25 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a difficult time., above not beneath, aches and pains, aging, alive and kicking, be not drunk with wine, begins a good work, believe, brand new, Christians, coming against me, completion, confession of sins, conquerors, death, dissipation, doctor heal thyself, doctor's appointments, doing my thing, encourage myself in the Lord, excess, faith, filled with the Holy Spirit, filling of the Spirit, giving thanks always, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's power, halfway home, hands on the plough, he restoreth my soul, hell, holy spirit, hymns, indelibly in our hearts, inevitable, Jesus by our sides, lift my level of passion for life, looking straight ahead, LOVE, Lucifer, major renovation, making melody in your heart, medical institution, negative stuff, no control over, not the tail, not turning back, numerous problems, pass through the fire, prayer, psalms, refuel my spirit, relationship with god, serious butt, sincerity, singing, speaking to yourselves, spiritual man, spiritual songs, standing strong in faith, surrender, thank God, the breath of life, the grave, the head, the spirit would sag, traffic jam, trust, truth, utmost importance, victory, Wednesday Wail, wirte god's promises
Psalm 23:3a. He restoreth my soul…
Awright mih breddren, the ole fella is alive and kicking; kicking some serious butt too on this somewhat cloudy Wednesday morning in the fall of 2017! Glory to God!
Oh my aches and pains are still there, and whatever’s wrong inside is still wrong, but my spirit has been rejuvenated. More glory to God!
It’s just that lately so many things over which I had no control have been coming against me, that it was only a matter of time before the ole bod, the spirit and soul got tired.
When you suddenly find out that what you thought was improving, wasn’t really improving, while other things were still going wrong, and you’re constantly moving from one doctor’s appointment or medical institution during traffic jam hours, it does make for a difficult time.
Oh, I’ve been going along quite okay despite the numerous problems, not given up hope and standing strong in faith, but in the face of all that negative stuff, it was inevitable that the spirit would sag some.
However, after writing yesterday’s Bit, I just decided to refuel my spirit, lift my level of passion for life higher, bring it back to a level that allows me to function with more authority and energy. As the saying goes, doctor heal thyself, with me it was spiritual man, refuel thy spirit. (smile)
I’ve decided that like Bruh David did, to encourage myself in the Lord some more. Let the aches and pains, and whatever else is wrong, do their thing, I won’t let them stop me from doing mine. They will obviously slow me down, but that’s fine, once they don’t stop me completely.
I know the Lord’s doing a major renovation in me, and it’s not going to be easy, but I also know that if he begins a good work in me, then He WILL see it through to completion.
Plus He won’t give me more than I can handle, and will also help me pass through the fire unscathed, so that when I come out on the other side, I’ll be brand new! Glory Hallelujah!
That brings us to our simple but oh so important Bit from that great psalm of Bruh David, ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ ‘He restoreth my soul…’
Yeh friends, the Lord does just that when we surrender all our aches and pains and whatever is bothering us to Him. But we also need to trust and believe and write God’s promises indelibly in our hearts and souls, so that when life comes against us, we’ll be able to use them to stand steadfast and strong.
Let’s remember that we’re the head and not the tail; above and not beneath; sure conquerors with Jesus by our sides. In fact, He’s already given us the victory over hell, death, the grave and their evil keeper Lucifer. But it all takes a magnum of faith, especially in these pretty evil and ungodly times.
However, please remember Bruh Paul’s admonition to the Ephesians: ‘And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Holy Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph.5:18-20)
Yeh friends, that’s the only way we can remain strong and grow in the LOVE and knowledge of God. And here is an interesting explanation from the scholars on the ‘Fullness of the Holy Spirit.’
‘5:18. The words be filled here mean “be continually filled,” emphasizing that the fullness of the Spirit is a repeated experience for believers. When a person is drunk with an alcoholic beverage, his walk, talk and sight are controlled by alcohol.
God desires that the minds of Christians be controlled by the Holy Spirit so that they will walk in the Spirit, speak on behalf of God, and understand the things of God. Because people are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation, they do not need to get more of the Holy Spirit, but the filling of the Spirit occurs when the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer.
Illustration: As we establish our relationship with God through confession of sins (1 John 1:9) and yield to Him (Rom.6:13), we can be filled with the Spirit if that is our desire (Matt.5:6) and prayer (Luke 11:13). Application: Every Christian should be filled with the Spirit in order that he may have God’s power to serve Him. (Acts 1:8) (First Ref. Ex.35:31; Primary Ref. Eph.5:18; cf. 1 John 2:27.)’
Ah my people, it’s of the utmost importance that in these last days, we allow the Holy Spirit of God to get more of us! Please check out those references above, they give great insight into the use and power of God’s Spirit.
And to help us improve in our use and value of the Holy Spirit, let’s go home vociferously declaring our Wednesday Mantra with all truth and sincerity. ‘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 indeed be glorious friends! Much LOVE!
…it’s time for God’s Spirit to be lifted up in us… so that we can better do His work and will…
P.S. Please excuse the tardiness of the Bit. I just got up late, and even then thought it was 7.45, when it was 8.45. What to do eh? Aging is a helluva thing! (smile) Much LOVE!
