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…
13 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heap of ruins, a negative vibe, a sprinkling of rain, after the rain, aggrandizement, Alpha, always out there, Be All, broke His own heart, burned up, comes the shine, consume them, declare the work of God, disobedience, end all, fear, fearing the Lord, for our benefit, forsaken my law, God's wonderful works, halfway home, have not obeyed my voice, heart-warming, hooking up to Jesus' bandwagon, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Judah, like a wilderness, LOVE, mercy, not turning back, observe these things, Omega, punishment, reassuring, scatter them among the heathen, send a sword, shining forth, stubbornness, stumble over thier own tongue, the breath of God, the Gentiles, the glorious future with Jesus, the light of our Lord and Saviour, the loving-kindness of the Lord, the mouth of the Lord, the way the truth and the life, the wise man, the workers of iniquity, their own heart, to the children of men, understand, volcanoes, water of gall, Wednesday Wail, whoso is wise, wildfires, wisdom, wormwood, wounded
Psalm 107:43. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the LOVING-kindness of the Lord.
So friends, it seems as though our long string of continuously beautiful, sunny days has finally ended. We did get a sprinkling of rain this morning and it does look somewhat cloudy out there. But you know what they say: after the rain comes the shine, so we’re not giving up on a sunny day just yet. (smile)
But is it ever heart warming and reassuring to know that regardless of the physical weather, the bright and everlasting light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is ALWAYS out there, shining forth for our benefit! Bless His holy name, my people! Oh my, my, He is such a wonderful being that we can NEVER go wrong by hooking up our lives to His bandwagon.
You know how we usually elicit a negative vibe when we join a bandwagon just for our aggrandizement. Well friends, in this case, it is simply wisdom to jump on Christ’s bandwagon, for He is the BE ALL and END ALL, the Alpha and the Omega, and there is no negativity whatsoever in joining His show. Wow! It’s all positive and sensible vibes my brethren.
In fact, when you don’t jump on Christ’s bandwagon, that’s where the negativity and unwise behaviour begins. That brings us to our Bit, the last verse of Psalm 107, in which the psalmist details and declares God’s wonderful works to the children of men. And in true wisdom he closes by declaring: ‘Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the LOVING-kindness of the Lord.’
The same thing goes for us today my brethren, we are wise when we understand that living with and for Jesus is the best avenue to take in this ungodly and evil world. It’s the ONLY path to the ONE and ONLY true God, for Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and NOBODY comes to the Father but through Him.
So why are we fighting so hard to remove Him from our society eh? I really can’t understand it, when He is the source of ALL that we are, ALL that we have, and ALL that we can ever be! That’s why Bruh David could solemnly declare in Psalm 64 – Plot and punishment re the workers of iniquity who think their evil doings will not be discovered.
‘But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves (stumble over their own tongue): all that see them shall flee away. And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.’ (Ps.64:7-9)
Oh precious people of God, are we paying attention to what’s happening to the wicked, are we fearing the Lord and declaring His work as we ought to? I don’t believe enough of us are doing so, else our world would not be in the terrible mess in which it’s currently in. And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to Cousin Jeremiah, as he talks about how disobedience brings God’s punishment.
‘And I will make Jerusalem heaps (a heap of ruins), and a den of dragons (jackals); and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. Who is the wise man, that may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein; But have walked after the imagination (stubbornness) of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them.
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall (bitter or poisonous water) to drink. I will scatter them also among the heathen (Gentiles), whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.’ (Jer.9:11-16)
And that is exactly what he did, although, in His mercy and LOVING-kindness He did not consume them entirely! Oh my brethren, if God could do that to His special people for their disobedience, why wouldn’t He do the same to us, especially after he broke His own heart, showed us how much He LOVED and cherished us by sending His only Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary to atone for our sins once and for all?
He poured out His heart friends, so that we, the lost of the world could be found and saved by believing in Jesus, and we’re repaying Him by wanting to cast Him out of our society? Hn! That surely is not wisdom my brethren!
And just for your information fires are indeed passing through the land and burning it up into a wilderness. We have volcanoes spewing forth fire and brimstone in Hawaii and Guatemala, and some 30 wildfires burning in 9 states of the Western U.S.
