15 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a clean heart, a life of sin, Amazing grace, appalling hypocrisy, as white as snow, be as wool, Chrales Stanley, cleanse me, clenched fists, come now, condemnation, confess his sins, continual assurance, contradiction, convicts us, courteous words, create in me, cringe, disobedient subjects, eternal damnation, eyes fixed straight ahead, forgive, frantic, glad to be alive, God's Searchlight, grace, guilt, hypocrites, hyssop, impossible effort, invitation to all men, Jesus Christ, justified, leave all the consequences, let us reason together, light of revelation, looking to the future, LOVE, masked motive, most reliable being, Nathan, no rain, not turning back, obey God, omnipotence, omniscience, One Year Book of Bible promises, penetrating gaze, penitent heart, plead thy case, promises, purge me, purify me, put me in remembrance, raises its ugly head, red like crimson, remorse, remove, renew a right spirit, repenting, Ruth Harms Calkin, selfish act, shame, sinful nature, sins, splintered cross, steadfast, the Holy Spirit, the weather system, to escape, transgressions, turning to god, unchristian, uncoditional love, unreliable, utterly shattered, Wednesday Wail, your child, your sins be as scarlet
Isaiah 1:18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; and though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
No rain! No rain! Glory be! But the skies on the eastern horizon do look a tad dark for this hour of the morning. (smile) And just to let you know that by lunchtime yesterday, rainy day Tuesday had turned into dry and sunny day Tuesday!
Oh the weather system is so tricky and unreliable these days. But thank God our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the most reliable Being in God’s great universe, so we don’t have anything much to worry about, just our own unnecessary worries. (smile)
And when I read this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin yesterday, it just spoke to me, saying ‘You’ve got to share me!’ So here it is. It’s titled ‘God’s Searchlight.’ Please pray with me: ‘O God If suddenly You were to reveal To my family, my friends, my neighbours Every real thought behind my courteous words If you were to point to my clenched fists While my other hand is openly extended
If you were to bring to light Every masked motive, every selfish act I would cringe with remorse And beg You to remove Your light of revelation. Yet, Lord, when the searchlight of the Holy Spirit Begins to reveal me to myself I so often close my eyes and turn my back In a frantic but impossible effort To escape Your penetrating gaze.
What a staggering contradiction, Lord what appalling hypocrisy. Apart from your grace I am utterly shattered. I ask you to sweep through me Purify me, cleanse me completely. From the depth of my penitent heart I thank You for Your continual assurance As I turn toward Your splintered cross. Because of Your LOVE I became Your child Because of Your GRACE I remain Your child.’
Oh friends, oh friends, that is all so true! We try to be tried and true believers, but that sinful aspect of our nature too often raises its ugly head and makes us behave very hypocritically! And don’t fool your fat, we’re all a bunch of ole hypocrites, just some to a higher or lower degree than others, because we all dislike things and people and otherwise for which we have no good grounds, and behave in ways that are very unchristian.
However when the Holy Spirit convicts us, hopefully we turn to the cross of Jesus and cry out for the help we so badly need! And those last two lines say it all: By God’s unconditional and awesome LOVE, we became His children, and by His amazing GRACE, we remain His children! Yes friends, it’s all because of our wonderful God that we’re saved from a life of sin, shame and eternal damnation!
And I like the scripture verse that Ruth uses for this poem ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; and though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’
Oh my people, which other supposed deity is willing to sit down and reason with His sinful disobedient subjects eh? Only the Lord God Jehovah, because He is sure and secure enough in His own omnipotence and omniscience to do so! But please note, that though He is willing to sit down and talk, He is still the one laying down the basic groundwork for our relationships.
And that is: ‘If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:19-20)
And for some reason or other we don’t tend to take the Lord’s promises as seriously as we should. The Israelites didn’t several times, and felt the wrath He promised. Now we’re doing likewise, and so many of us are falling by the sword and numerous old and new diseases, and we still aren’t paying attention to God’s Word! How unwise my people!
Now listen to the scholars’ explanation of those verses. ‘1:18-20. The prophet’s appeal to come and reason together reveals God’s gracious invitation to ALL men. It literally means to be “reasonable” by repenting and turning to God. Their sin is described as scarlet and red like crimson, referring to their bloodguiltiness before God.
The term ‘crimson’ also means “worm,” referring to the colourfast red dye of the scarlet worm. The eradication of this stain turns it snowy white and is symbolic of the life-changing grace of God, which delivers men from the guilt and condemnation of sin. Thus the prophet reminds his readers that God stands ready to cleanse and forgive all who will turn to Him.’
All praise and glory to our wonderful God! And it’s not the only time the Lord calls His people to talk with Him about their sins. Listen to Him again, later on in Isaiah: ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead (contend) together: declare thou (thy case), that thou mayest be justified.’ (Is.43:2-26)
Oh friends, what more can we ask for eh? We have such a wonderful God, who is willing and able to cast aside and forget our sins if we repent and become obedient to His Word. And that’s why the Lord LOVED Bruh David; he wasn’t afraid to confess his sins, even the most abominable ones.
Listen to him from Psalm 51, when Nathan drapes him up with his sin with Bathsheba. ‘Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities, Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.’ (Ps.51:7-10)
Yeh mih people, though Bruh David looked good on the outside, He was suffering mightily with the immense guilt on his heart, but when he repented, that guilt lifted because the Lord forgave him, though he paid a serious price for his sin later on in life, a sin which brought serious disrepute to God’s cause. The same thing goes for us today; we can ALL be forgiven through sincere repentance, but more likely than not, there will be consequences to pay for our sins.
So fully knowing and acknowledging that, let’s go home declaring (yes!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our wonderful and illustrious position in Christ. As one 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 yes my breddren, let’s keep on keeping on strong and steadfast, and that future will be indeed more than we can ask or ever imagine! Much LOVE!