06 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, a warning, a word of warning to the wise, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, according to my righteousness, adversity, Antigua, Bad News, Barbuda, chaos, children, chosen people, Christians, cleanness of my hands, darkness, David, demise, disciples, enemy, erring on the right side, evil, free fall, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, good, halfway home, hurricane Irma, Jesus, living for Christ, LOVE, loving arms, most powerful force, my hands are on the plough, natural disasters, North American mainland, not turning back, on which side his bread was buttered, posturing, prayer, raising Cain, recompensed me, repentance, rewarded, righteousness, Saul, share the Love of Jesus, standard of living, strife, the breath of life, the God of our forefathers, the Good Book, The Israelites, the longest journey begins with the first step, the Lord rewarded me, the Lord's generous hand, the one and only true living God, the order of the day, turning back to God, ungodliness, unrest, unrighteousness, warmongering, Wednesday Wail
Psalm 18:20. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
Ah friends, not a day seems to pass without some sort of bad news in our world eh? The latest is the hurricane Irma, that’s begun raising Cain in the West Indies yesterday, blowing it’s powerful Category 5 self over Antigua and Barbuda and apparently heading for other islands in the northern end of the archipelago.
And if it doesn’t change its trajectory, it will most likely hit the eastern side of the North American mainland by the weekend. After the ravages of hurricane Harvey in the past couple of weeks, it would be total chaos if Irma were to hit the mainland.
This calls for very serious prayer my people, the most powerful force on the earth. It also calls for repentance and turning back to God. Who knows why all these natural disasters are occurring at this time eh? Maybe it’s a warning? God might just be trying to get our attention. But even if it is not, there’s no harm in erring on the right side of the equation?
And it’s no secret that our society is as sinful and ungodly as it’s ever been, and in a serious negative free fall, what with all the strife and unrest between the powerful nations of the world. We can certainly use some respite from all the posturing and warmongering…and only sincere prayer and repentance can bring that about.
It won’t, and it can’t happen overnight, but we’ve got to make a start. As the Chinese proverb says: ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’
My people, it’s time we took that first step in returning to worshipping the God of our forefathers, bringing God back into our homes, schools, public places and all areas of our society, because that is the only way that we will survive.
The Good Book shows where the Lord brought serious adversity on His chosen people, Israel, when they were disobedient and turned to idol worship. But when they repented and turned back to Him, He took them back with LOVING arms, because that’s the kind of God He is; the God of second chances.
So if the Israelites were smart enough to realize their error, why can’t we be too eh? We’re supposed to be so much wiser and more educated and affluent and have a higher standard of living. But that’s possibly the problem right there; we think we know too much, and in reality we don’t know anything.
Anyway, a word of warning to the wise; let’s pray, let’s sincerely repent and get back to worshipping the One and Only True Living God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That’s the wisest thing we can do right now.
And our Bit certainly points us in that direction. ‘The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.’
Yeh mih people, it’s no secret, the Lord rewards us when we do right, when we live righteously. And by no stretch of the imagination can we say that our world is in a righteous mode right now. In fact unrighteousness is the order of the day!
Bruh David was a man like all of us, he did his fair share of wrong and suffered his fair share of adversity too, but he knew where his strength came from, on which side his bread was buttered, so he stuck with the Lord God of Israel, who wrought mighty deeds through him.
Just check out this example. When Bruh David had a chance to kill his archenemy Saul in the wilderness, he refused to do it, because Saul was the Lord’s anointed. (1 Sam.24:1-15) And after Bruh David talked to Saul about the situation, the ole reprobate Saul, said, ‘Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast showed this day how thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.
For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away (get away safely)? Wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.’ (1 Sam.24:16-19)
Yeh friends, even the evil Saul knew that the Lord rewards righteousness, so why aren’t we seeking more rewards through our righteousness eh? Our world currently seems to be fixated on the things of evil, of darkness of ungodliness, which can only work to our eventual demise my brethren.
Our job as Christians is to try and prevent that by living for Christ and showing others the way to Him. What say we that we begin doing that seriously now eh, if we want our world to not only survive, but also prosper under the Lord’s generous hand? Our children, and our children’s children are depending on us my brethren. Let’s not fail them.
And if our hearts are right, then we can sincerely declare our Wednesday 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!’
Oh friends, let’s go out and help others to sincerely declare that nuh, for it is the heartfelt desire of Jesus. Much LOVE!
…as disciples of Jesus…we are to share His LOVE with others…not keep it to ourselves…
09 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fresh start, a glorious future with Jesus, a healthy fear, accoutrement, appreciating, bear many a burden, depart from evil, ephemeral, esteem God, evil times, flower-strewn pathways, foolish, fools despise wisdom, glorious day, glory to God, grace, grace for the trials, halfway home, hands on the plough, help from above, Jesus sacrificed His life for us, Job, joy without sorrow, light for the way, living for Jesus, living successful lives, looking straight ahead, LOVE, new mercies, not turning back, pateince, peace without pain, perseverance, rest amid labour, reverential awe of God, revering God, run our race, skies ever blue, smooth roads, strength for the day, submission to the Lord, sun without rain, swift easy travel, sympathy, the beginning of knowledge, the beginning of wisdom, the breath of life, the fear of the Lord, the finish line, the knowledge of the Holy One, the land of the living, the obits, the price, the promises of God, the value of wisdom, this is the day the Lord has made, trials, turning away from God, understanding, undying LOVE, unfailing sympathy, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, wine and roses, wisdom, written indelibly
Proverbs 9:10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy (Holy One) is understanding.
Another glorious day is in the offing friends! And to make matters even better, our names or pictures have not shown up in the obits today! Glory to God!
So let’s be thankful and enjoy the day, proudly declaring, as the psalmist did: ‘This is the day which the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
For sure, because we would be foolish to do otherwise since Jesus sacrificed His sinless life so that we could live an abundant one.
Now here is a li’l something to remind us that though life is good, it’s not always wine and roses. (smile) I don’t remember where I got it from, but recently I found it amongst some papers on my desk.
