31 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heavenly Guidebook, All Hallows Evening, anger is an acid, bitter, blessed for ever, candy, comeuppance, common sense, costumes, delight thyself in the Lord, don't be envious of iniquity workers, earthly pilgrimage, emotionally unstable, exceeding glad, Fret not thyself over evildoers, ghouls, glory hallelujah, goblins, God's Word, gospel truth, Halloween Day, he shall give thee the desires of thine heart, in thy salvation greatly rejoice, joyful with gladness, Junior Walker, killjoy, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, physically sick, Psalm 37, resentful, Teach them to Pray, the Good Book, the king shall joy in thy strength, the king trusteth in the Lord, the loving-kindness of God, the mercy of the Most High, the true state of the wicked, trick or treat, trust in the Lord and do good, truth, wisdom, witches
Psalm 37:4. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Well Friends it’s Saturday October 31, that makes it Halloween Day! Chuh! Call me a killjoy or whatever, but I consider it a waste of time and nowadays a rather insecure activity.
The festival that was all about ghouls, goblins, witches and other negative subjects and paraphernalia has now turned into just another commercial advancement day, where all sorts of foolish costumes proliferate and candy and other sweet treats are bought in great numbers.
And isn’t it just like our society where with one side of our mouths we say that too much candy is bad for your teeth, especially young children, then on the other side we have this big candy celebration every October 31 for our children! Steups! The dentist and the candy makers must surely like it.
And it’s also sad to see that the name of this negative practice seems to stem from the Christian celebration of “All Hallows Evening,” the eve of All Hallows or All Saints Day.
Anyway, in this world that’s going from bad to worse, calling for an end to it would raise a great hue and cry, notwithstanding that having young children out in the dark, murky hours of the evening has become very dangerous and the candy and stuff are laced with all sorts of evil stuff, and fruits with razor blades, needles etc.
And it’s been a long time since the ole sax-man, Junior Walker sang the song, ‘Teach them (the children) to Pray,’ in which there was a line that said we ought to stop the trick and treating because the candy wasn’t safe to eat. But that just fell on deaf ears, and years later we’re still doing the same nonsense, putting children’s lives and health in jeopardy, but making money for the businessmen and the dentists. However that’s my gripe for the day! You can either like it or lump it. (smile)
Now I want to share a recent quote from our Friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. This one says: ‘Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.’ And that is the gospel truth Friends!
It resonated with me because I grew up hearing the ole people talk about anger being like acid poured into a plastic bottle. It obviously eats away the bottle. That’s why we are so strenuously advised to not keep anger or any of its associates bottled up inside of us. In the long run it will just eat away at us, causing us to get bitter, resentful, emotionally unstable, and even physically sick.
Now I can talk about that last one, about anger getting you physically sick, because any time I retain my anger, that’s what happens to me. Hn, hn! My family can attest to that, because anytime I had anything on my chest, I would go and wake them up at whatever time and let them know my displeasure. And believe me, thereafter I would be fine, though they might not be. (smile) Thankfully that very seldom happens now! So there is much truth to the quote.
That’s why Bruh David wisely recommends at the very beginning of Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps.37:1-4)
Oh Friends, it’s all so simple and straightforward! What’s there so difficult to understand in not worrying about being envious of the wicked, since we know that they will soon receive their comeuppance? However, when we trust in the Lord God Jehovah, and do good, we’ll live safely and prosperously on the land. And as our Bit says, He’ll grant us the desires of our hearts.
Now that to me is simple common sense – I won’t even call it wisdom – if you believe in what the Good Book says. Sadly though, the Good Book to too many of us is utter nonsense, while others pick and choose what to believe. But my fellow believers, there are no halfway measures; you either believe it all, or you believe none of it.
And thankfully, for those of us who truly believe and try to live by it, it is indeed a wealth of information, guidelines and promises from our wonderful omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present Creator! Glory Hallelujah!