As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) so rightly says…the best way to live this life is to…simply obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…
20 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better person, a glorious future with Jesus, a house built on sand, a house built on the rock that's jesus, a mother hen, a thousand days, abandoned, airtight plan, always comfort us, Beauty for Ashes, begun a good work, being confident, believe, Christian's eternal security, completes what He begins, conversion, covenant, crushing, divinely continued, every hidden crevice, faithfully promised, God's nature, Gods thoughts and ways are higher than ours, grace, grin and bear it, halfway home, hammering, hands on the plough, hold steadfast, holy spirit, how long will it last, hurry a little, joy for mourning, keep us safe, last forever, life's storms, like one day, looking forward to, lurking enemy, make me something, make something out of nothing, man's demarcation of time, Martin Luther King, Mother Nature, never leavenor forsake us, not turning back, of this very thing, on the ball, partners, Philippians, physically, protects her chicks, reduce me to nothing, reshape and remake me, spiritually, spring, Spring Equinox, the Boss, the breath of life, the Renovator, under his mighty wings, unrealized, until the day of Christ Jesus, walk obediently to god's will, Wednesday Wail, What is your schedule God, will perform it, work of grace, work out all things for good
Philippians 1:6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.
‘It’s spring! It’s spring! Springtime is here! Thank God it’s spring!’ Hn, hn, hn! Yeh friends, the Spring Equinox has finally reached the North Country, but please don’t be deceived by the ebullient nature of that statement because that’s just man’s calendar. Mother Nature however, doesn’t hold to man’s demarcation of time, she does her own thing, so the temps will not always be above freezing, and some of that white stuff is possible in the next month or so.
And having set the record straight on that topic, let’s move on to this interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘What is Your Schedule, God?’ The first time I read it, I had to laugh because it applies so appropriately to my present position and no doubt to some of you readers also.
So please pray with me: ‘Lord Many years ago Martin Luther King said “It is God’s nature To make something out of nothing. That is why God cannot make anything Out of him who is not yet nothing.” In ways I had never anticipated, Lord Slowly but persistently You continue Your hammering and crushing In every hidden crevice of my life.
You seem determined To reduce me to nothing In order to make something. I wonder… What is Your schedule, God? As You creatively continue To reshape and remake me How long will it last? Lord, could You hurry a little’
My sentiments exactly my people! It’s taking a rather long time for Him to complete His renovations in me! Oh I know that I will be a much better person, both physically and spiritually when He’s done, but did I need so much work, that it’s taking so long? (smile) I guess He seems to think so. And He’s the Boss, the Renovator, so there’s not much I can do but grin and bear it, knowing that He’s faithfully promised that He eventually will work out all things for our good.
Even the bad stuff, He’ll make eventually work in our favour. And there’s also this other important and incomparable promise found in the Bible verse for today’s poem, which is also our Bit for today. In the immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’
Ah mih people, our God is not a wishy-washy deity, who just does things vikey-vie, but an outstanding and upstanding Father figure who has an airtight plan and completes what He begins! That means that though I’ve been going through some rough times as He renovates me, and it seems to be taking a rather long time, I can yet be assured that he will finish those renovations in His own timing.
We all know that His timing and ours very seldom coincide; (smile) we want it done now for now, but He’s in no rush whatsoever. That’s why He gives us His powerful grace to bear up under such tough and unwanted conditions.
Now hear what the scholars say about our Bit. ‘1:6. Will perform it is said “will finish it.” Paul is convinced that the work of grace that God began in the Philippians at conversion will be divinely continued until the day of Jesus Christ. That is, the Lord will keep working in these believers until Jesus returns to earth, at which point He will finish His work, bringing it to completion. This speaks of the Christian’s eternal security. For God had a purpose in view when He began His saving work in the Philippians, and that purpose will neither be abandoned nor unrealized.’
Give our great God some thanks and praise my brethren, because He also has a purpose in saving us, and that purpose will neither be ‘abandoned nor unrealized!’ Wow! You can bet your bottom dollar on that! The Lord will continue working in and on each of us until Jesus comes back to claim His birthright! Isn’t that good news? Yes, it sure is wonderful news, to know that our heavenly Father is on the ball, even though we may not like what His work entails in our earthly days.
But we’ve just got to hang on to those promises of His, the many promises found in His awesome Word, like those above and like He’ll never leave nor forsake us, will always comfort us, give us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, keep us safe under His mighty wings from the always lurking enemy and life’s inevitable storms, just like a mother hen protects her chicks! And the list goes on and on my faithful followers of Christ!
Remember, we are partners in this life with our Maker; that means He has a part to do, and we also have our part to do. And as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘God will not do our part, and we can’t do His part, though we often try to!’ And that’s gospel truth friends! So our part of the covenant is to hold on tightly to the promises of the Almighty, and walk obediently to His will, regardless of the circumstances, and just let Him get on with His renovation and renewal of our lives.
Remember His thoughts and ways are higher than ours and a thousand days in His sight is like one in ours, so we will very seldom see eye to eye. (smile) But all will turn out well if we just believe and hold steadfast to His Word! It’s not always easy to do, but He’s also given us the grace and the help of His Holy Spirit do it. So let’s stop complaining and just get with the programme nuh! Jesus didn’t have it easy, so why should we have it so eh? No reason whatsoever!
So let’s smarten up, and with the Lord’s strength and joy in our hearts, let’s go home declaring (steups – wrong again) our Wednesday Wail, telling the whole world our wonderful and enviable position in the Lord Jesus Christ, our most wonderful Leader and Saviour!
Altogether 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!’
And please remember, that future will be even more glorious than we can think or imagine! Way to go mih people! Much LOVE!
…a house built on sand will not stand…but one built on the rock that’s Jesus…will surely last forever…
P.S. Yuh see what happens when you all get the ole fella excited…he just keeps on writing…(smile) Much LOVE!
20 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a timely word, a twoedged sword, a word fitly spoken, and God said, and there was light, ask or imagine, be for signs, beast of the earth, bring forth abundantly, cattle, Christ on our side, climate change, communication explosion, creeping thing, days, discerner of the thoughts, divide the day from the night, dividing asunder, every idle word, eyes fixed straight ahead, give account, halfway home, hands on the plough, have dominion, heaven, in our own image, intentions of the heart, joints and marrow, let birds fly, let the earth bring forth grass, Let there be light, lights in the firmament, like apples of gold, make man, men shall speak, moving creatures, not turning back, pictures of silver, piercing, pleasing, precious, seasons, second wind, silver settings, snowstorm, social media, soul and spirit, the breath of life, the day of judgement, the fowl, the spoken word, the waters, Wednesday Wail, years
Genesis 1:3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
So it’s Wednesday, and many of us have caught our second wind – or it might just be the first for those who had the long weekend off and abused it. (smile) And it looks like there’s another storm hitting North America these next two days; snow and freezing rain in the northern part and rains and floods down south!