I believe I shared it sometime back, but like so many of these things, they never get stale and are always good for retelling. And I seem to have given it the title of ‘The Promises and Non-Promises of God.’
Please read with me. ‘God hath not promised skies ever blue, flower-strewn pathways all our lives through; God hath not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
God hath not promised smooth roads and wide, swift, easy travel, needing no guide; God hath not promised we shall not bear many a burden, many a care.
But God hath promised strength for the day, rest amid labour, light for the way; grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying LOVE.’
And that’s more than enough for us friends! Our generous and gracious God gives us enough to live each day walking in His will! That’s all we need since we can only live one day at a time.
That’s why His mercies are new every morning. Every day He gives us a fresh start. So please let’s be wise, grab on to it and run our race with patience, perseverance and understanding, for that’s the only way we’ll ever make it successfully to the finish line.
And to ensure us of doing just that, we need the immortal words of our Bit written indelibly in our hearts, minds, souls and bodies. ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy (Holy One) is understanding.’
Yeh friends, until we learn to acknowledge and rightly esteem the Lord God Jehovah our lives will not run smoothly. That’s because we won’t understand what life is all about. And as we said yesterday, wisdom is basically about living successful lives.
So it follows that if you don’t have wisdom, you can’t live successfully. But then, true wisdom comes only from appreciating, revering, and sincerely worshipping God. Which in turn means that we have to come to God in sincere faith before we can get that wisdom to live a successful life. Hope it makes sense. (smile)
Now let’s turn to a couple of scriptures which highlight the importance of that somewhat ephemeral but oh so necessary accoutrement, wisdom. Listen to that great man of God, Job, as he expounds on wisdom being the Gift of God.
‘But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof (the value); neither is it found in the land of the living.’ (Job 28:12-13)
Then he goes on to say that it cannot be found in the sea, nor can it be purchased for gold or other precious jewels. (vs.14-27) So where and how can wisdom be had then?
‘And unto man he (God) said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’ (Job 28:28) What more can we say eh friends? If God says that’s how it is, then that’s exactly how it is!
Now hear Cousin Sol with another tot of wise warning. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
And is that ever so true. So many of us are foolishly turning away from God in these evil times, so how shall we ever have widespread wisdom eh?
And the scholars explain that verse thus. ‘1:7. The fear of the Lord means submission to the Lord and His revelation. When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view here.
It is a healthy fear, like the fear of electricity or the fear of one’s parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner. The beginning does not mean that “the fear of the Lord” is left behind in the course of acquiring wisdom, but it is the controlling principle of wisdom.’
And so my fellow brethren in Christ, now that we’ve beefed up our understanding of true wisdom, let’s go home showing that we are indeed on the right track nuh by loudly, sincerely and truthfully declaring our Wednesday Wail.
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!’
Ah mih people, isn’t it just wonderful living with, for and through Jesus! Much LOVE!
…truly living for Jesus…shows that one has acquired true wisdom…
26 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a necessary condition, anger inflames talk, be swift to hear, blasphemy, bond, Christ is all, circumcision, click my heels, filthiness, filthy communication, free, glad to be alive, Greek, grin and bear it, harsh repercussions, hearing of the word, Jesus Christ, Jew, jump for joy, listening to God, looking ahead, malice, mature, meekness, my beloved brethren, my hands are on the plough, not turning back, old fogies, our existence, pain medication, parable of the seed, patience, pleasures, put off the old man, put on the new man, renewed in knowledge, rewards of heaven, save your souls, Sholem Asch, shout Glory Hallelujah!, silence., slave, sleep inducing properties, slow to speak, slow to wrath, talk inflames anger, the breath of life, the Christian's life, the implanted word, the power to forget, the power to remember, the righteousness of God, the wrath of man, them's the breaks, trials, uncircumcision, ungodly decisions, Wednesday Wail, wickedness
James 1:19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Oh friends, I’m so glad to be alive, especially on such a wonderful summer’s morn that I just wanted to jump for joy, click my heels, and shout ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
But fortunately, the wise One that dwells within me immediately cautioned that the first two actions would be somewhat foolhardy, given my precarious physical state. So I simply shouted ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ (smile)
What a bam bam it is when your body can’t keep up with your mind eh? But them’s the breaks! It’s what happens when you’ve lived a long and productive life and have finally reached the winter years. So we just have to grin and bear it.
And with Jesus Christ in our lives, there are so many other pleasures for us to enjoy than just the physical ones, that we really lack for nothing. All glory to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
And let me apologize now for the lateness of the Bit. It seems that the pain medication I took before going to bed this morning also has some sleep inducing properties, which made it difficult to get up at an earlier hour.
Now here is a li’l something, which I shared way back when, but is still very useful in these trying times. It’s from Sholem Asch (1880-1957), a London born dramatist and writer of Polish-Jewish background, who later settled in the U.S.
He tells us that: ‘Not the power to remember, but the power to forget is a necessary condition for our existence.’
And that’s quite true mih breddren, otherwise our minds would be so riddled with memories, and mostly the bad ones too, that our lives would be even more confused that they already are.
But thankfully many of us old fogies don’t have to worry about that condition of life, because in our advanced stage we automatically forget most things anyway. (smile)
And though it’s convenient to forget, we have to remember to follow the critical command and warning of our Bit, even in old age. ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.’
And why is that you ask? Listen to James’ explanation that follows. ‘For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:20) Yeh friends, uncontrolled anger and speaking have no place in the Christian’s life, because they lead us to ungodly decisions and consequently harsh repercussions.
Hear the scholars take on those verses. ‘1:19. This is a key verse because it expresses three topics that James develops later: hearing, verses 19-27; speaking, 3:1-12; and wrath, 4:1-12.’