Now listen again to a man, Bruh David, who knew a lot about the Good Book because he was inspired to write a lot of it. In Psalm 21 – Praise for victory, he writes: ‘The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden (withheld) the request of his lips. Selah… For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad (joyful with gladness) with thy countenance (presence). For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved (shaken).’ (Ps.21: 1-2, 6-7)
Oh my people, if Bruh David, Israel’s mightiest king, could trust in the Lord and acknowledge His mercy and LOVING-kindness, who are we to doubt eh? So please let common sense and wisdom guide us this Halloween Saturday, and thus lead us to trust in the Lord and consequently rejoice in His mercy and goodness. That’s my sincere prayer for us today. Much LOVE!
…God’s Word is indeed a heavenly guidebook…to our earthly pilgrimage…
26 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin pumping, almighty god, anxious, aura of love, Bruh Paul, choir director, confidence, conquerors, controversies, Creator of the universe, cry out to God, economic downturn, enthusiasm, eternal life, even the youths shall faint and be weary, faith, fearful, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, glory hallelujah, good hands like All State, gospel truth, grace, hast thou not heard, He gives power to the faint, holy spirit, humble servants, I will exalt him, if any would not work, inconsistencies, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my father's God, neither should he eat, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, put our trust in Jesus, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, salvation, serve a useful purpose, shall mount up with wings like eagles, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the day of sorrows, the good news of the gospel, the long and short of the story, the Lord fainteth not, the Lord is my strength and song, the Thessalonians, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint, they that wait upon he Lord, to the foot of Christ's cross, to them that no might he increaseth strength, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, wonder of wonders
Isaiah 40:29. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Well, well, well… if it isn’t Monday, the day of sorrows for so many people! Yes Friends, a lot of the workforce rather dislike Monday mornings because they have to get up and go to work and they are not properly prepared for it. On the other hand, some are glad to see Monday, either because they are prepared for it, or they just want to get away from home for whatever reason. (smile)
The long and the short of the story though is that we need to work so that we can live as best we can amidst the worldwide economic downturn that is now in progress. And as Bruh Paul told the Thessalonians, ‘if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess.3:4)
And that’s by no means an unreasonable command. But man being what he is, there will always be inconsistencies and controversies in our daily lives. So to help us over the hump, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty of hungry hope and expectant faith, paying close attention to our choir director, Jesus as He leads us in song. (smile)
As one harmonious whole now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that wasn’t a bad rendition at all my brethren, but nowhere as good as the one last week, when we had the Father up and dancing and singing with us. I guess we can’t be that good every week. But at least hopefully our adrenalin is now running and we are getting in the groove to go out and do good, serve Jesus faithfully in a wicked and ungodly world.
And even though we might not be up to scratch, there is no need to be fearful or anxious because as our Bit so faithfully promises: ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! I can personally testify to that, because there are many days when my aches and pains get the better of me, both physically and emotionally and I have to cry out to the Lord for the strength and wherewithal to continue.
And wonder of wonders, His awesome and never ending supply of grace soon lifts me up and enables me to carry on. Oh glory to God my brethren! So please don’t despair if you’re under the weather and things are difficult. Just cry out to God in sincere faith and He will strengthen you.
Now listen to the wonderful scripture that precedes our Bit. ‘Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.’( Is.40:28)
More indisputable truth my people! Our God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, which means He is always on the go, never tired or weak, seeing everything and being everywhere! That’s the magnificent God we serve and worship! So I don’t see why so many of us refuse to put our entire trust in Him, to surrender our lives to His amazing action plans.
And if you weren’t impressed or overwhelmed by what went before our Bit, (smile) then listen to what comes after it. ‘Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:30-31)
Mama Mia! What an awesome promise! And it’s not an empty one either, because many of us believers can testify to it. So Friends, what shall it be this autumn Monday morn eh? Shall we put our trust in Jesus and cry out to Him for help to get ourselves together and to get going, so that we can spread the good news of His gospel by our words and actions, and thus bring the unbeliever to the foot of His cross for forgiveness, salvation and eternal life?