Ah Lord eh! We’re certainly seeing what winter can be and used to be like many years ago before climate change made it sort of ‘jokified’ with more rain than snow sometimes.
Anyway, come what may, we believers will handle it because we have the ONE and ONLY Lord Jesus Christ on our side and He will enable us to handle whatever comes against us! Praise His Holy Name my people! Therefore we can boldly say: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
And not only that, but also, ‘The Lord WILL provide all our needs through His riches in glory, through Christ Jesus!’ Wow! And consequently, ‘Me and my house will follow the Lord, come what may!’ Glory be mih breddren! What a way our words have power, power to cause life and/or death, but we need to use them, speak them boldly, confidently and sincerely!
Remember how this great universe was formed; by the spoken word: ‘And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.’ Yes friends, it all began with a spoken word. And so it continued: ‘And God said, Let there be a firmament (expanse) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ (Gen.1:6) ‘And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.’ (Gen.1:9)
‘And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.’ (Gen.1:11) ‘And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.’ (Gen.1:14)
‘And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life (abound with an abundance of living creatures), and fowl that may fly above the earth (let birds fly) in the open firmament of heaven (across the face of the open expanse of heaven).’ (Gen.1:20) ‘And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.’ (Gen.1:24)
‘And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ (Gen.1:26)
Ah friends, man was so important to God, that instead of just speaking him into being like the other species in His universe, He actually got down on His knees and made man! ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ (Gen.2:7)
Wow! That’s how important we were and still are to Him; that He dirties His hands to make us. Everything else, He just spoke into existence. Doesn’t that just touch your hearts my people! It ought to, knowing that we were made in the image of God, and even after we fell into sin, we still retained that likeness, and then Jesus came and gave us the opportunity to get back into God’s good graces and enjoy salvation and eternal life!
But I digress. (smile) We talking about the power of the spoken word. And we have this last wonderful illustration, from the author of Hebrews, telling us exactly how powerful and mighty is the Word. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’ (Heb.4:12)
Yes friends, words are indeed powerful tools, and we should not take our spoken words lightly, since Jesus Himself warned: ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt.12:36-37)
Ah mih people, the words we speak down here on earth are so important that we will be judged on them in heaven! That ought to wake us up and help us to control our tongues and words, because in these days of the explosion of social media and communication technology, we’re definitely not paying enough attention to the words we speak. And if we don’t smarten up, we will pay a hefty price come the judgement day for our uncontrolled words. Nuff said!
Now let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our wonderful position in Christ. With heartfelt sincerity, and strong sense of purpose, let’s wail: ‘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!’
And please believe me friends, if we stick with Jesus through thick and thin, the future will indeed be glorious, more glorious than we can either ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…a word fitly spoken…is like apples of gold…in pictures of silver (silver settings)…(a timely and fitting word…is precious and pleasing…) (Prov.25:11)
23 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great while before day, admonition, anxious, ask or imagine, backbone, be careful for nothing, beating around the bush, believers, belly, breath of life, by faith, condemning society, dangerous, decisions, departed into a solitary place, endurance, evidence, face of adversity, give up, glad to be alive, go slow, God's way of communicating, halfway home, hands on the plough, hopes, if thou faint, in every thing, in the day of adversity, in the morning, Jesus, Jesus' playbook, judgemental, keep your hearts, know Jesus, leads the way, looking to a glorious future, lose heart, LOVE, made know unto God, men ought always to pray, men pray every where, middle of the workweek, most powerful element on earth, not by sight, not faint, not right now, not turning back, passeth all understanding, persistent widow, pray, prayer, pursue justice, pursue our dreams, push, received mercy, resolve to pray, riding shotgun, right to the point, rising up, sinful times, slippery, snow, sought the Father's wisdom, spake a parable, strong, supplication, tempted to give up, thanksgiving, the peace of God, there prayed, thy strength is small, to this end, true test of endurance, unjust judge, until something happens, we faint not, Wednesday Wail, wonderful example, your request
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).
And then it was Wednesday, the middle of the work week…and we did get some of the promised snow, not in the afternoon though, but sometime during the early morning hours, and not as much as expected. However, if you have to venture out there, please be careful, because snow is snow; slippery and dangerous, be it plentiful or li’l bit. (smile) But as always, with Jesus riding shotgun with us, there’s not much to worry about! Praise His holy name!
And looking through the many bits of paper I have next to the computer for something to write about, I came upon this acronym; ‘PUSH!’ And what dies it mean? Simply, PRAY until something happens!’ Yeh friends, we ought to just keep on praying, until we see some results of our prayers, because God doesn’t always say, NO, but sometimes, GO SLOW, or NOT RIGHT NOW!
So it’s always best to keep on keeping on until you get a definitive answer…and believe me, when the Lord is ready, He will give you one. (smile) And unfortunately, for whatever reason, in these wicked and sinful times, even true and strong believers don’t pray as much as they ought.
But please remember Jesus’ admonition: ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).’ And that parable was about the persistent widow who refused to go unjustified by the wicked judge. So too should we pursue justice and pray with all our hearts, minds and souls!
As the scholars explain, re our Bit: ‘18:1. To faint means “to lose heart.” Precisely when tempted to give up, men ought to be strong in their resolve to pray.’ And sadly, in this mish mash, judgemental, condemning society, it’s oh so easy to lose heart. But we have to be strong friends, and just pursue our dreams and hopes through prayer.
And there are so many scriptures that advise and encourage and admonish us to keep on praying, especially since it’s God’s way of communicating with us, and it’s the most powerful element on earth! So let’s look at a few of them nuh, and use them to help us strengthen our resolve to keep on praying.
And what better verse to begin with than one of my favourites, this one from Mark: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) Mama Mia!