‘1:20. Trials require silence and patience because talk inflames anger, and anger inflames talk. Anger also distracts from listening to God.’
There you have it friends, several good reasons for controlling talk and anger! And I guess it’s only right for us to continue listening to James on the subject of hearing.
‘Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity (abundance) of naughtiness (wickedness), and receive with meekness the engrafted (implanted) word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)
And the scholars offer an interesting explanation to that verse. ‘1:21. Engrafted word might better be translated “implanted word” and may reflect Christ’s parable of the seed planted in the four different soils (Matt. 13:3-9). Both Christ and James focus on the proper hearing of God’s Word (Matt.13:13, 19-20, 22-23).
One needs to hear that Word, for it is able to save your souls. Though the phrase accurately describes the Word’s work of producing initial salvation, it is better in this context to understand it as the Word’s ability to preserve and mature the Christian’s life through trials.’
So anyway we cut it people, God’s Word is of the utmost importance in a believer’s life; both for producing our initial salvation and then keeping us on that straight and narrow path which allows us to grow in faith and trust in our wonderful Creator. Praise the Lord for His wonderful Word that leads and guides us safely on our earthly pilgrimage!
And it isn’t coincidence that Bruh Paul wrote some of those same things to the Colossians. ‘But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond (slave) nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.’ (Col.3:8-11)
Yeh friends, the believer is called to a much higher standard of living than the great unwashed. (smile) And hear Bruh Paul again agreeing with James on the power and benefits of the Word.
This while preaching at Antioch. ‘Men and brethren, children (sons) of the stock (family) of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.’ (Acts.13:26)
My people, I implore us, to never forget that! Consequently, we can go home now truthfully and sincerely declaring our Wednesday 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!’
Let’s do it for Jesus nuh mih people! Much LOVE!
…a Christian’s earthly life contains difficulties…but the rewards of heaven…especially Jesus’ eternal company… totally compensate for them…
19 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a living hope, abundant mercy, adventurous, be obedient to god's will, Blessed be the God and Father, blessings, Christian's destiny, comprehend God's greatness, deliverance, eternal life, faith, finite minds, focusing on the future, forgiving nature, forsaking God's goodness, gift of salvation, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's goodness, God-given options, halfway home, hands on the plough, hath begotten us again, imperishable, incorruptible, indestructible, inheritance, interesting, invading my heart, LOVE, mercies, miserable, morally tainted, not turning back, One Year Book of Bible promises, our Lord Jesus Christ, presence of sin, redeeming, reserved inheaven, revealed in the last time, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrificial death, salvation, shout from the hilltops, sing and dance, So Profound, thanks and praise, the breath of life, the future, the power of God, the presence of God, the ravages of time, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, this is the day the Lord has made, truth, uncertainty, undefiled, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail
1 Peter 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Welcome to Wednesday friends! It’s a brand new day with brand new mercies and blessings! Glory to God for providing us with such abundance!
In return we ought to give Him much thanks and praise, be obedient to His holy will and enjoy the day. That’s why we can all sincerely shout: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
And if we don’t follow through with that declaration, then it’s only us losing, foolishly forsaking God’s goodness. The Lord will still be in His high heaven enjoying Himself, but we will be miserable down here on planet earth.
Consequently, I want to share a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that’s titled ‘So Profound.’
And it says: ‘O God I want to sing and dance I want to shout it from the hilltops: There is absolutely nothing In my wretched past That can hinder You From redeeming my future Except my refusal to let You. Thank You for invading my heart With a truth so refreshing So magnificent So profound!’
Yeh mih people, we should be singing and dancing and giving praise each and every day that we’re alive, thankful for our wonderful God’s redeeming and forgiving nature!
And it’s surprising when we live a thankful and grateful life how interesting and adventurous are our days! We don’t sit around moping and groaning and complaining because things aren’t going our way.
But it’s surprising how many supposed believers unwisely live that miserable sort of life even with God’s goodness and mercy right at their fingertips.
And we should be especially thankful and grateful at this most important time of year when Jesus rose from the dead to allow us to have the free, God-given options of salvation and eternal life! Glory to God!
And the Bible Promises used for that poem are some verses from 1 Peter that we recently looked at, but are certainly worthy of sharing again, the first one being our Bit.
‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time’ (1 Pet.1:3-5)
Ah mih people, our God is so great that our small, finite minds can’t even truly comprehend His greatness! And don’t talk about His LOVE! Wow! That is so out of sight that it boggles our imagination!
For before we LOVED Him, He LOVED us and sent His Son to die in our place, so that our sins could be forgiven! Now if that isn’t the ultimate in LOVE, then I don’t know what is!
Now let’s look at some explanations of our verses from the scholars. ‘1:3-2:10. The Christian’s destiny: salvation. Salvation means “deliverance.” Peter’s view of salvation is ultimate salvation, that is, when the believer will be rescued from this world into the presence of God.’
‘1:3-12. The plan of salvation. Peter does not look at time from a Western perspective. The Hebrews regarded the present as so fleeting that in their language they have essentially only two tenses: past and future.’
‘1:3-5. The portrayal of salvation looks to the future. The author of salvation is portrayed as the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The work of salvation (vs. 3-5) is described as to its effect. Hath begotten us again refers to a new stage of life that begins at salvation.
This lively hope has no element of uncertainty, for it is guaranteed by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The believer’s inheritance is described as incorruptible (Gr. aphtharton), imperishable or indestructible, and undefiled (i.e. morally untainted).
