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…
11 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blade of grass, a breath of air, a challenging day, a flood, a sleep, a thousand years in thy sight, a wake up call, a watch in the night, apply our hearts unto wisdom, as yesterday, blessings, brevity of man, children of men, destruction, eternality of God, fades, flourishes, foolishness, from everlasting to everlasting, gain a heart of wisdom, generously provided, get ready now, glory hallelujah, God's great earth, God-given day, goodies, grwos, guidance, halfway home, heart, heart-failure, in the evening it is cut down, like grass, LOVE, man's life is like a vapour, man's standards, mercies, mortality, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, not turning back, prayer of Moses, reap, shortness of breath, teach us to number our days, thank God, the breath of life, the Lord's vision, the Promised Land, this is the day the Lord has made, thou art God, time, to a glorious future with Jesus, Top o' the morn, we will be glad and rejoice in it, Wednesday Wail, when our number will play, wisdom, withers
Psalm 90:12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).
Well hey, hey, hey, my wonderful Scrip-Bit friends and family! Top o’ the morn to you!
The ole fella’s up and about, alive, and though only kicking some, nonetheless ready to face a challenging day on God’s great earth! And is that ever a mouthful! (smile)
Consequently, it causes us to joyfully declare, as the psalmist did so long ago: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
And you know what I just realized? If we aren’t glad and rejoicing in this God-given day, we are the ones who will suffer. The Lord will still be on His throne in the high heavens enjoying His life, but we, foolishly, will not reap the myriad blessings and mercies that our ever-LOVING God has prepared for us afresh each new morning.
And that’s foolishness in the heights! So please let’s get wise and begin enjoying every day that we are privileged to see nuh. That brings us to our Bit, taken from the prayer of Moses, the only Psalm attributed to him in the Psalter, and thus the oldest.
‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).’
And we couldn’t ask for a wiser thing my friends, since our lives here on earth are so short, like a breath, a breath of air passing through our lungs. You see how long one breath lasts us? Not very long at all.
And that’s the way our lives are; here one moment, then gone the next, often without any notice or chance for preparation. Therefore we need wisdom and guidance to live them to their fullest and also be ready for whatever comes, when it comes.
That brings me to a serious realization and pulls me up short too. A couple weeks ago, unbeknownst to me, my heart was in rough shape, but generally speaking I felt fine, no pain or anything. That is until the shortness of breath became somewhat annoying and uncomfortable.
All I’m trying to say here is that my life could have been blown out in a split second, and I’d be none the wiser. That’s why we need to get ready NOW for Jesus, living the way He desires of us, for none of us knows when our number will play, and everybody will not be lucky or blessed like me to get a wake-up call.
And I have a very good example of that recently with a friend in Jamaica; he had no pain or apparent heart problems either, but in the twinkling of an eye he was taken home unexpectedly, from apparent heart-failure.
Oh friends, you don’t know how much I appreciate that wake-up call nuh, especially when I thought that I was doing okay. Just goes to show that we’re not always right, even when by man’s standards, it seems so.
Listen to how Moses describes our lives. ‘Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return ye children of men.
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep; in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.’ (Ps.90:2-6)
Yeh friends, that’s just how it is! And the scholars tell us.’Psalm 90:.. It is a prayer for the new generation of Israelites who will enter the Promised Land.There are four parts to its message. First Moses describes the eternality of God (vs.1-2).
Then, in contrast, he explores the brevity of man before God (vs.3-6). Four key comparisons are used: (1) A thousand years are like one day to God. (2) A thousand years are like a watch in the night (three hours). The implication of these comparisons is simple: if a thousand years to God are like a day or a nightwatch, man’s life is like a vapour.
(3) Your life is like a particle swept away by a flood. (4) Your life is like a blade of grass that sprouts, fades, withers, and dies in a day. Moses was most qualified to speak of death, since he witnessed an entire generation perish in the wilderness…’
Now that should have us all thinking about our mortality and propel us to do the RIGHT THING, RIGHT NOW! But in the meantime, let’s also enjoy the goodies our Lord has so generously provided.
So let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, in strong voice and everlasting belief. ‘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, that’s what we are called to do. Much LOVE!