Oh friends, that scripture is talking about Jesus’ rising early every day to go out and pray. What a wonderful example He is! He doesn’t just tell us to do things, but leads the way Himself. Before Jesus did anything, He always sought the Father’s wisdom through prayer. And as I keep saying, if the Son of God needed to pray while down here on earth, why should we miserable sinners be any different eh?
And then we have this wonderful statement from Bruh David: ‘For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ (Psalm 109:4) Yeh friends, it’s often best to pray when our enemies come against us, and remember Jesus said we ought also to pray for them. Meanwhile Cousin Sol gets right to the point, no beating around the bush: ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov.24:10)
No joking friends! As the scholars say: ‘24:10. Strength in the face of adversity is the true test of endurance.’ And one of the reasons why our world is in such sad shape is simply because we supposed believers don’t have enough belly and backbone to stand up to the evil forces of the world! It’s sad but true! We’re too scared of what others might say or do, therefore we just fade off into the sunset and let the wicked do as they please.
I’m sure it breaks Jesus’ heart every time one of His supposed followers behaves thus. And if we’re believers, then in the words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not (lose heart).’ (2 Cor.4:1) Oh my people, we have received the same mercy that Bruh Paul did, therefore, we ought also not to faint, not to lose heart! Friends, the worst thing we can ever do as a believer is to give up, to faint, to lose heart! Why? Because that attitude doesn’t exist in Jesus’ playbook!
And as believers, it should not exist in ours either! And one of the ways we can keep it at bay is by listening and following this solid and oh so wise advice from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) And though Bruh Paul was there speaking about males only, expecting females to pray silently, in these modern times, it is extremely necessary that both men and women pray, every where; be it loudly or silently!
And this last scripture is one we all know and quote, but don’t put it into proper action. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil.4:6) Please remember that my people; we don’t only go to God to ask and ask for what we want, but we must also give thanks for what we already have, and whatever we’re asking for, believing and receiving it by faith, and not by sight.
‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:7) What more can I say eh friends? I can only present the evidence, you have to make the individual decisions! (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
All together now, in loud voice, with sincere hearts and strong sense of purpose: ‘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!’
And if you truly believe, then you know that that future will be even brighter and more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…when one truly knows Jesus…you can’t help but LOVE Him…with all your heart, mind, body and soul…
09 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acclamations, aching, Christian faith, contradiction, depend upon you, desperately need God, do right, eyes fixed ahead, faith, give up sleep, glorious future with christ, glory to God, grouchy, halfway home, hand on the plough, have dominion over me, His Part, honour, I can do all things, in thy word, joy, keep thy precepts, let not any iniquity, living for God, LOVE, love your every wish, loving god, make the first move, make thy face to shine, make your word my guide, men keep not thy law, My Part, not turning back, obey you, One Year Book of Bible promises, order my steps, our benefit, pained in body and soul, paint ourselves, pity party, promises, reassure me, redeem me, refresh, renew, revere, revive me, right out of the picture, rivers of waters, rule over me, run down my face, Ruth Harms Calkin, Satan, secret, sin, steadfast, teach me thy statutes, the breath of life, the heathen, the oppression of man, this is the day the Lord has made, through Christ who strengthens me, times of stress and strain, trust, unassailable position, unmoved by any circumstance, wanting any plan but yours, we will be glad and rejoice in it, Wednesday Wail, words can't truly express
Psalm 119:133. Order (direct) my steps in thy word: and let not any (no) iniquity (sin) have dominion (rule) over me.
Ah friends, can someone explain this contradiction for me please: Why do I go to bed feeling fairly agile and healthy, but wake up a few hours later feeling lousy; tired, aching, grouchy, miserable and pained in both body and soul eh? Isn’t rest and sleep supposed to renew and refresh you, make you feel better and not worse? Between both of us, I’m simply tired of it yes…and I might just give up sleep and rest completely! (smile)
And I know that some of you, my readers, also have that age old and aging problem, and you’d like nothing better than for us to have a pity party this cloudy Wednesday morning…But sorry, it’s not going to happen! (smile) Instead we’re going to put our trust and faith in the Lord God Almighty, surrender our all to Him, like He wants us to, and joyfully and loudly and sincerely and without doubting, declare these two acclamations:
‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (P.118:24) And, ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13) Glory to our great God my brethren, for it is He who gives us breath and life and health and wealth…in fact He is the ONE who gives us EVERYTHING we have and/or need in this crazy, and rather evil world! So in times of stress and strain, He is the most logical ONE to take our cares and problems to!
Now here is a good description of our relationship with our God, taken from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s aptly and simply titled ‘His Part – My Part.’ Please pray with me: ‘Lord You want me to trust You so totally That I am unmoved by any circumstance; Then work in me that steadfast trust. You want me to choose to do right; Then turn me from wanting any plan but Yours. You want me to revere and honour You; Then refresh and revive me.
You want me to obey You uninterruptedly; Then make Your Word my guide. You want me to depend upon You increasingly; Then reassure me that Your promises are mine. You want Your will to be my will; Then help me to LOVE Your every wish. I expect Your help dear Lord For You’ve NEVER broken a single promise And You’re not going to start with me.’
No friends, He’ll NOT start breaking promises with any of us! But please remember we also have a big part to play in this covenant, this partnership with the Lord God of Hosts. We just can’t sit on our fat fannies and expect Him to make everything good come to pass in our lives. We have to offer our trust, our faith and belief in His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, then seek His Will from His Word and obediently follow it.
The big difference between our Christian faith and others, is that our God knows we are not perfect, because He didn’t make us so, but He still LOVES us unconditionally and will help us whenever and wherever we come to Him for help, in whatever sad and sorry state we’re in! Praise His holy name, my people! But we need to make the first move! There must be some effort on our part, otherwise it will just be a one-sided relationship, and that’s definitely not what He wants with us.
And don’t forget, ALL that He’s doing is for OUR BENEFIT, not for His. He doesn’t really need us, but we DESPERATELY NEED HIM! We often mistakenly believe that He needs us, or take Him for granted, or think we can do without Him. But friends, here’s a li’l secret, or as my young daughter would say when she was just learning to talk, a li’l ‘secrat’: NONE of those things are true! And if we keep living by them, we’ll just paint ourselves right out of His picture and all the wonderful things He has in store for each and every one of us.