That fadeth not away (Gr. amaranton) means it is not subject to the ravages of time. Further it is reserved (Gr. teteremenen, perfect tense), that is, it has been preserved in the past and still is in heaven.
Kept is a present passive participle – we are secure because we are continually guarded by God, who never relaxes His vigil. Salvation here refers to final salvation, that is, deliverance from the presence of sin and into the presence of God.’
Yeh friends, the explanations might take some effort to understand, but that’s how we get to know the word. And besides, the most important fact is that it’s all for our good! So please make the effort to grasp it and hang on to it. Hope you enjoyed the lesson in Greek too. (smile)
Now let’s end by sincerely declaring our Wednesday 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!’
Now let’s truly live it my brethren! Much LOVE!
…the great gift of salvation…would not be possible without Jesus’ sacrificial death…and His awesome resurrection…
12 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: appropriate, beauty, bring an offering, challenges, common sense, dark mountains, darkness, Dear god, disobedience, financial situation, funeral, give glory unto God, glory hallelujah, God is good, God's mysterious workings, grief, halfway home, hands on the plough, hardheaded, honour, I am thanking You right now, idols, in the Lord's hands, judge the people righteously, look for light, majestic ending, majesty, not turning back, pain, praise God, quandary, receive rewards, salvation, see results, sense of purpose, strength, stubborn, sunny spring day, the ability, the breath of life, the children are asleep, the glorious future with Jesus, the good news, the heathen, the journey gets easier, the Lord is great, the Lord reigns, the opportunity to do better, the shadow of death, the Way, ticker, Top o' the morn, truth, trying times, unfortunate news, Wernesday Wail, wisdom, worship the Lord, you haven't given up on me, your feet stumble
Jeremiah 13:16. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
Aye friends, top o’ the morn! Now yesterday’s cloudy beginning turned into a beautiful sunny spring day, let’s hope that today’s cloudy start will also turn into a majestic ending.
But yuh know I’m beginning to dread opening my e-mail on a morning, because I’m been bombarded with too much unfortunate news.
Yesterday I opened it and heard about my friend Jackie’s death. Today I open the e-mail and find out that she’s to be buried tomorrow at 11 a.m. exactly when I have an appointment with my heart doctor. Chuh!
And this is not just an ordinary, routine appointment, but one to do some technical stuff to see if my heart has improved over the last few months. So you can imagine the quandary that I’m in; I don’t want to miss Jackie’s funeral, but I do want to know what’s happening with my ole ticker.
Anyway, I’ll just leave it all in the Lord’s hands and see how He works it out. But this morning we’re going to pray a prayer that I discovered on one of my office walls last night while looking for something else.
And I have to laugh at the Lord’s mysterious workings, because this is a prayer that I ought to see every time I enter the office and go to sit behind the desk. But I obviously don’t.
Ah Lord eh! I believe I’ve shared it with you a long time ago, but is it ever so appropriate for these trying times in which we’re currently living!
So please pray with me: ‘Dear God: I want to thank you for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking You right now! I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I am thanking You right now!
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me; I am thanking You right now! I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears; I am thanking You right now!
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves; I am going to thank You right now! I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet; I am going to thank You right now!
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job; I am going to thank You right now! I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief; I am going to thank You right now!
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed. I am thanking You right now! I am thanking You because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better. I am thanking You because Father, You haven’t given up on me! Amen!’
Yes friends, what a beautiful prayer! Our God is just so good! And the important and amazing thing is that He’s so good, ALL THE TIME! Oh Praise His Holy Name my people!
And if we’d give our wonderful God thanks and praise more often than we do, our lives would be so much better, but we’re just stubborn and hardheaded, and just seem to make our lives harder than necessary.
And I like how this prayer just fits nicely with our Bit. ‘Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.’
Now our God doesn’t want to cause darkness in our lives, but if we’re continually disobedient, we leave Him no choice. It’s just like us with our children; we don’t like to punish them, but constant disobedience does call for some harsh consequences.
Hear how the psalmist puts in Psalm 96 – A call to praise God. ‘Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation (proclaim the good news of his salvation) from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen (nations), his wonders among all the people.
For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Give (ascribe) unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give (ascribe) unto the Lord the glory due his name: bring an offering and come into his courts.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him all the earth. Say among the heathen (nations) that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be (is firmly) established that it shall not be moved (shaken): he shall judge the people righteously.’ (Ps.96:2-10)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s the majesty and magnificence, the power and glory of our great God! Please, let’s give him the reverence and honour that are His rightful due nuh. It’s only common sense and wisdom to do so.
Now let’s go home with our hearts filled with joy and reverence, praise and thanksgiving, as we declare our Wednesday Wail in unison and a 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!’
Oh friends, let’s keep looking forward to that glorious future with Jesus nuh, for He is indeed the TRUTH, the LIGHT and the WAY! Much LOVE!
…in the LIGHT of Jesus…true believers overcome darkness…
05 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great God, alternative facts, atonement, blasphemed, Christ crucified, Christians, communication, con men, covetousness, deceived by their own teaching, deceptive words, denying the Lord, destruction, destructive ways, evil spoken of, exploit you, false doctrine, false prophets, false teachers, glory hallelujah, glory to God, gospel truth, guilty of blasphemy, halfway home, heresies, hot flashes, judgement, lying, medical appointment, morning noon and night, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, not turning back, pernicious, Praise the Lord, quality of life, study the word, talk a good talk, the breath of life, the Good Book, the way of truth, the Word of god, to a glorious future with Jesus, Toronto, traffic problems, unorthodox teachings, Wednesday Wail, without rhyme or reason
2 Peter 2:2. And many shall follow their pernicious (destructive) ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of (blasphemed).