Anyway, for those of us who have attained some degree of wisdom and truly endeavour to follow Jesus, let’s go home today declaring our Wednesday Wail, boldly letting the world know of our position in Jesus. Let’s wail in strong voice with sincere hearts people:
‘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 everytime I think how glorious that future with Jesus will be, I just want to hold on to him tighter! Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…I implore you…please, please hear…
09 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fall, a glorious future with Jesus, a haughty spirit, a proud look, abides forever, accede, arrogance, as the eagle, be of a humble spirit, bombastic ego, breath of life, bring me down, clefts of the rock, continue praying, deceived thee, destruction, divide the spoil, does the will of God, dream, drunkards, exalt thyself, faith, fame, glad to be alive, glory, glory hallelujah, God hates pride, gospel truth, halfway home, hate evil, haughtiness, haughty eyes, Hawaiian volcano, high habitation, hope, inner joy of dreaming, love not the world, lust, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, make the man of God, midway point, not turning back, of the world, our faith, panting, passes away, personal desires, perverse mouth, physical desires, plod on to the end, pomp, power, pride, pride goes before destruction, pride of life, pride of thine heart, riches, self-interests, serenity, spring weather, stumbling, the crown of pride, the fear of the Lord, the LOVE of God, the love of the Father, the proud, things of the flesh, trampled, Wednesday Wail, what is what, wine and roses, your amigo, your ego
Proverbs 16:18. Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (stumbling).
And then it was Wednesday; the midway point of the workweek, but yet another glorious day seems to be in the offing in my area! This spring weather is really outdoing itself yes! (smile)
But unfortunately not all around is wine and roses and glorious weather, because the Hawaiian people are still being plagued by their convulsive volcano, and those things can be so temperamental that you never know what they’ll do or when. So please, let’s continue praying for them and helping however we can.
And this morning I’m going to give us a few reminders about what is what in our faith. (smile) First off, please remember that ‘Faith gives us that inner joy of dreaming again.’ Yeh friends, it’s the presence of faith, catapulted by hope that enables us to dream. Without them dreaming wouldn’t happen.
And remember too, that there’s ‘Serenity in the LOVE of God.’ In fact that’s the dwelling place of Serenity, so if you don’t have the LOVE of God within you, then you won’t be able to achieve Serenity. And lastly, this one is ever so important, remember that ‘Your ego is not your amigo.’
Definitely not mih breddren! Our ego more often than not lines up as our enemy, because it’s pride based and has us panting for the things of the flesh and behaving in a fleshly manner. So when it begins to cozy up to you, please check it very carefully before you accede to its desires.
I guess that can only lead to a lesson on pride and egotistic stuff. (smile) Thus our Bit: ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (stumbling).’ And we all know that to be gospel truth!
Unnecessary pride and haughtiness and a rather bombastic ego never last long. How could they eh, when the Lord declares amongst the seven things He thoroughly dislikes is ‘a proud look (haughty eyes).’ (Prov.6:17a)
And Cousin Sol continues later on in Proverbs: ‘The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward (perverse) mouth, do I hate.’ (Prov.8:13)
Meanwhile Isaiah declares in his condemnation of Ephraim: ‘Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim…The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden (trampled) under feet:’ (Is.28:1,3) Yeh friends, those that are full of pride shall eventually be brought low. That’s why Cousin Sol advises after our Bit: ‘Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil (plunder) with the proud.’ (Prov.16:19)
And the big thing nowadays is to be in the upper echelon of society, to walk with the rich and famous. We boast about whom we know and associate with in the corridors of power. But friends, that show doesn’t get us any place really, for what happens when our supposed rich and famous associates are no longer rich and famous eh?
And it something that happens everyday. Being rich and famous isn’t guaranteed for a lifetime, especially if you flaunt your worldly assets in people’s faces. You know the ones who put you up there will bring you down even faster than they put you up, and take even more joy in doing so.