Now here’s our Bit for the day, the same scripture verse as the promise for the above poem. ‘Order (direct) my steps in thy word: and let not any (no) iniquity (sin) have dominion (rule) over me.’ Yes my people, though we need to come close to God, and stay close to Him, it’s only with His help can we do that successfully.
Thus the psalmist continues after our Bit: ‘Deliver (redeem) me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they (men) keep not thy law.’ (Ps.119:134-136)
Ah mih breddren, what strong words of prayer! And do we sincerely mean them, if and when we pray them? And do we truly weep and moan when our fellow man breaks God’s laws? We ought to. But only God and each individual know for sure, as he checks the motives of our hearts and doesn’t simply rely on our outward behaviour. End of sermon! Hope it makes a good and fruitful impact! (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the heathen and His leader, Satan, know our unassailable position in Christ. In unison and strong, sincere voice: ‘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!’
And if you believe it, then you’ll know that that future will be even more glorious than we can even ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…LOVING God…and LIVING for Him…oh…they’re such a beautiful way of life…that no words can truly express the joy they bring…
02 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new song, abominable sins, acceptable year of the Lord, acclamations, adrift, as for me and my house, be joyful in their king, beautify the meek, Beauty for Ashes, capsize, comfort all that mourn, communication, congregation of saints, early to bed, early to rise, focusing on the future, garment of praise, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, halfway home, harp, humble, I can do all things through Christ, I will not tolerate strife, in his people, in the dance, Israel, lost, LOVE, make our lives right with Jesus, not turning back, nothing can separate us from God, oil of mourning, praise His name, Praise ye the Lord, sacrifice His Son Jesus, salvation, saved, sing Hallelujah, spirit of heaviness, strengthens me, thank God, the breath of life, the Lord takes pleasure, the stormy sea of life, this is the day the Lord has made, unconditional LOVE, vengeance of God, we will follow the Lord, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, will not quit, with timbrel, Zion
Psalm 149:4. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek (humble) with salvation.
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man, healthy, wealthy and wise! Hn! I don’t know about the truth in that nuh, because I went to bed fairly early, and got up fairly early, and I’m not feeling any healthier, wealthier or wiser! (smile) However, we are going to begin the day wisely by declaring a few acclamations to get us on the right path, that with our wonderful God.
So please declare (Chuh! still spelling it wrong) with me: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) ‘God will supply ALL my needs through His riches in glory, through Christ Jesus!’ (Phil.4:19) ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13) ‘I WILL NOT tolerate strife in my life!’ And finally: ‘As for me and my house, we WILL follow the Lord!’ (Josh.24:15)
Yeh friends, that ought to keep us going for today. But just to be on the safe side, I also want to have us declare (Bravo! Spelled it right) the Possibility Thinkers Creed from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional.
Please declare (another right one) enthusiastically and sincerely with me: ‘When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine – with God’s help!’
Mama Mia! No friends, we WILL NOT QUIT! NEVER! For quitting is not in the vocabulary of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so therefore it should not be in ours either! And having got us off on the right track, let’s see what we can find to keep us there… (smile)
And the Good Book opened this morning unto a most appropriate Psalm: Psalm 149, which declares (right ho!): ‘Praise ye the Lord, (sing Hallelujah). Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made them (their maker): let the children of Zion be joyful in their king.
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek (humble) with salvation.’ (Ps.149:1-4)
Yeh mih people, that last verse is what I want us to ponder on today and write it indelibly in our hearts and souls. For if we don’t believe that our Maker takes pleasure in us, we’ll just be lost and adrift and eventually capsize on this stormy sea of life. The Lord really does enjoy us; walking and talking with us, taking part in ALL of our affairs, etc. etc! Why do you think He made us eh? So that He could have joyful communication with us!
Why do you think He went to such great lengths to sacrifice His only Son Jesus Christ for us eh? So that we could be saved from our abominable sins and thus be able to spend an enjoyable life with Him, both here on earth and in heaven for all of eternity! And that’s a long, long time! Do you think He would wish that upon Himself if He didn’t like and enjoy us? No way!
So please let’s get it our stubborn heads that our God sincerely LOVES and enjoys us! Obviously He doesn’t like our disobedience and continued sinfulness, and will chasten us when necessary, but as He’s said so often in His Word, His LOVE is UNCONDITIONAL! That means NOTHING can change His mind on us!
As Bruh Paul states so eloquently and emphatically in Romans: ‘For I am persuaded that neither death, not life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom.8:38-39) My brethren, it’s up to us to believe that!
Now hear Bruh David’s take on the subject from Psalm 35: ‘Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all day long.’ (Ps.35:27-28) Glory be mih people! Our God delights in us!
And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to this promise made through the prophet Isaiah, re good tidings of salvation to Zion. ‘To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
To appoint unto (to console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’ (Is.61:2-3)
Oh my faithful believing friends, do you think the Lord would go to all that trouble if He did not take pleasure in us and was very concerned about our welfare? I certainly doubt it. Anyway, enough preaching. (smile) And since it’s Wednesday, let’s go home declaring (got it!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our sure and much envied position in Christ Jesus.
Wailing as one 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!’
And that future will be even more glorious than we ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…TODAY…is the day…to make our lives right with Jesus…
17 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a draft of air, a glorious future with Jesus, a long road, a longing ache, a perfect heart, a terrific boss, bitterly, bursting with thnaksgiving, captain of my people, colourful sails, deity, dog days, doldrums, eagles, enjoy it, faithfulness, Father of all creation, fifteen years, generously rewards, glory, Glory Halleujah, good in thy sight, grace, gratitude, greatly deserves it, halfway home, heal thee, hearing the surf, heart and soul, Hezekiah, honour, in truth, iron birds, Isaiah, Jamaica, joy, king of Judah, Land of Wood and Water, laughter, loving kindness, mercy, Most High God Jehovah, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, never miss the water, not turning back, obedient to God's will, out of danger, planes, praise, profuse praise, promise, Sea Breeze, set thine house in order, sickness, tears of joy, the breath of life, the captain of my people, the Lord of hosts, the word of the Lord, thy prayer, till the well run dry, unto death, unto thy days, walked before thee, we will follow the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wept sore, Xaymaca, zeppo
2 Kings 6:a. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years…
All praise and honour, glory and exaltation to the Most High God Jehovah, the Lord of hosts, the Great I AM, the Father of ALL Creation! Please give Him much thanks and praise, because He greatly deserves it! He is indeed most worthy of all our thanksgiving! Praise His Holy Name!