Now that would be an unbelievably wise decision; possibly the best one we’ve ever made! Yeh mih people, both wisdom and common sense dictate that we look to Almighty God for succour.
Hear how Moses puts it in his song. ‘The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation (praise Him); my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’ (Ex.15:2)
Oh glory Hallelujah! Now if Moses says that the Lord was his strength etc. etc. who are we to doubt him eh, especially in light of all the marvellous things he did? So today, please let’s stand strong, faithful and true in Jesus, for that’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…if you think man-made All State has such great hands…hn…can you then imagine the hands of our Creator…the most magnificent of course…
31 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a la Jesus, adrenalin, aura of love, baptizing them, believers in Christ, confidence, Controller, Creator, declare God's glory among the heathen, do some good, enthusiasm, faith, friends, further God's glorious kingdom, holy spirit, humble servants, I am with you always, in the beauty of holiness, invincible, Jesus Christ, kick some butt, let the earth be glad, let the heavens rejoice, let the sea roar, lord god almighty, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, motors revving, O sing unto the Lord a new song, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, proclaim the good news, provider, put our best foot forward, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, saviour jesus, sing unto the Lord all the earth, spiritual armour, spread some love, stand your bounce, steadfast faith, teach all nations, teaches you a lesson, the Great Commission, the Holy Ghost, the Lord comes to judge the earth, the Lord reigns, tremble before God, truth, ungodly world, weary souls, wisdom, worship the Lord
Psalm 96:1. O Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Awright Friends, the big day, Monday, has rolled around again. So how are we going to handle it eh? Are we going to whimper and complain, or are we going to make the best of a bad thing, put our best foot forward, like our Lord and Saviour Jesus expects of us?
Yuh know that if this morning you are tired and miserable, possibly hung over, it’s all your fault, you didn’t listen to my good advice and spend yesterday getting ready for today. So now you just have to stand your bounce; feel the pain, and get out there and do whatever is necessary. And I surely hope it teaches you a lesson, so that next Monday you’ll be up early, bright and fresh like a daisy. (smile)
Now let’s see about getting us going on the right foot this morning, by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto and gumption. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih people, that was a tad scratchy, what with the sore throats and hoarse voices. But overall it wasn’t too bad. At least our choir conductor, Jesus, could see us making the effort. It’s just that our physical abilities weren’t up to par. (smile)
But at least the adrenalin is flowing now, and I can hear our motors revving, meaning that we’re ready to go out into the evil world and kick some butt, do some good and spread some LOVE, a la Jesus! Glory to our great God my people!
And if we’re ready to face the ungodly world, then that means we’re also ready to do what our Bit advises: ‘O Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.’
Yes Friends, we are called upon to praise our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Deity, for he is the Creator and Controller and Provider of ALL!
Now our Bit comes from psalm 96, which itself is a part of Bruh David’s famous song of thanksgiving, after they had brought the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem. (1 Chr.16:7-36) But we’ll just concern ourselves with Psalm 96 today, which continues thus after our Bit.
‘Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth (proclaim the good news of) his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen (the gentiles), his wonders among all 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.’ (Ps.96:2-6)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, there is not one word of untruth in all those statements! Our God is what it says, and has done all that is stated. That is why we should do as the psalmist continues: ‘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 unto 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 (gentiles) 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.96:7-10)
Oh Friends, more indisputable truth! We need to give our wonderful and mighty God His just due, and to let the world know about Him, by spreading His Word to all the ends of the earth as Jesus desired in the Great Commission. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway(s) even unto the end of the world. (Matt.28:19-20)
And you know what Friends? They did as Jesus desired. They spread his word far and wise, so that today we have it in all its rich and splendid glory. Now it’s our turn to continue that commission.