Remember the scripture we recently quoted from the prophet Obadiah re the destruction of Edom. ‘The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as (high as) the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.’ (Obad.3-4)
Yes my brethren, pride and power and pomp and glory and fame and riches do not make the man that God desires. I think John says it best in his first epistle. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
That’s the word of the Lord my people. And if we believe that it’s true, then if we are wise, we will pay serious attention to it, and try to follow it as best we can. What more can I say eh? We all have to make these personal decisions for ourselves.
Now let’s go home joyfully declaring our position with and in Jesus through our Wednesday Wail. In strong and sincere 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 for those of us who wisely plod on to the end, will that future ever be glorious! Much LOVE!
…if the Lord hates it…then it doesn’t make sense to have it…and He surely hates pride…
21 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a heart of flesh, a new spirit, abide with you, adversity, Advocate, another comforter, Austin, authority, bombs, calamity, called alongside to help, cares, charles stanley, comfort food, Daily Bread Devoitonal, drive us wacko, even keel, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, faith-strengthening-times, faith-testing times, found comfort, fruitful service, glaring items fo news, god of all comfort, God's divine energy, guidance, halfway home, Holy Trinity, if ye love me, invoke the power, judgements, keep mine ordinances, keep my commandments, lead, Maryland, my people, New Testament, not turning back, parakletos, Pentecost, persecutions, pray the Father, prayer, pressures of the world, problems, school shooting, spiritual compassion, stony heart, successful Christian lives, tested, the breath of life, the Holy Spirit, the life of the believer, the lives of men, the Lord is faithful, the Old Testament, the purpose of godly living, the Spirit of truth, the utmost importance, their God, times of trouble, walk in my statutes, Wednesday Wail, winter storm
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.
Ah friends, what’s happening in the U.S. eh? Another school shooting, this time in Maryland, though not as bad as the others. A man suspected of sending bombs in Austin Texas, blows himself up when police corners him. And last but not least, another terrible winter storm is expected to lay waste the North East today, the fourth one in as many weeks.
Brother! And those are only the more glaring items of news. All I can say is we need to offer whatever help we can, in prayer and spiritual compassion, for we never know when we will need help with our own problems.
And here is a li’l tidbit from the Daily Bread Devotionals to help us stand strong: ‘Faith-testing times can be faith-strengthening times.’ And that’s for sure friends, for it’s only when our faith is tested in adversity and calamity that we truly grow stronger and mature in Jesus.
That’s why it’s of the utmost necessity for us as believers to invoke the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) says: through ‘The power of the Holy Spirit – God’s divine energy and authority are released in the life of the believer, for the purpose of godly living and fruitful service.’
Yeh friends, ONLY when we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and we are listening to His lead and guidance, can we live successful godly and fruitful lives in and for Jesus. Please note the utmost importance of those words, ‘we are listening to His lead and guidance.’
That’s because though He dwells in us, we don’t necessarily listen to or follow Him. And if we don’t, the cares and pressures of this world will surely drive us wacko. (smile) Oh my brethren the Holy Spirit was given to us when we first believed as the go to person in our lives.
As Jesus says in our Bit when He promises His disciples the Holy Spirit after He ascends back to heaven. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall send you another comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.’ (John 14:15-16)
And that promise still holds even till today my people. LOVE the Lord and obey His commandments and He shall send His Holy Spirit to comfort and guide you. It’s what today we might associate with comfort food. (smile)
Now listen to this explanation from the scholars. 14:16. The Greek word parakletos literally means “one called alongside to help,” hence the idea of a comforter. The Holy Spirit is called another comforter because this is also one of Christ’s titles (1 John 2:1. translated “advocate”).
Illustration: The Father is also known as the God of All Comfort (2 Cor.1:3). Though those in the early church often endured persecutions, they found their comfort in the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:32). Application: Today, Christians can find comfort in the Holy Spirit when trials come. (First Ref. John 7:37 –39, Primary Ref. John 14:16-18; cf. John 7:39).
Yes precious people of God, it is to the Holy Spirit of God that indwells us we should be turning to in times of trouble and distress, because that’s why the Lord sent Him to dwell in us. So why aren’t we doing it more than we are eh? I really don’t know nuh, perhaps we just don’t truly believe, our faith isn’t strong enough, or something else.