Ah mih people, once more I have to go into the great city of Toronto for a medical appointment. That’s why you’re getting this so early. (smile) Ah Lord eh!
The basic problem though with these Toronto appointments is that when they are too early, you experience traffic problems going in, and have to leave home earlier than really necessary. And when they are too late, you experience traffic problems coming out.
But it’s all for my benefit, so I can’t really complain, especially about this particular one, which hopefully will deal with the hot flashes I’ve been having for a couple of years now. Glory to God!
Oh mih breddren, the ole fella will be ever so grateful if those come from where I don’t know, without rhyme or reason, morning noon and night hot flashes can be put to rest!
And please don’t tell me nonsense about women have hot flashes all the time, as one female doctor told me. That might be true, but the reasons behind theirs and mine most likely differ. As far as I was concerned, she took my problem too casually and wasn’t about to do anything about it, so I just stopped going to her.
And strangely enough, it’s another female endocrinologist that I’m seeing now, but she seems to have much more respect for my quality of life and is seriously trying to improve it. Praise the Lord! But enough about me, let’s turn to the word.
And before we get to our Bit, it will be rather informative to study the verse before it, as Peter pontificates on false prophets and teachers.
‘But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly) shall bring in damnable (destructive) heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.’ (2 Pet.2:1)
And yuh know what friends? That untenable and unfortunate situation still exists today! There are lots of false prophets and teachers amongst us, teaching all sorts of false doctrine, setting themselves up for destruction.
Then comes our Bit. ‘And many shall follow their pernicious (destructive) ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of (blasphemed).’
Now sadly too, those words are still true. Too many of us are being taken in by these false teachers and are thus being guilty of blasphemy. It’s not a joke friends, but a real serious matter, for our eternal lives depend on whom we follow, what we learn and what we believe.
So the next verse is also very important. ‘And through covetousness shall they with feigned (deceptive) words make merchandise of (exploit) you: whose judgement now of a long time lingereth not (has not been idle) and their damnation (destruction) slumbereth not.’ (2 Pet.2:3)
Oh my people, we are indeed seeing all of that stuff happening today, possibly even more than in Peter’s time, because our world is so much larger and communication is so much easier and more widespread.
But listen to the scholars take on those verses. ‘2:1-3. The opposite of true revelation is the message of false prophets and false teachers who deceive God’s flock and bring in damnable heresies. These heresies (unorthodox teachings) include an open denial of Christ Himself.
Denying the Lord that bought them indicates that Christ’s atonement potentially extends to all men, including these false teachers who reject Him. Therefore, they will experience destruction because they themselves will be deceived by their own teaching and continue to reject the way of truth.’
What a bam-bam friends! Being destroyed by your own teaching! But it’s happening all around us; people are teaching all sorts of stuff and they don’t seem to match, so something must be wrong somewhere.
I’m therefore pleading with us my brethren, to please be very, very careful whom you listen to and follow, for there are a lot of smart con men around, who talk a very good talk. But basically, if they don’t teach Christ crucified (1 Cor.1:23) and their words don’t line up with those of the Good Book, then don’t listen to or follow them.
And that is also why it’s so imperative that we read and study the word for ourselves. If we know the word, then no false preacher or teacher can easily fool us. But so many supposed Christians don’t truly know the word of God, that the smooth talking false teachers and prophets are easily fooling them. Ah Lord eh!
When the most powerful man in the world is constantly lying and calling them ‘alternative facts,’ what else can you expect from the lower echelons eh? But as strong and true believers, who know the word, we will not fall for those lies of the evil led blasphemers. And instead, we’ll go home now confidently proclaiming our Wednesday Wail.
In full voice and strong sense of purpose now, 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!’
Yes friends, our God is a great God, and we are truly looking forward to a great future with Him. Praise His Holy Name! Much LOVE!
…our best days are still out ahead of us…with Jesus in heaven…and that’s the gospel truth…
01 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lamp, a light unto my path, association, At last, bacchanal time, believers, benefits, commandment, communication, converting the soul, covenants, crucifixion, defense, enduring forever, enlightening the eyes, entrusted myself, eyes fixed straight ahead, forest of my thoughts, forty days of Christ's temptation, fulfillment, get serious, God's Law, God's Word, God-centred, great news, guarantees my wholeness, halfway home, hands on the plough, honeycomb, immeasurable, in the thick of battle, interaction, Jesus, judgements of the Lord, Lent, Lenten season, LOVE, make time, making wise the simple, meditate, monk-like, more to be desired than gold, moved, my rock, my soul waits, not turning back, one, One Year Book of Bible promises, perfect, perfectly safe, practice, pure, put into action, read, rejoicing the heart, righteous, ruins of my heart, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, shaken, sincerity, statutes, strong tower, study, supports me, sweeter than honey, temptations, testimony, the breath of life, the fear of the Lord, the right path, the wilderness, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be loved, true, trust, truth, understands, Wednesday Wail, without God, wonderful life, worldly activities
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Ah friends, bacchanal time done now! It’s Ash Wednesday, the first day both of March and of the Lenten Season, where Christians settle down and get real serious about their interaction and communication with Almighty God.
It’s a season of intense study and meditation and looking inside to see what’s there and how it relates to our Christian faith, and how we can bring ourselves into closer association with our heavenly Father, as we go through the forty days of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness that lead up to His eventual crucifixion.
Now that doesn’t mean we have to be monk-like and don’t enjoy our lives. Absolutely not, but we do need to cut down on some of the worldly activities and be more God-centred, more God focused and serious about our faith and how we react to temptations, a-la Christ.