And if you’re wondering why such profuse praise to Almighty God at the beginning of the Bit…well it’s simple: My heart and soul are just bursting with thanksgiving and gratitude, because once again He has shown His amazing faithfulness in my life. Yes friends, during the dog days, the doldrums of my illness, I would lie in my bed and hear and see the planes going by in the distance like eagles gliding along on a draft of air, and my heart would just fill with a longing ache to board one of those iron birds and just fly away to some exotic destination.
But yuh know what mih people? In those sad, sick and frustrating times, the Lord would gather me in His Ever-LOVING arms and comfort me with the promise that one day soon, I would fly away on an iron bird to an exotic destination. And friends, in all faithfulness, through His exceeding grace, mercy and LOVING-kindness, the Lord has kept His awesome promise. And that’s why my inner being is just bursting with joy and thanksgiving, and tears of joy are filling my eyes and flowing down my cheeks.
Oh mih people, the ole fella is in J.A, Jamaica; in Xaymaca, the land of wood and water…and beautiful women! Seen quite a few already! (smile) Glory be to the Most High God Jehovah! And the sea, sand, salt, sun…and rum are most excellent, just as the Lord promised! Had a colourful, red, green and blue shark-bite cocktail last night. (smile) How can I therefore not LOVE Him and proclaim His awesome name eh?
Oh my faithful believers, our God is indeed a most wonderful Deity, a terrific Boss, a hard taskmaster who expects diligence and excellence from us, but who also generously rewards us when we are obedient to His Holy Will! Praise His name my people, for there’s no other like Him!
And now, as I write this, feeling the cool sea breeze float through the open door, hearing the surf break upon the sand and see the small boats with their colorful, blue, yellow and green sails, and hear the laughter of other travellers down below, I can’t help but realize how blessed I am! Glory to God!
And as I just read this over, tears again filled my eyes. It’s been a long road my brethren, almost two years of sickness…and not completely out of danger yet. I was so close to going home to Him, but He gave me a reprieve, for which I am everlastingly grateful! As they say here in J.A: ‘yuh never miss the water until the well run dry!’ In my case I was blessed that my well had not run completely dry. So friends, let me seek for a scripture that will admirably fit our Bit today. Soon come!
Oh friends, it didn’t take long. Before I could even open the Good Book the zeppo came; the sickness of Hezekiah, king of Judah. The Good Book says: ‘In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz came to him and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore (bitterly).
And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came again to him, saying, Turn again and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years…’ (2 Kin.20:1-6a)
Oh friends, I don’t know if I can compare my sorrow and weeping and goodness to Hezekiah’s nuh, but I do know that there was a lot of prayer and some tears. And the Lord in His mercy saw fit to grant me some more time here on earth. I don’t know if it’s fifteen years, or more, or less, but I do know that however much it is, I will enjoy it, and will praise and exalt His Holy name as much as I can, because He has been so good to me and mine. Glory be people!
When someone is good to us, we tell and show them thanks, so why not to our Maker and God eh? And I know that I’m not the only one so blessed, so why aren’t we praising and thanking our Saviour much more than we are eh? I don’t know the answer nuh, but it’s time to go home, so let’s declare our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong voice 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!’
And if Jesus promised that it will be glorious, then I know it will be so indeed! Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we WILL follow the LORD…no doubt about that…
P.S. Sorry that it’s so late, but I was really tired after the long journey…no longer accustomed to it (smile) and I just got the necessary energy to set up my stuff. And as always, when I’m on vacation, I can’t guarantee what time the Bit will go out, (smile) but you will get it. Much LOVE! Time for the beach now!
12 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a flood, a glorious future with Jesus, a righteous man, Advocate, anxious, arrogant, authority, availeth much, be careful for nothing, believers, below our noses, benefits, blessing, bold face, brash, care, Christ's obedience, Christian behaviour, christianity, come boldly, come to God, comfort, communicate, confidently, destroy the world, devastation, Elijah, end times, eternal life, evil world, eyes fixed straight ahead, find grace, glad to be alive, glory to God, halfway home, high priest, holy spirit, humility, hurricane Florence, in time of need, inherent sinful nature, Jesus, joint-heirs, know our place, like passions, LOVE, made known to God, makes sense, merits, need for prayer, Noah, North Carolina, not turning back, obtain mercy, percolating, power of prayer, powerful tool, pray, pray without ceasing, prayed earnestly, prayer, privilege, provision, repent, repentance, requests, salvation, sell the caffeine, shenanigans, sincere hearts, sinful, sinful men, sovereign God, supplication, thanksgiving, the armour of God, the breath of life, the effectual fervent prayer, the only answer, the throne of grace, ungodly times, uppermost in our lives, water, Wednesday Wail, wrath
James 5:16b. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.
Aye mih people, it looks like a glorious day is in the offing in my neighbourhood! Glory to God! But all of us are not that blessed, like the people of North Carolina who are expecting Florence, a category 4 hurricane to bombard them sometime soon.
But all most of us can do is pray for them. So let’s do that nuh! Let’s plead with the Lord to lessen the power of the storm, lessen His wrath, and even turn it away from making landfall, because we definitely don’t need any more devastation than what we already have.
What does the Good Book say? ‘Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are (with a nature like ours), and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth fruit.’ (James 5:16 18)
Yeh friends, that’s the power of prayer…unless the Lord is really tired and fed up with our sinful and ungodly shenanigans. Who knows? But as Bruh Paul wisely advised the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil.4:6)
Then to the Thessalonians he said: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess.5:17) That means prayer is ever so important my brethren! In fact it’s the most powerful tool we believers have in our arsenal. Yuh see, that even when you put on the armour of God, it’s not effective unless prayer accompanies it. (Eph.6:18)
And we’re ever so blessed through Christ’s obedience to God’s will, that as joint heirs with Him, we can ‘come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) Oh what a wonderful blessing and privilege that is my fellow believers!