But the Holy Spirit is certainly not going forth in our lives the way it ought to, otherwise our lives would be on a much more even keel.
And listen to how Jesus further describes the Holy Spirit after our Bit. ‘Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.’ (John 14:17)
In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was given to particular people to perform particular works, but in the New Testament, with the coming of Pentecost, it was given to every believer. Wow! And that wasn’t a new promise from Jesus, because the prophet Ezekiel had spoken it centuries before.
The Lord spoke through him: ‘And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you (them); and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances (judgements), and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.’ (Ezek.11:19-20)
And so said, so done! For the Lord is faithful to ALL of His promises! Now it’s up to us to make full, or better use of that Spirit, that Comforter, that Guide, that Advocate, if we want to live successful Christian lives. So let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our position in Christ.
In full voice and true 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 we can’t begin to imagine how glorious that future will be nuh my faithful brethren! Much LOVE!
…Holy Spirit…third person of the Holy Trinity…His job…to work in the lives of men…
07 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a flourishing tree, a glorious future with Jesus, a god of judgement, adversity, all bets are off, betterment of lives, blessed, bondage, bosom buddies, brings forth fruit, calamitous times, calamity, charles stanley, Christian fervour, climate change, communication with God, confident, day and night, delight, dependent, Ecumenical Service, everyday, eyes fixed straight ahead, female population, flaunt God's love, get so busy, glory hallelujah, God-centred man, gospel truth, halfway home, happy, happy in Jesus, have mercy, his leaf, his thoughts perish, hope is in the Lord, human being, in his season, in the law of the Lord, Jesus promised, Jesus returns, justice, keepeth truth for ever, like a tree, look after our planet, loving, Lucifer's face, meditate, merciful, New York, no better way, no help, not turning back, planted by the rivers, ponder, returns to earth, reviving the environment, salvation, say Him nay, scornful, shall not wither, shall prosper, sincerity, sinners, sits in the seat of the scornful, spirit departs, stands in the way of sinners, Surinam, the breath of life, the counsel of the ungodly, the god of Jacob, the man, the Son of man, time longer than twine, trust and obey, trust in princes, trusting God, trusts in the Lord, truth, turn to the Lord, under Satan's yoke, waiting, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever he does, winter storm, World Day of Prayer
Jeremiah 17:7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
Oh friends, does it ever stop; the adversity and calamity? Apparently not, because it seems that New York and the surrounding U.S. States are due to be hit with another winter storm today, but with more snow than rain this time. And that while some people are still without power from the deluge last week.
Ah Lord eh! And some of it can definitely be blamed on climate change. And speaking of climate change, I went to an Ecumenical Service last night, on the World Day of Prayer, where the topic was reviving the environment, in specific reference to the country of Surinam, and the betterment of the lives of it’s female population.
Yuh know what? I think that EVERYDAY should be a World Day of Prayer because we have so many problems to deal with around our world, that one day is definitely not sufficient. But in this current world order, we get so busy that we don’t have time to do the things we need to do.
And what does ‘BUSY’ mean? According to Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) ‘BUSY means Bondage under Satan’s Yoke.’ And that’s a fact. Satan has us so busy doing the non-essential things that we don’t or can’t find the time to do the essential ones, like look after our planet and have greater communication with our awesome God.
But thank God that some of us are wise enough to flaunt God’s LOVE and power in Lucifer’s evil face. Only problem is that there ought to be plenty more of us doing it. But not to worry, time longer than twine, and with our faithful Christian fervour, we WILL increase those numbers substantially.
We have to start right now though friends, because who knows how much time we have before Jesus returns. And once He does return, ALL bets are off. That brings us to our Bit, the same one from a couple of days ago. I had planned on using it yesterday, but the Lord apparently saw a greater need for yesterday’s message yesterday. And who am I to say Him nay eh? (smile)
‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.’ Yes my faithful breddren, those are words of gospel truth! Remember in the last message with this Bit, we saw how Jeremiah described the God-centred man as a flourishing tree despite calamitous times.
Now listen as the psalmist, in the very first Psalm, corroborates Jeremiah’s statement. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3) How wonderful is that promise eh my people!