And here is a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that sort of describes what I’m talking about. It’s titled ‘At Last.’
And it says: ‘At last there is One With whom I am perfectly safe. One who knows thoroughly All the rubbled ruins of my heart. At last I see all that is Riddled and distorted in me Can still find God-planned fulfillment.
At last I need no longer explore The deep, dark forest of my thoughts For there is One who understands me Far better than I understand myself. One who stands with me In the thick of the battle One who supports me On the slippery, ice-crested paths.
At last I have entrusted myself To One who guarantees my wholeness Someone whose LOVE is immeasurable. In all the world He alone can LOVE me As I need to be LOVED. At last there is One – My Lord and my God!’
Yeh my people, that is the stage that we all need to come to; a proper understanding of whom our God is, what he’s all about, and the immense trust that we can and ought to place in Him if we call ourselves believers.
That’s the kind of stuff we need to sincerely seek during this Lenten Season. And the Bible Promise for that poem comes from Psalm 62 – God only is my rock and my salvation.
‘Truly my soul waiteth (waits silently) upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense (strong tower); I shall not be greatly moved (shaken).’ (Ps.62:1-2)
Yes friends, when we can truly declare those words with the utmost sincerity, then we’re getting the situation right, then we’re truly moving along the right path. But before we can get to that point, we have to invoke the words of our Bit. ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’
We need to get serious about God’s Word. And as we said yesterday, MAKE TIME to read, study and meditate on it, then put what it tells us into sincere action in our lives. Remember that the Word has been given for our benefit, not God’s, and if we don’t try to practice it in all sincerity and truth, then crapaud smoke we pipe!
But you can’t practice what you don’t know, that’s why it’s so important to become very knowledgeable about the Good Book and what it says. Only then can we hope to say that it’s a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
Now listen to what Bruh David says about the Lord’s word in Psalm 19- The creation and covenants of God. ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the (drippings of the) honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps.19: 7-11)
Oh my brethren, isn’t that great news? Wow! It surely is! Look at all the benefits we can derive from knowing and keeping the word nuh: it restores our souls, makes us wise, rejoices our hearts, enlightens our eyes, the word endure forever and is true and righteous.
Chuh man! It’s worth more than gold, the real good kind, and is even sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb! Mama mia!
And if that wasn’t sufficient, it also warns us when we are going astray. And then, when we abide by the Word, we are handsomely rewarded in the end! What can be better than the Word of the Lord then eh mih people? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
So please, I implore us to ponder on all those things this Lenten Season, so that we can get right all that we need to get right. Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, with much enthusiasm and true sincerity.
‘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!’
What a wonderful life my precious people of God! Much LOVE!
…God gave us life to live…but we can’t live it fully without Him…
15 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, agony, an angel from heaven, anguish, annals of history, believer, but as thou wilt, come in through the window, could ye not watch with me, crucifixion, do the will of God, don't give up, enter not into temptation, eternal, eyes fixed straight ahead, fake, fell on his face, fraud, God Jehovah, good things, grace, great drops of blood, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, heartfelt truth, heaven, horrific death, if it be possible, Jesus, let this cup pass from me, LOVE, Lucifer, mercies, mother, my brother, not as I will, not turning back, o my father, passion, pleasure, prayed, short-lived, sin-bearer, sister, slavish hold, sweat, temptation, the breath of life, the darkest before the dawn, the flesh is weak, the Garden of Gethsemane, the judgement, the spirit is willing, the ultimate in life, this is the day the Lord has made, thy will be done, watch and pray, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, when fate shuts a door, when your number will play, worth his salt
Matthew 26:39. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Welcome, welcome, my fellow believers to another glorious day in the annals of History! There are brand new strands of grace, mercies and lots of other good things to enjoy, courtesy of our wonderful God Jehovah!
So let’s gratefully acknowledge and accept them like the psalmist did nuh, by declaring: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
And that’s the way it should be my people, because that’s how our magnanimous and omnipotent God planned it. Any believer that does not rejoice and be glad in God’s day is not worth his salt, or the name of believer.
Now here is a li’l something from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster to titillate our senses. (smile) It says: ‘When fate shuts a door, come in through the window.’ The problem with that though, is suppose God shuts the door, then going in through the window might cause serious problems.
But generally speaking, I believe they mean don’t give up, to keep on trying, for one never knows when your number will play, it’s always the darkest before the dawn, and that sort of thing.
And we’ll get to our Bit right away. ‘And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’
Yes friends, Jesus’ soul was in agony, just like ours would be if we knew the horrific kind of death that was waiting for us in another few hours. It’s sad, that after praying our Bit, Jesus came back to His disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter: ‘What could ye not watch with me one hour?
Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.
And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.’ (Matt.26:40-44)
So friends, we can see that Jesus prayed three times that the cup of death, that His horrific crucifixion could be nixed, although deep down He knew it could not be set aside, because that was the Father’s will. Nonetheless, he still experienced agonizing moments.
The gospel of Luke reports it thus: ‘And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.’ (Luke 22:43-44)
Yes precious people, Jesus shook it real rough that night in the Garden of Gethsemane, so much so that the Lord sent an angel to strengthen Him.
The scholars explain those two verses thus: ’22:43-44. Only Luke notes this. Jesus is borne up in His hour of greatest need, when He must intercede not only for Himself but for His followers, who are about to leave Him in the lurch.
Agony appears only here in the New Testament; it points to the intensity of Jesus’ struggle. Surely Jesus wrestles, not so much with death itself, but with His own destiny to be made the sin-bearer for all mankind for all the ages. The punishment that had to be borne for our sins brings Jesus to His knees in anguish.’