But we need to be careful, for when the Good Book says boldly, it doesn’t mean brash, bold face and arrogant, but with confidence and a suitable amount of humility because we’re going before Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe and we must know our place. (smile)
I like how the scholars put it: ‘4:16. Only Christianity provides such boldness for sinful men before a holy God, and that boldness is possible only because of our High Priest (Jesus) The throne suggests a place of authority and provision. It is the place to obtain God’s grace when it is especially needed.’
And do we ever need God’s grace and mercy in these sinful and ungodly times friends! So prayer should be uppermost in our lives, even more than usual. It’s the only way we have to communicate with our sovereign God. So please let’s get busy nuh!
But along with the prayer must come some repentance and desire to stop being as sinful as we are and be obedient to God’s will. We obviously can’t be as obedient as Jesus was, because of our inherent sinful nature, but we all know that we can be better, even we believers can be much better. And if we are better and the world sees it, then the world will become better too.
And that’s all we’re seeking my brethren; the betterment of the world, through our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus! That’s why He came to earth and sacrificed His sinless life, and asked those who believe in Him to help Him make the world a better place. We surely aren’t doing that by our less than true Christian behaviour, not walking out talk like we should, and making the world turn away from Jesus, even to the point of blaspheming Him.
That’s not right my people! As His disciples and ambassadors we have a bounden duty to show the world, through our lives, the vast merits and benefits available in turning to Him for salvation, care, comfort and eternal life!
Hn, hn, hn! Ah mih people, it’s one of those days when the Holy Spirit just let the ole fella loose to do his thing. So I hope it all makes sense. I guess what I’m trying to advocate is the great importance of and need for prayer in our daily lives, both as individuals and as the church, the body of Christ, especially in these sinful end times.
Remember the last time the world got so sinful, in the days of Noah, that the Lord couldn’t take anymore and He destroyed it by flood? And yes, He promised Noah that ‘the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.’ (Gen.9:15b) But friends, the Lord never promised not to destroy the world again, just not by water.
So let’s wake up and smell the caffeine nuh; it’s percolating ever so strongly right below our very noses All is not right in our world, far from it, and we need to come to God in repentance without further ado, for who knows how much longer He will withhold His wrath on this evil world of ours?
Now let’s go home now declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our position in Christ. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 friends, I implore us to think seriously on the matters we’ve spoken about and open up our hearts sincerely to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, for He is the ONLY answer to our many problems. Much LOVE!
…the future won’t be glorious for many of us…if we don’t repent and come to God …NOW…
11 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate fire, angry, anointed, begged for mercy, blessings, bonafide believer, bounden duty, calamitous days, Christian trait, christianity, compassion, consumed, debtor's prison, delivered him, disastrous, do like christ did, doing good, dwelleth the love of God, eyes fixed straight ahead, finite minds, followers of Christ, for our benefit, forgave him, forgive not, fresh bread, from your hearts, generous to a fault, giving, glad to be alive, God was with him, God's manna, great is thy faithfulness, greed, had compassion, had pity on thee, halfway home, hands on the plough, have need, heart, his compassions fail not, hoarding, Holy Ghost, in deed, in time of need, Jeremiah, jesus of nazareth, Lamentations, lights a fire, looking to a glorious future, loving, loving-kindness, magnanimous god, mercies, new every morning, not love in word, not turning back, oppressed of the devil, owed money, power, sacrificing, sadly lacking, Scrip-Bit, sees his brother, selfishness, sharing, shutteth up his bowels, talk, talk your talk, thankful, the breath of life, the forgiven one, the land of the living, the Lord's mercies, thou wicked servant, to the tormentors, tongue, Top o' the morn, torturers, trespasses, truth, unchristian behaviour, walk your walk, Wednesday Wail, wroth
Lamentations 3:22-23. 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.
Well top o’ the morn to all you Scrip-Bit friends and family…and top of the afternoon to those of you faithful readers on the other side of the world! (smile) It’s just another brilliant, sunshiny day in the land of the living, with all of God’s manna, mercies and whatever brand new!
Wow! It’s like waking up to fresh bread every day! And we should be much more thankful than we are for those blessings. But our God is what we call magnanimous, generous to a fault, so He gives us stuff that we don’t truly deserve.
And yes, we’ll continue with the same Bit, because there are so many scriptures on compassion, a most important Christian trait in which we current believers are sadly lacking.
Jeremiah knew exactly what he was talking about when he declared 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.’
If you are a bonafide (true, sincere) believer, then you certainly cannot argue with that statement or the sentiments contained therein since it’s only through God’s LOVING-kindness that life is not more disastrous than it is. Now let’s check out some scriptures on compassion.
The first one we’ll look at today is Jesus’ telling of the parable about the two servants who owed money they could not repay. The first owed his master thousands of dollars, and when the master threatened to cast him into debtors’ prison, he begged for mercy, and the master forgave him the entire debt.
However that same forgiven one, found someone who owed him a measly few dollars, but when he couldn’t pay, he had him and his family cast into prison. Obviously that disgusting news got back to the master, who called the first servant and castigated him.
‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst (begged) me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth (angry), and delivered him to the tormentors (torturers) till he should pay all that due unto him.’ (Matt.18:32-34)
And it’s sad to say friends, that that kind of behaviour is still rampant in this world, amongst Christians too, believe it or not. But listen to the moral of the story as told by Jesus: ‘So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.’ (Matt.18:35) It couldn’t be any clearer than that!
And John says it thus in his epistle: ‘But whoso hath this world’s good (goods), and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels (heart) of compassion from him, how dwelleth the LOVE of God in him?’ (1 John 3:17) Good question friends? And the answer is that the LOVE of God does not dwell in such a person.