And as the psalmist wisely directs: ‘Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof (all that is in it). Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.’ (Ps.96:11-13)
Oh Friends, let us indeed rejoice with nature and be glad, for our Saviour cometh, and this time He is coming in all His majesty, power and glory to rule and to judge the earth with righteousness and truth!
That my people is no joke, so please let’s prepare ourselves for that awesome and glorious day, whenever it might be. For that is what is termed, heavenly wisdom. Much LOVE!
…if you’ve heard the word…then Jesus comes and finds you wanting…you’ve no one to blame but yourself…
02 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all generations shall call me blessed, almighty god, awesome truth, blessed is the man that trusts in God, carried to the fountain, earthly pilgrimage, empty pitcher, excitedly, faithfulness, fall, fatted calves, Fill Me, filled the hungry with good things, filled with love and truth, for he satisfieth the longing soul, friends and neighbours, God is ever-faithful, godly purpose, grace, Gramps Schuller, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, healing in his wings, help, Hour of Power Devotional, hungering, hungrily, in the reverence of God, jehovah god, life force, Lord God of Abraham, LOVE, loving kindness, magnanimous, man-made idol, Mary, mother of Jesus, my soul doth magnify the Lord, my spirit rejoiced in God, no good thing will he withold, no need to worry, O taste and see that the Lord is good, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, praise the Lord for His goodness, promises, righteous right hand, righteousness., robert h schuller, sincerity, sons of Korah, soul, stumble, sun, thank you, the breath of life, the children of men, the fear of the Lord, the growing flower, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the Lord will uphold them, the Magnificat, the mountain springs, the Sun of righteousness, the thirsty deer, them that walk uprightly, there is no want to them that fear God, thirstily, thirsting, this time of prayer, turns hungrily to the satisfying sun, undivided attention, unreliable, untrustworthy, wisdom, wonderful works
Psalm 107:9. For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Welcome Friends and neighbours to another terrific Tuesday! The breath of life is still flowing through our bodies, which means there is still a godly purpose for our being. Let’s diligently search out that purpose, then seriously put it into action.
On that note, the day didn’t begin too well for me, because when I came down here to write, my trusty desktop computer began giving problems, wouldn’t allow me to go to Outlook, for whatever reason, thus I had to resort to my laptop. That meant I lost valuable time fooling with it. But the Lord in His absolute wisdom knows what’s happening and is on the problem, (smile) so I have no need to worry.
Consequently, let’s turn to Him with this soulful prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional titled ‘FILL ME.’ I believe we’ve shared it before, but it’s definitely worth sharing again.
Please pray with me: ‘O Lord, like the thirsty deer which goes to drink from the mountain springs; like the growing flower which turns hungrily to the satisfying sun; like the empty pitcher which is carried to the fountain to be filled; so I come, O God, knowing that in this time of prayer my soul will be filled with your LOVE and truth. Thank you! Amen.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth my people? It surely is! Whenever we turn to the Lord in sincerity and faithfulness, we are filled with His wonderful LOVE and truth. So please this morning, let’s seek him hungrily, thirstily and excitedly like the deer going to drink from the mountain springs and the flower that’s turning with so much joy to the sun to boost its life force.
Like those other aspects of God’s creation, we too need to seek His face so that our souls, our life force can be renewed and strengthened, especially in these rough and trying times. And all of this hungering and thirsting after righteousness (smile) complements our Bit quite nicely.
The psalmist quite rightly declares: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’
Wow Friends! What absolute and indisputable truth that is! Our God is a real, living, feeling, hearing and seeing Deity, magnanimous in His grace and mercy, and ever-faithful to His promises! And those who sincerely seek him, WILL receive His undivided attention and His awesome help to fix whatever is wrong in their lives.
And before we go further, let’s make one thing very clear: there is none other than Him who can meet our needs, all our needs that is. So please don’t go looking to man to help, for man is unreliable, untrustworthy and cannot guarantee any support they may offer. But he Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can, because He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent!