So yuh see mih people, the anguish and agony Jesus bore for us, so that we could be set free from the slavish hold that sin had on us. Now how can we not be eternally grateful to Him eh?
I really don’t know nuh, but too many people write Him off as a fake, as a fraud, and foolishly look to the evil Lucifer for pleasure. However they don’t realize that the pleasures of this world only last for a short time, then comes the judgement.
And we’ll close with one more instance of how Jesus shows the great importance of doing the Father’s will. This came on an occasion where He was teaching, surrounded by a crowd of people, when His brothers and mother came to talk to Him.
‘And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek (are outside seeking) for thee. And He looked round about at them which sat (in a circle) about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.’ (Mark 3:32-35)
Now that might sound a bit harsh to some, but to Jesus, the Father’s will overruled everything else, regardless of who was involved. May we also feel the same way, as we go home declaring our Wednesday Wail with mucho passion and heartfelt 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 friends, that’s the ultimate in life! Let’s not allow it to slip away from us, for worthless earthly pleasures. Much LOVE!
…the pleasures of earth are short-lived…but those of heaven are eternal…
01 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, action, against the wiles of the devil, be above the earth, Be thou exalted, Christians, daily routines, delays, demons, disappointments, dreams, dwelling in our hearts, emergencies, emotional responses, evil schemes, exalted in heaven, failures, fallen angels, false, fight fire with fire, flesh and blood, glad to be alive, glorious morn, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, goals, God's great earth, halfway home, hand to hand combat, hands on the plough, hypocritical, in high places, in thine own strength, LOVE, Lucifer, motives, my day-by-day agenda, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my heart, natural disaster, not turning back, powers, praise, praise thy power, prayer for deliverance, principalities, priorities, put on the whole armour of God, rulers of darkness, Ruth Harms Calkin, Satan, secret thoughts, singing, sobbing, spiritual armour, spiritual growth, stepping stones, strategy, thanks and praise, the breath of live, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the Son of God, to know Him, urgency, we can handle anything, Wednesday Wail, wickedness, wiles, will we sing, worship, wrestle, ye may be able to stand, your home
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Aye mih people, it’s another wonderful day on God’s great earth! Give Him thanks and praise!
And though I’m somewhat tired from running around between hospitals yesterday, was I ever glad to open my eyes to another glorious morn, even if it’s cold and snowy. (smile) But then, the physical aspects of the day don’t really matter that much, once it’s not a devastating natural disaster.
And even then, with the SON of God dwelling deep in our hearts, minds and souls, we can handle anything. Let’s never forget that! Glory to God!
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, which fits in quite nicely with those sentiments. It’s titled ‘Be Thou Exalted.’
Please pray with me. “Be thou exalted, Lord In thine own strength; So will we sing And praise thy power.” Yes, Lord, Yes! David’s prayer is my prayer. Be exalted in my day-by –day agenda In my motives and dreams My priorities and goals. Even in my failures, Lord As you turn them into stepping stones Toward spiritual growth.
Be exalted in my worship and praise In my sobbing and singing. Be exalted in my secret thoughts My emotional responses. Be exalted in my daily routine The delays, the unexpected emergencies The disappointments that often come. Lord God, as You are exalted In heaven and on earth Be exalted in Your home – my heart.’
Oh friends, isn’t that beautiful? It surely is! And I especially like the last line, where, if we are to be exalting God continually, His home must be in our heart. That must be where He truly resides continually, otherwise all our outward actions are false and hypocritical.
And the Bible Promise for that poem comes from Psalm 57 – Bruh David’s Prayer for deliverance when he fled from Saul in the cave. ‘Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.’ (Ps.57:11)
Yes mih breddren, that’s exactly what we need to happen in this evil world! But that can only begin and remain steadfast when we do as our Bit advises. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’
Oh friends, oh friends, as Christians, we can’t successfully fight the evil spiritual forces that exist in this world without the protection of the Lord’s spiritual armour. And before we get into the whys and wherefores of all that, let’s check out this explanation of our Bit by the scholars.
‘6:11. Put on (Greek ingressive aorist imperative)??? denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”): Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’
So you see my fellow believers that our situation is dire! In order to fight a good fight, we need to put on our spiritual armour IMMEDIATELY! And then stand strong against the enemy’s evil schemes, not giving an inch of the ground we’ve won!
Oh, I know some of you are not taking me seriously, but this not my message, but Bruh Paul’s from the Lord our God! And he explains, as he continues after our Bit.
‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places.’ (Eph.6:12)
Oh people, that is one of the things we Christians badly need to realize and understand; we’re not engaged in a flesh and blood war, but a spiritual encounter against the powerful forces of evil that exist in the high places of our world. And until we fully understand that, all our efforts will be in vain.
You have to fight fire with fire, which means you can’t fight a spiritual battle with flesh and blood, but with spiritual elements. And the first strategy in any battle is to arm oneself with the proper weapons of war, hence the need before all else for our spiritual armour.
Now here is some useful info from the scholars on that least verse. ‘6:12. Wrestle, used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian.
Flesh and blood refers to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world-rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’
Yuh see friends, the battle is being fought both on an individual basis as well as collectively. Once you proclaim yourself a Christian, then the evil spiritual hordes will automatically come against you. However, when we are dressed in our full battle armour and have Jesus as our Leader, we are guaranteed success! Glory be!
And we’ll go home with further encouragement by loudly declaring our Wednesday Wail with the utmost sincerity and truth. 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!’
Oh my people, our Jesus is oh so wonderful! There’s absolutely no doubt about it! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
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