…time to man might seem long…but it’s the Lord’s vision of time…that truly matters…
13 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a glorious future, a load of care, alive and kicking, all is lost, angels, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed shalt thou be, blessings, burdened, cattle, Charels Stanley, comfort, commandments, consequences, count your blessings, day and night, discouraged, enthusiasm, every doubt will fly, every sphere of life, everyday actions, eyes fixed straight ahead, focusing, fractious, glad to be alive, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God is over all, God's will, great or small, halfway home, hands on the plough, hearken to God's voice, heavenly Father, help, home on high, honour, in the city, in the field, insignificant thnings, journey's end, joyful time, keep singing, kine, life's billows, LOVE, LOVE of God, loving kindness, magnanimous, magnificent, mea culpa, miracles, miserable, money cannot buy, name them one by one, new mercies, not turning back, obedient, obey God, offspring, overtake thee, praise, praise and worship, reward in heaven, see what God has done, Selah, sense of purpose, set thee on high, sincere, stipulated condition, take for granted, tempest tossed, thankful, the breath of God, the breath of life, the conflict, the cross, the fruit of thy body, truth, watches over us, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, zenith
Deuteronomy 28:3. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Welcome to another brand new day with brand new mercies and LOVING-kindness my fellow believers in Jesus Christ!
Now I’ve been guided to open today’s proceedings with this li’l ditty that we all know and LOVE, but don’t, or very seldom practice. Otherwise we wouldn’t be so fractious and miserable, and there’d be much more of the LOVE of God in us, shown through our everyday actions.
So let’s all sing now in joyful but serious and sincere enthusiasm, truth and belief, ‘Count Your Blessings.’ And let each of us count the blessings in our own lives as we sing, so that it will be more real to each of us.
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by. Refrain: Count your blessings…
When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings—money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. Refrain: Count your blessings…
So, amid the conflict whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.’
Yes friends, if we have counted our many blessings as we sang that wonderful hymn of praise and worship, I am sure that we all have been surprised and amazed at all the wonderful things our magnificent and magnanimous God has done in our lives.
The problem though is many of those things might be small and somewhat insignificant, so we just roll along taking them for granted. But just stop for a moment and consider what our lives would be like if all those blessings we’ve named were absent from our lives eh. Selah!
Yes my brethren, our lives would be nowhere near as happy and comfortable as they now are. So the lesson is to never take those small, insignificant things for granted, because that’s where God works most of His miracles in our lives.
And all God’s children loudly and gratefully declare: ‘All praise, honour and glory be to our heavenly Father, who watches over us day and night. Guides and protects us, And never lets us out of His sight!’
Ah mih people, I can’t help but be amazed at the greatness and wonder of the awesome God we serve! Now, since it’s Wednesday, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with enthusiasm, truth and a strong sense of purpose.
Wailing: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back.
I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh my fellow faithful believers, this world might not be the greatest, but every morning we awake, we should be exceedingly thankful for that breath of God that’s still flowing through our bodies, because it means we’re alive and kicking and have so much to look forward to as we make our pilgrim’s journey with the Lord on our side.
We just have to put our hands strong and steadfast to the plough and keep looking ahead to the promise of a great and glorious future with Jesus! Believe me friends, it will be such a joyful time! Glory Hallelujah!
That brings us to our Bit; such a glorious promise! ‘Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.’
Yes my precious people of God, like the scholars inform us: ’28:3-6. These verses contain six blessings that extend to every sphere of life.’
Now let’s check out the other five. ‘Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body (offspring), and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine (cattle), and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store (kneading bowl). Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.’ (Deut.28:4-6)
Now what could be better than that eh mih breddren? Nothing really! But unfortunately there’s a stipulated condition of God’s before all of that can happen.
Listen up: ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.’ (Deut.28:1-2)
Yes Friends, for the blessings to flow, we need to be obedient to God’s will and purpose! But the beautiful part is that when we’re obedient, the blessings shall overtake us! We don’t have to go chasing them, they will chase us, and eventually overtake us! Glory to God my people!
So please, let’s be wise today, be obedient and sincere, and dwell on God’s word, so that the promised blessings can run us down and overtake us. Now that is indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) so rightly says…the best way to live this life…is to simply obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…
P.S. Sincere mea culpas. The computer and I were both slow this morning. (smile) Much LOVE!
