death, dependence on god, direction, eager anticipation, eternal life, eternal separation, faith, fear the Lord, forgive us, frustration, gods of the amorites, gospel truth, guidance, heal our land, hear our prayer, heavy laden, hope, humble prayer, I will give you rest, in sincerity and truth, life and death, lockdown, LOVE, masters of our own fate, meek and lowly in heart, Monday Morning Covid-19 Battle Hymn, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, negative spirit, Our Father, patience, perseverance, repentance, salvation, seek your face, serve the Lord, take my yoke, the created, the Creator, the great invitation, the life and times, this too will pass, to witness against you, we will serve the Lord, who art in heaven
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
And life goes on one way or the other through this Coronavirus time. But these calamitous times will end one day, when the Lord so desires. Yes friends, this too will undoubtedly pass, when the Lord achieves the purpose(s) for which He allowed it. However, in the mean time, we have two options of living life, as author Daniel Darling proposes in an article I recently read. ‘We can spend the rest of our years angry at what we think we’ve lost, or we can spend them in sweet dependence on God.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth! We can either get angry and be miserable about all the negative things that have happened and are still happening, or simply do like our leader, Jesus Christ advises; put our total trust and dependence in Him; the One who has moved us from death and eternal separation from God, to salvation and eternal life with Him. Just consider His Great Invitation nuh: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)
Wow! Is anybody else offering, or have ever offered such a glorious invitation? No sir! And as author Darling continues in his article: ‘This is the difference, I think, between those whose lives are marked by grace and those whose lives are filled with frustration and anger.’ And that’s the gospel truth! Grace and peace come through association with Jesus, but anger and frustration are the product of a constantly dissatisfied and negative spirit, like that of Satan. And with the free will God granted us, we must now choose our preferred or desired course of action: doing life with Him, or death with the prince of demons.
As Moses, on God’s behalf said to the Israelites: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut.31:19) The Lord’s saying the same thing to us today my people. And if that didn’t resonate with you, (smile) then listen to this other invitation that Joshua, Moses’ replacement as the Israelite leader, gave them.
‘Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (the Euphrates River), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh. 24:14-15)
There it is friends, plainly set out in black and white! Now it’s up to us to choose. And since I know that most of us have obviously chosen ‘life, blessing, and the Lord God of Israel,’ then it now behooves us to communicate with Him and follow His rules and regulations, which can sometimes be onerous, but are always for our benefit. (smile) Okay, some of us doubt that, but if you keep the faith and grow in it, you will eventually realize that it’s oh so true. So let’s communicate with our Creator nuh, in the manner that He set out; purposeful, confident and humble prayer.
And this Monday morning the most stressful and discouraging thing on our minds is the Covid-19 disease, therefore let’s address that matter uppermost in our prayer, the one we call our Monday Morning Covid-19 Battle Hymn. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive, and hopefully haven’t contracted the virus that’s causing havoc around our world. Despite the crucial lockdown, those of us considered essential, still have go to work, and we’re somewhat fearful, because we have no idea, how, when and where the virus might strike.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction.
Please show us how to successfully handle this scourge that’s plaguing the earth, and help the scientists to find a positive solution, a sure antidote to it as quickly as possible. And for those who have already contracted the virus, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them Father. Show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
Ah friends, if that didn’t get God’s attention, I don’t know what will nuh. (smile) But He is the Boss and it’s His decision! So now we wait with patience, meaning perseverance, faith and hope, eager anticipation, and a trusting heart, because as we said at the beginning, all will be revealed and come to pass in His time, not ours. And yes, unfortunately our great God doesn’t see, or perceive time in the same simple way that we do, but on a more lofty level.
And to reinforce our differences, He has said through His prophet Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways may ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) Now that certainly puts us in our place. And it’s rather sad that so many of us don’t seem to believe it, one of the major reasons why our world is in such a disastrous state. I don’t know what else we need to truly understand that we are not masters of our own fate! Much LOVE!