And to provide a solution to that unchristian behaviour, John therefore recommends: ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue (talk); but in deed and in truth.’ (1 John 3:18)
Oh my people, that is oh so necessary in the calamitous days our world is currently experiencing! We just need to have more LOVING action than just mere talk, as we all are so good at doing. I don’t know if there’s ever been a time that the saying; walk your walk and talk your talk, has been more important.
And this verse from Acts shows that is exactly what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’(Acts 10:38)
Oh my fellow believers, we have also been anointed with the same Holy Ghost and power that Jesus had, so it’s also our bounden duty to go around doing good and helping the less fortunate as much as we can, not keeping, hoarding and/or storing our power and anointing merely for our benefit. That’s what being a Christian means.
If we are followers of Christ, then we’re supposed to do like Christ did! And unfortunately we’re not doing it as much as we ought. Our compassion level is woefully low, while our greed and selfishness meter is way too high. So let’s hope today’s writing lights a fire, a compassionate fire under us. (smile)
But it’s time to go home now. And we’ll do so by declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the entire world know our situation in Christ Jesus. As one voice 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!’
And yuh know what friends? Our finite minds can’t even truly imagine how glorious that future will be! Much LOVE!
…true Christianity is sharing…and giving…and LOVING…and sacrificing…and being there in time of need…
P.S. It’s a tad late because I got held up talking to a friend about the World Cup Soccer Tournament. Some things just can’t wait. (smile) Much LOVE!
04 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a millstone, a toenail entrance, appreciation of God's good gifts, as a little child, be converted, believing celebrants, born again, cause to sin, childlike faith, confusion, Daily Bread Devotions, divisiveness, drowned in the sea, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enjoy each and every day, eternity with Jesus, exhibited in children, extricate them, feel the heat, forgiveness, frobid them not, grace, Granny's warning, grow in faith, halfway home, hands on the plough, Happy 4th of July, hardhearted, hatred, have life, humble himself, in my name, kingdom of heaven, let us rejoice and be glad in it, looking forward, mercy, more abundantly, most sensible thing to do, negative happenings, Northern California, not turning back, outer darkness, produce good fruit, restore to us, S. of A, sincere Christian, steamy day, strife, such is the kingdom of heaven, Suffer little children, taken for granted, the breath of God, the childlike joy, the goats, the greatest in heaven, the sheep, this is the day the Lord has made, to a glorious future, to come unto me, to mar the day, trust, U, uncahrted waters, wasting Jesus' sacrificial death, Wednesday Wail, wildfires, worldly, young pups
Matthew 19:14. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for such is the kingdom of heaven.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY U. S. OF A !
Oh friends, this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it nuh! And you ask why? Because it’s the wisest and most sensible thing to do…And because that’s why the Lord made it…And because that’s why Jesus died, so we could have life and have it more abundantly….And abundantly means plentiful. So if we don’t enjoy each and every day that we’re alive, we’re just wasting Jesus’ sacrificial death.
And having settled that argument (smile) let’s move on to wishing the U.S. of A, a very Happy 4th of July, Independence Day. Now they are a tad older than us in Canada, 242 to 150, but in terms of age, compared to other European and Asian countries they are still young pups.
And for all you believing celebrants down there, please don’t forget Granny’s warning: Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business. That’s right, we don’t want to give Lucifer even a li’l toenail entrance into our spirits. (smile) Because if he gets even that, he’ll just settle himself there and unobtrusively dig and dig and dig until he gets right into our lives and spoil them.
Anyway, like us, down south they will be having a scorching, steamy day to celebrate one of their biggest holidays. Let’s hope there are no negative happenings to mar the day. What with the current state of confusion and divisiveness that’s overshadowing the country. And I know one place that will be definitely feeling the heat is out in Northern California where firefighters are battling a wildfire, hampered by winds of up to 25 miles (40 km) per hour.
Ah mih people, let’s pray for them, and the country as a whole, because they are certainly mired in some deep and uncharted waters, and only the Lord in His grace, mercy and forgiveness can extricate them without even more strife and hatred than what’s already being experienced.
And here is a li’l something from the Daily Bread Devotions that dovetails nicely with what we’re talking about; joy in our spirits. Please pray with me. ‘Father in heaven, please restore to us the childlike joy that appreciates your good gifts.’
And do we ever need to have a childlike appreciation of God’s great gifts to us my brethren! We’ve become so hardhearted and worldly, taking all that God has given us so much for granted, that most of us can’t even recognize those excellent gifts again.
But please remember what Jesus said, and how He rebuked the disciples when they tried to stop children from coming to Him. ‘But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for such is the kingdom of heaven.’
Yeh friends, heaven is made up of people with childlike faith and joy! And besides, you really can’t believe in and about Jesus until you experience simple faith and trust like that exhibited in children. Yuh see how your children trust you to take care of them and not to abuse and mistreat them, even though their small and undeveloped minds don’t understand what’s really going on?
Well it’s the same way we have to accept Jesus in simple, childlike fashion, if we are going to grow in faith and produce good fruit in His name. And please remember His immortal words when the disciples came and asked Him about the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them. And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me. But whoso shall offend (cause to sin) one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.’ (Matt.18:2-6)
Extremely strong words my brethren! And if Jesus used them, then they must be true. So to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must be converted, (born again) and become humble and obedient like little children. And just like He said about the poor and needy, if you receive a young believer with open arms, it’s like you are receiving Him. However, if you cause one of those young believers to go astray, then your punishment will be great.
So friends, the long and short of the story is that believers ought to be humble, obedient, sincere and kind to others, including strangers. If we are not those things, then we are simply fooling ourselves, and when Jesus comes to His throne, unfortunately, we will be numbered amongst the goats who will be thrown into outer darkness.
Now that is a situation we definitely don’t want to experience. So please, let’s use the wisdom that God has so generously granted us and do whatever it takes to be numbered amongst the sheep that will dwell serenely in heaven with Jesus for all time nuh. And for those of us who have already made that wisest of all decisions, let’s go home proclaiming to all the world, our enviable situation in Christ.
Altogether 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!’
And because Jesus promised it, we know that eternity with Him will indeed be glorious. Much LOVE!
…it’s not always easy to have childlike faith…but to be a sincere Christian…it is essential…
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