And we’ll continue featuring scriptures that corroborate our Bit. Hear the psalmist from Psalm 146 – The blessedness of trusting God. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:’ (Ps.146:3-6)
Now why would we turn to someone other than the Lord God Almighty eh; the One who made the universe and all it contains? No good reason that I can see friends. I definitely want to be bosom buddies with the greatest power, the most LOVING and merciful Being in the universe. No One or nothing else will do. It’s just pure common sense.
Now hear Isaiah in his appeal to his Jewish people to turn to the Lord for help. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all that wait for him.’ (Is.30:18)
And the scholars offer this explanation: ’30:18-33. Because God is gracious and has been willing to wait for His people to return to Him, He will certainly bless those who wait for him. “Waiting” is a confident and dependent trust in God.’
Oh friends, I like that last line. I think it puts it all in the right perspective. ‘A confident and dependent trust in God.’ That’s exactly what we’re talking about my people! So let’s wisely set ourselves up to try and achieve that goal nuh, for it’s the only one that really matters. Once we achieve that, everything else will flow smoothly from it.
In the meanwhile, let’s declare our current position in Christ Jesus through our Wednesday Wail, boldly letting the world know that without a doubt, we’re moving on with the Master.
As one, in sincerity and truth 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 what a glorious future that will indeed be my fellow believers, for Jesus has promised it! Much LOVE!
…trust and obey…there’s no better way…to be happy in Jesus…than to trust and obey…
21 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a just cause, a waste of time, all circumstances, and not faint, communicate with God, constant companion, consulting the Father, deceitful lips, don't pray enough, doubting, examined me, eyes fixed straight ahead, F.B. Meyer, first choice, fleshly desires, give ear unto my prayer, halfway home, hands on the plough, heartfelt words, holy spirit, importance of prayer, Jesus, last resort, leads and guides, lifting up holy hands, Lord and Saviour, marvellous, men ought always to pray, most powerful weapon, motives of our hearts, neck of the woods, not in God's will, not turning back, nothing evil, play second fiddle, pray everywhere, pray without ceasing, prayer, searched me out, sense of purpose, shall not transgress, simple, social media, spake a parable, stend unto my cry, tested mine heart, thankful for small mercies, the breath of life, the great tragedy of life, truth, unanswered prayer, unoffered prayer, vindication, Wednesday Wail, winter weather, without wrath, worldly things
Luke 18:1. And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).
Looks like it’s going to be another warm, wet and rainy day in my neck of the woods…but that’s better than a cold, white and snowy one any time! (smile) Yeh friends, the winter weather seems to have eased up a little, and are we ever thankful for small mercies!
And today it seems like we’ll be dealing with prayer in some form and fashion, so let’s begin with two tidbits on the subject. The first comes from the renowned Pastor, F.B. Meyer, who reputedly said that ‘The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.’
And there seems to be a lot of truth in that statement, for it’s not that God doesn’t answer our prayers, but rather we don’t pray enough. And why is that eh mih people, when we keep saying that prayer is the most powerful weapon in the world?
I don’t know nuh. It’s possibly because we don’t truly believe it, or we’ve offered up prayer to our heavenly Father that was not in His will and He refused to answer it, so we end up believing that prayer is a waste of time. But please remember my brethren, the Lord only answers prayer when it’s within His will.
You can’t go and ask Him for a whole lot of worldly things to satisfy your fleshly desires and expect Him to answer you positively, or even answer you at all. Remember too, that He looks at the motives of our hearts, rather than the words we utter through our mouths, for they can be very different to what’s really in our hearts.
And the next thing we want to say about prayer, is that it should be our FIRST CHOICE, not our LAST RESORT. Mama Mia!
And is that ever a problem in the lives of many believers. When a problem arises we’re quick to run to the phone or the I-pad or whatever form of social media we’re using and ask our friends and acquaintances for help, and only when we can’t get a man-made solution, we run to God in desperation and expect Him to help us immediately.