…to the Creator…belongs…the life and times of the created…
14 Nov 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a festive party, an eleborate banquet, been his counsellor, beyond our understanding, bless thy name, ceaseless care, celebration, compassions, curse, deeper than hell, extol thee, faith, favour, find out God, God is the source of all things, goodness, great is the Lord, greatly to be praised, his greatness is unsearchable, incomprehensible, irresistible love, known the mind of God, lavish goodness, lighted torches, longings, loving kindness, majesty, mercies, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, negative word, praise you from the mountaintop, promises you've kept, prosper, raise banners, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, self-control, share our blessings, shout for joy, succeed, supremacy, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, Thursday Blessings, unfailing protection, wave flags, you've satisfied, Zophar repoves job
Psalm 145:3. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).
Oh precious people of Christ, it’s a new day, with new mercies and new compassions from our heavenly Father! Praise His holy name! And we’ll do just that this cloudy, dreary-looking Thursday morning, starting with a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. And it’s ever so appropriately titled ‘Celebration!’
So please pray with me sincerely: ‘When I think of Your lavish goodness The longings You’ve satisfied The forgiveness You’ve granted The promises You’ve kept When I think of Your irresistible LOVE Your ceaseless care Your unfailing protection… O Lord God I want to raise flags And fly banners And sound bugles. I want to run with lighted torches And praise You From the mountaintop. I want to write symphonies And shout for joy. I want to throw a festive party For ten thousand guests. I want to celebrate with streamers and bright lights And an elaborate banquet.’ And God’s answer to all that… ‘Fine, dear child I’m ready.’
Oh friends, nobody like s a party, a celebration like our wonderful God, especially when He’s the One we’re celebrating! And He does deserve a whole lot of celebrating for all those things said in the poem about His goodness and LOVING-kindness are eternally true! And He’s ready to party, whenever we are! And we are indeed ready! So let’s begin by glorifying Him in the words of Bruh David from his psalm of praise: ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps. 145:1-2)
Oh my fellow saints in Christ, that is exactly how we ought to behave every single day of our lives! And if you want to know why we singing His praises so vociferously each and every day, then listen to our Bit, Bruh David’s next words: ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).’ And it surely is my people! And I like how the Lord didn’t wait for us to find that out for ourselves, but plainly told us so in His own words: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) And that’s an indisputable fact!
And the scholars offer this most interesting and intriguing explanation: ‘55:8-13. God’s sovereignty and omniscience are extolled by the statement that His thoughts (i.e., purposes or intentions) and ways (Gr. derakim, or “directions”) are higher than ours. While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purposes. Therefore, He reveals Himself to men by His word, which shall not return to him void (in vain). The Word of God, therefore, accomplishes His purpose in announcing salvation.’ And are we ever so grateful for that!
Now let’s hear a few scriptures that do establish God’s sovereignty and His awesome incomprehensibility to mortal man. Hear Zophar when he reproves Job: ‘Canst thou by searching find out God (search out the deep things of God)? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than hell (sheol); what canst thou know?’ (Job 11:7-8) And the answer to all of that my people is ‘Absolutely nothing!’ We can search all we want, but we’ll never find out the secrets of God, except those He releases to us in His Word.
And Isaiah tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.’ (Is. 40:28) And if you didn’t know that before, now yuh know! (smile)
And Bruh Paul puts it this way to the church at Rome: ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!’ (Rom. 11:33) But then in Bruh Paul’s remarkable style, he continues by quoting us some of the Old Testament Scriptures on the matter; ‘For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed (repaid) unto him again?’ (Rom. 11:34-35)
And the answer to all of those questions is simply ‘NOBODY!’ ‘For of him, and through him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.’ (Rom. 11:36) Yes friends, as the scholars explain: ‘11:36. God is the source of all things – of him; God is the channel of all things – through him; God is the goal of all things – to him; and Man’s only proper response to God is to worship Him.’ And that’s for certain sure! I just wish that more of mankind could and would realize that! But for those of us who do, let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has graciously and generously given to us to do His earthly work.
All together in strong, sincere voices: ‘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 let’s go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…O…the incomparability…the majesty…and the supremacy…of our great God…
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