20 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sinful nature, all bets off the table, an integral part of our lives, as for me and mine, brother, do the work of Jesus, dreary winter mornings, eternal death, everlasting life, evil deeds, follow Jesus, for God so loved the world, friend, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God in His wisdom, Hades, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he that believes is not condemned, he that does not believe is condemned, Jesus Christ, Jesus' Second Coming, light, Lord, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Lucifer, men loved darkness, momentous decision, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back at the past, not turning back, one of those days, provider, rebellious nature, Redeemer, rest, saviour, should not perish, spending time, strong and steadfast, the breath of life, the good shepherd, the individual's responsibility, the light is come into the world, the only begotten Son of God, to a glorious future with Jesus, to condemn the world, to save the world, truth, uplift the spirits, we will serve the Lord, Wednesday Wail, whosoever believeth on Jesus, wrought in God
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Oh Friends, oh friends, it’s just one of those days! Hn! I got up at a much earlier hour, but found that it was too early, so I went back to bed. Unfortunately, it was two hours later that I finally arose. I guess the body was crying out for more rest, and the Lord in His wisdom obliged. At least that’s my take on the subject. (smile)
And even though it was minutes to nine when I got up, outside still looked damp and bleak, no sunshine or nothing to uplift the spirits. What a good thing it is that we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the bright sunshine of our spiritual lives to look forward to yes! Otherwise facing these cold and dreary winter mornings and days would be even harder to bear.
And all God’s people said a thankful ‘Glory to God!’
Yes my people He definitely deserves all the honour and glory! So let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with much sincerity, enthusiasm and gratitude nuh.
As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah mih breddren, how good it is to be alive, despite the gloomy weather and all the other negatives in our lives! And is it ever so wonderful that we can look forward to a glorious future with our Friend, Brother, Lord, Saviour, Provider and Redeemer Jesus Christ! What a magnificent Being He is, playing so many different parts in our lives!
But please remember that we have to do our part too to make that wonderful future come true; we have to stay strong and steadfast, with our hands fixed securely on the plough, looking straight ahead, not backward, so that we can plough straight furrows, and thus do the work that Jesus desires of us.
And here is the most wonderful news of all, as stated by our Bit: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
What a blessed day that was my people! And it’s so sad that so many people don’t know about Him, or His purpose for coming. And even sadder, that so many who do know about Jesus, don’t seriously consider Him or make Him an integral part of their lives.
That’s not wisdom at all friends, especially when this is what God’s plan and purpose states. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
Oh what a most remarkable plan and purpose my brethren! But are we making use of that wonderful opportunity so graciously and mercifully laid out for us? No! Definitely not as much as we ought to!
And why not eh? Possibly because of our natural rebellious and sinful nature, plus the hold that the lust for the things of the world has on us.
And it’s such an easy method to accept Christ. The Good Book tells us: ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18)
And the scholars have an interesting take on this verse. ‘3:18. This verse answers the question, “Why do people go to hell?” It is because they do not believe in Jesus.’
Ah mih people, it’s so simple, plain and straightforward; believe in Jesus and you’ll be saved, spend eternity with Him. The other side of the coin is if you don’t believe, you’ll die an eternal death, spending time with Lucifer in Hades.
Now which is the better choice eh? From all I’ve seen, read and heard, the first option appears to be the much better one, and that is why like Joshua, I’m proud to say, that as for me and mine, we will serve the Lord God Jehovah! Glory Hallelujah my people!
There is absolutely no better purpose on this great earth that our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God has created! All I can do though is present the facts as they are, each individual then has the responsibility as to whom or what they will follow.
But please, please don’t wait too long to make that momentous decision, because Jesus has promised to come back at some time, any time in the future, and when He does, all bets will be off the table.
So please grab a whole of Him and His purpose as soon as possible, preferably RIGHT NOW, since one never knows, He can even return today or tomorrow.
And we’ll end with these self-explanatory verses from the Bible. ‘And this is the condemnation, that (the) light is come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:19-21)
Oh friends, I implore us to seriously and sincerely ponder those verses and make the wise decision to follow Jesus TODAY!
Much LOVE!…I will follow Jesus…wherever He may lead…for He is indeed the Good Shepherd…
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