That’s so wrong my people. In ALL circumstances, God should be the FIRST person we run to, and if He so desires, then He will direct us to go to other people. Remember that our God doesn’t like to play second fiddle. If He can’t be first fiddle, then He doesn’t want to be in the band. (smile)
And you know it’s amusing that when troubles hit a lot of people who don’t really believe in God, the first words out of their mouths are ‘Oh God!’ So you see friends, two of our basic problems in our prayer life is that we don’t go to God FIRST, and we don’t offer up enough prayers that fall within the realm of God’s will.
Consequently, our Bit for today is based on the wise and wonderful advice of Jesus. ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).’
Oh my believing brethren, if our Lord and Saviour said it, then it must be true. And we have a whole lot of examples of Him constantly getting alone and praying to His heavenly Father. In fact, prayer ruled His life; He did nothing of significance without first consulting the Father, and so should we.
And Jesus is not the only one who advises us to be strong in prayer. Bruh Paul famously tells us in 1 Thessalonians: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess. 5:17) And to Timothy, he writes: ‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8)
Yuh see friends, prayer should be our constant companion, because that’s how we communicate with God. If we are to take ALL our problems to Him, then it’s logical to expect to do a lot of praying in many different places. Oh my brethren, I can’t over emphasize the importance of prayer in a believer’s life, for it’s the basis of all we say and do, it’s how God leads and guides us, in conjunction with His Holy Spirit that dwells within us.
Now listen to this interesting example of Bruh David crying out to God in prayer, as he pleads for protection against his oppressors. ‘Hear the right (a just cause), O Lord, attend unto my cry; give ear unto my prayer, that goeth forth not out of feigned (deceitful) lips.
Let my sentence (vindication) come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal (upright). Thou hast proved (tested) mine heart; thou hast visited me (searched me out) in the night; thou hast tried (examined) me, and shalt find nothing (evil): I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.’ (Ps.17:1-3)
Now that’s a wonderful prayer friends, but not all of us have the gift of words that Bruh David had, and the Lord doesn’t really need any long and involved prayers, simple but heartfelt words will do. But the important thing is that we pray’ pray often and pray everywhere, without losing heart.
Now let’s declare our Wednesday Wail to proudly let the world know of our wonderful association with Jesus. With loud voice and strong sense of purpose 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 is surely going to be glorious my people! Much LOVE!
…a future with Jesus could not be anything…but marvellous and glorious…
14 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of the devil, a fiery burst of love, a time of joy, Abel, actions, angry, Ash Wednesday, at the hands of, bacchanal, backbone, be like Jesus, beggars can't be choosers, belly, brighten up the gloom, brighter and brighter, Cain, Carnival, celebration, cleansing of our spirits, come to Christ, commercialism, conflicting allegiances, contemplation, display of love, empty our spirits, everlasting proportions, eyes fixed straight ahead, fasting, forty days of temptation, get closer to God, giving love, glory hallelujah, grow in christ-likeness, halfway home, hands on the plough, hanging with Jesus, hate-filled, in a quandary, in deed and truth, in tandem with God, in tongue, insincerity, introspection, joy, lack love, lasting, Lent, little children, looking to the future, LOVE, love not in word, LOVE one another, loveless world, Lucifer, making a mockery of Christ, meditating on god's word, not turning back, outwardly manifest, prayer, resentful society, righteous, rigours of ministry, season of Lent, seep into our hearts, sincere, studying God's Word, sunshine, temptation, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the Lord's way, the wicked one, the wilderness, truth, tuning out the world, unconditional LOVE, Valentine's day, walk with god, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, works were evil
1 John 3:18. My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Oh boy, it’s another bright, sunshiny day in the neighbourhood! Thank You Lord! If we have to put up with the snow and cold, then we should at least have some sunshine to brighten up the gloom those things produce in our spirits. (smile)
And I’m in a quandary here; don’t know what to write on; Ash Wednesday or Valentine’s Day, as both of them fall on the same day. Hn! The former begins the season of Lent for believers; a serious time of introspection, fasting and prayer.
On the other hand, the latter is a time of joy and celebration and the time of the biggest display of LOVE in our hate-filled, angry and resentful society. And even though it smacks of a lot of insincerity and commercialism, how can you write off any kind of LOVE at all eh, when we so badly need it?