And now that we understand that Almighty God is the first and last place we must seek help in our earthly pilgrimage, regardless of the matter, big or small, important or unimportant, let’s look at some scriptures that support the truth of our Bit.
First off, the Sons of Korah, in Psalm 84, faithfully proclaim: ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:11-12)
Oh my people, we cannot find more truth than that anywhere in this universe! The Lord WILL NEVER turn away those who seek Him sincerely and diligently! Please remember that, and let it permeate all your doings.
Now listen to Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.’ (Ps.34:8-11)
Oh Friends, there’s not much more to say. Bruh David has said it all in so few words. However, until we learn the fear, the true reverence of God, in worship, in praise, in humility and faithfulness, we will not be able to access those wonderful attributes of His.
Meanwhile the prophet Malachi confidently proclaims: ‘But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall (fatted calves).’ (Mal.4:2)
Yes my brethren, our wonderful God has made provision for all those who turn to Him in sincerity and truth! And that particular promise has already been fulfilled with the coming of Jesus.
Now hear these words from Mary, the mother of Jesus, when she visited with her cousin, Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and they discovered that both were pregnant through exceptional, God induced circumstances. Elisabeth had been barren and was now well advanced in age, somewhat late to become a mother, if we reason without God’s awesome input.
From this meeting came Mary’s glorious response, known as the Magnificat, in which she praises the Lord. ‘And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his handmaiden (servant): for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones), and exalted them of low degree (the lowly).
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.’ (Luke 1:46-55)
Oh what beautiful sentiments and praise my people! And that from a teenaged girl from a backwater town. I never intended to include the whole thing, but after reading it, I just couldn’t help myself, (smile) it was so beautiful.
Anyway, we’ll conclude for today with the time honoured advice that it is much more beneficial to stay tuned to Almighty God, than any man-made idol. Much LOVE!
…he or she who walks faithfully with Jehovah God may stumble…but will NEVER fall…for the Lord will uphold them with His righteous right hand…that’s His faithful promise…
21 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, always enduring, awesome truth, basking in glorious sunshine, blessing, both thou and thy seed shall live, carry us, choose life, cleave unto God, Creator, cursing, death and evil, Dicoveries, enjoy the wonder, faithful, fear him keep his commandments, fearful, God is always there, God is the length of thy days, God is thy life, I have set before you life and death, if god be for us who can be against us, if thine heart turn away, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, joy, judgements, keep his commandments, life and good, live and multiply, living God, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, lowest ebb, merciful God, minds, never changing, new birthright in Christ, obey his voice, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, peace, promise, raise us up, Ruth Harms Calkin, saving, second wind, serve and worship, serve him, sincere prayer, sinning, souls, statutes, strengthen, strong, successful life, the best element, the brilliant sunlight of jesus, the Lord thy God shall bless thee, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, thou wilt not hear, two avenues of living, walk in his ways, warm and tender love, weak, what shall we then say to these things, wisdom, words to faithfully live by, worship other gods, write it deep in our hearts, ye shall not prolong your days, ye shall surely perish, ye shall walk after the Lord your God
Deuteronomy 13:4. Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.
Well hello there all you beautiful believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! I do hope that this Tuesday morning finds you all basking in the glorious sunshine of His oh so warm and tender LOVE, for that’s the only way to truly live a good and successful life on this crazy earth.
And if by some unfortunate chance, you’re not basking in that brilliant sunlight of Jesus, then I’d strongly advise that you go to Him in serious and sincere prayer and humbly ask Him to rectify the situation, so that you can enjoy the peace and joy that He genuinely desires each and every one of His followers to have. That is your new birthright in Christ, and it makes no sense not to enjoy it.
And here’s a li’l something from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin to support that contention. It’s aptly titled ‘Discoveries!’
And it says: ‘Lord God Today You have penetrated My entire being With three glorious discoveries: When I am most weak You are most strong. When I am most fearful You are utterly faithful. When I am at my sinning worst You are at Your saving best.’