I guess in one sense you can say that the bacchanal of Carnival is over now, and we begin the season of Lent with a fiery burst of LOVE! Oh how wonderful that would be if the LOVE went a li’l deeper and was more sincere and lasting! But beggars can’t be choosers, so if we get even a small amount of LOVE in this LOVELESS world we have to be grateful and say, ‘Thank You Lord!!
Meanwhile, on the Lenten side of the ledger, we need to get serious about our walk with God and delve into what it truly means to be walking in sincere tandem with Him. We need to empty our spirits, as Jesus did when He was led into the wilderness to suffer forty days of temptation at the hands of the evil Lucifer.
He spent His days in prayer and contemplation with fasting, a way of building His belly and backbone to withstand the rigours of His upcoming ministry. He knew that His ministry would not be easy, and that was the Lord’s way of strengthening Him.
And in this season of Lent we ought to try and be strengthened in like manner my faithful and believing brethren. If we want to be like Jesus, to grow in Christ-likeness, then we have to do some of the things He did, follow in His footsteps as much as possible. And tuning out more of the world than usual, in these next forty days, is something we can do, and ought to embark on.
I guess you can call it the yearly cleansing of our spirits. But however we do it, the important thing is to get closer to God, by putting aside some of the worldly things that usually occupy our time, and giving Him more of our time, studying His word more closely and meditating on it, so we can discover its true meaning for our lives.
And yuh know what friends? As we spend more time in serious reflection, we will understand God better, and His most wonderful attribute, that of LOVE, will seep into our hearts and souls even more. Wow! How amazing that would be if we could get the majority of the world to reflect on God’s Word and discover His awesome and unconditional LOVE!
And on this Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, I believe the most appropriate Bit for today, is the same one we had yesterday. ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.’
Yeh mih people, please, please, I implore us to bring out true LOVE in our daily lives, show it to our fellow man in living colour, in sincere actions, because that’s the only way we will truly make this world a better place. Not to mention that it’s only true, sincere actions of LOVE, that anyone will truly want to come to Christ. If we keep preaching that Christ is LOVE, and don’t show true LOVE, then we’re making a mockery of Christ and all that He stands for.
As John says earlier on: ‘For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should LOVE one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew (murdered) his brother (Abel). And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.’ (1 John 3:11-12)
Now listen to the scholars’ explanation of that last verse. ‘3:12. See Genesis 4:8. Of that wicked one refers to a child of the Devil (v.10). Cain killed Abel because their conflicting allegiances (Cain’s to Satan, Abel’s to God) were plain to see by their respective actions.
John seems to be saying: “If even wicked Cain could see that a man’s character is revealed ultimately, not in what he says he believes, but in what he does, should not Christians be able to see this as well?”
Of course we should my brethren! As we said yesterday, LOVE is an action word, and only through our actions can we outwardly manifest it. But sadly, so many of us lack LOVE in our souls, that we obviously can’t show it. We can’t give what we don’t have.
However, if we’re serious about giving LOVE, then all we have to do is go to God and sincerely ask Him to fill us with it. But then that means spending time with Him, something that so many of us unfortunately shy away from.
Anyway friends, this Ash Wednesday/Valentine’s Day is the right time for us to come to the trough and drink of God’s grace, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness. Remember, it did not just happen by chance, but God programmed it that way, to accomplish His purpose.
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our blessed position in Christ. All together 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!’
Now that’s truth and wisdom of everlasting proportions! Much LOVE!
…if one is consistently hanging with Jesus…then one’s future can only get brighter and brighter…
07 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wonderful time, at all times, awesome truth, best days of our lives, bless the Lord, boast in the Lord, bombard, bounden duty, cease not, continually in my mouth, created all things, culled, day and night, disastrous situations, dwell in the past, earthquake, elders, exalt His name, expendable, fall down, flowing through me, focused on the future, frivolous, full of eyes, glad to be alive, glorifying, glory, glory hallelujah, halfway home, hands on the plough, heavenly praise, his praise, holy, honour, invitation, Jesus, know where you're coming from, know where you're going, Laura Palmer, lead and guide, living creatures, look back, look to the future, looking to the Lord, magnify the Lord with me, magnifying, make the same mistakes, move forward, natural disasters, not turning back, not very often, promises, rinsed of debris, sat on the throne, served, shall hear, sincerity, singing His praise, six wings, small portions, snow, still ahead of us, strawberries, sweetened, taint, Taiwan, talk of God, temporary, the breath of life, the four beasts, the good old days, the humble, the past, the path He's planned, things of man, thou art worthy, too busy, Tower of Pisa, truth, vision of the future, Wednesday Wail, wishing, worship
Psalm 34:1. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
And the place is white again…Chuh! What’s with this snow business eh? True, it’s not a lot, but snow is snow, regardless of how much falls. (smile) But then again, I’d rather the snow than the 6.4 earthquake that occurred in a tourist area of Taiwan yesterday. A picture I saw showed a big building leaning, like the Tower of Pisa, at about a 40 to 45 degree angle to the ground.
Ah Lord eh! We have enough natural disasters to undergo, without causing the many man-made ones that constantly bombard us. But friends, let’s never forget that the Lord is in control and nothing happens in this world without His allowing it, for whatever reason or purpose He has in mind.
For His thoughts and His ways are so much higher than ours. The most we can do is pray for those undergoing disastrous situations, and ask the Lord to lead and guide us safely along the path that He’s planned for each of us.
Now here is a li’l something from a Laura Palmer; couldn’t figure out which one, because there are so many, but whoever it was, certainly had their wits about them. And the quote says: ‘The past should be culled like a box of fresh strawberries; rinsed of debris, sweetened judiciously, and served in small portions, not very often.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth friends! We should not dwell in the past. We can’t totally forget it, but we must not let it define our futures. We need to stop dwelling in the past and wishing for the good old days. Why? Because the best days of our lives are still ahead of us!
And I firmly believe that. Why would the Lord keep us down here if He didn’t have something better planned for us eh? We need to have a positive mindset my people; where we look to the future; a future filled with the Lord’s wonderful promises!
Looking back at the past too much is only going to taint our vision of the future. Once we learn to not make the same mistakes we did before, we’ll be okay to move forward. As they say, you can’t know where you’re going, unless you know where you came from. But where you came from should not overly colour where you’re going. But what a way the ole fella waxing philosophical this morning eh! (smile)
And one of the things that will help us keep looking to the future and not the past, is doing like Bruh David declares in our bit. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ Yeh friends, if we keep looking to the Lord, keep singing His praises, keep magnifying and glorifying Him, we’ll be too busy looking forward to have time to look back.
As Bruh David continues: ‘My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.’ (Ps.34:2) Are we doing that my friends; boasting in the Lord, and not in ourselves or the frivolous and temporary things of man? I certainly hope so, because EVERYTHING but the Lord is expendable!
And furthermore, if we don’t talk of God, how will others learn of Him eh, especially the weak and poor and sick and humble, who need Him so badly? And Bruh David provides for that with this glorious invitation: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:3)
Oh mih people, mih people, I’m extending that very invitation to all of us now! Please magnify and exalt the Lord with me! Besides, it’s our bounden duty; it’s what we were created to do! We’re supposed to be the earthly version of the heavenly praise and thanks crew.
Listen to the Good Book. ‘And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest (cease) not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts (living creatures) give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever;
The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist.)’ (Rev.4:8-11)
Oh friends, yuh see what a wonderful time is had in heaven, just thanking God, giving Him His rightful due! Now that’s all they seem to do up there, and it would be wonderful if we could do it as much down here. But obviously that’s not possible to the same extent. However, it can be, and definitely needs to be done much more than we’re currently doing it.
So let’s ‘wisen’ up nuh mih fellow believers, let’s get truly serious about our magnificent and magnanimous God, and exalt His holy name throughout the whole earth! That will bring even more singing and glorifying in heaven!
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, stating our unashamed position in Christ. All together now, in sincerity and truth: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh my people, mere words cannot describe how glorious that future really will be nuh! Much LOVE!
…true believers…always find a way…to talk about and exalt their God…
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