And isn’t all of that the God-awesome truth my people? It certainly is! For when we are at the lowest ebb in any aspect of our lives, that’s when our God is at His best. He’s always there to strengthen and raise us back up to where we’re supposed to be, to carry us until we catch our second wind.
Oh Friends, I never cease to enjoy the wonder of the great and merciful God that we serve and worship! He is indeed the BEST element in our lives!
And the promise associated with that poem is one that we all mentally know and LOVE, but in reality, don’t always faithfully feel and appreciate. ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom.8:31)
More awesome truth my brethren! For if the omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present Creator of this magnificent universe and all therein is in our corner, then who in heaven’s name can successfully come against us eh? NOBODY, my people! Absolutely, NOBODY!
Please believe that. Today, let’s write it deep in our hearts, souls and minds, then allow it show in our lives, lives which are to be modelled on the never changing, always enduring command of our Bit.
‘Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.’
Ah mih people, those are certainly words of heavenly wisdom, words to faithfully live by!
Now yesterday we looked at some scripture that reinforced or recast our Bit in a slightly different light. Today, however, we’re going to look at another very important aspect of the command set out therein; what happens, or will undoubtedly happen if we don’t follow it.
Listen to Moses as he delivers the living Word of the living God to the Israelites. ‘See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to LOVE the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce (announce) unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
That thou mayest LOVE the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.’ (Deut.30:15-20)
Oh my people, eons ago the Lord laid down the situation in clear and simple terms for the Israelites. And whether we like it or not, the same conditions apply even unto this day. So what more can I say that will make any difference it eh? Nothing really, since it’s all written right there in black and white in simple, everyday language.
All I can realistically do, is reiterate the Lord’s Word: ‘therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live… for he is thy life, and the length of thy days…’ That my Friends, is indeed eternal wisdom! Much LOVE!
…God has provided two avenues of living for us…blessing and cursing…we’ll be well advised to choose the first one…blessing…
24 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 1 John, abusing our blessings, all bets are off, allow us to earn money, be prepared, be warned, believers in Jesus Christ, blessedness, blessings, bound for glory, breath of life, burst of inspiration, cleansing light, come short of God's glory, compassion, condemn, condemnation, confession, covered with mud, crapaud smoke we pipe, deceive oneself, deny our sins, empower, empowers, encourage, eternal life, faithfully serve, fight to keep our rights, fleeting glimpse, fluctuating heart, foolishness, for we have all sinned, friends, give thanks, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, God's greatest creation, gone mad, gospel truth, gratefully appreciate our blessings, greedy enemy, handcuffed spirit, His key of infinite love, hope, hope for forgiveness, I am blessed, if we confess our sins, Jesus Christ, Jesus is coming back, joy, lack of wisdom, lesser creatures, liar, lost our minds, LOVE, lustful ways of Beelzebub, misery, New Testament, Old Testament, omipotent, omni-present, omniscient, One Year Book of Bible promises, options, our forefathers, our godly empowerment, our jobs, our Lord and Saviour, pamper, plays hooky, purify our hearts, recognize their blessings, refuse to obey, resonated, restful hours, restores joy, reverberated, Ruth Harms Calkin, safe fortress, share our good fortune, shortcomings, sinful path, sins, sit on the fence, spiritual irregularity, stand up strong, stretch spiritual muscles, taking them for granted, the birds singing, the centre of God's will, the clothes on our backs, the food on our tables, the freedom to worship Jehovah God, the fruit of our loins, the Giver of light, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the last train, the less fortunate, the Master, the prince of darkness, the righteousness of jesus Christ, the roofs over our heads, The Truant, there is therefore now no condemnation, thouroughly cleanses, time to waiver, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, to provide necessities, truths, universality of man's sin, unrighteousness, uplift, wisdom, wrongdoings
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh Friends, ‘I, I am blessed! I want to tell the world, that I, I am blessed!’
Yes my people, last night in one of my late night sessions, I heard that tune by Mello G, one of my favourite reggae songs. And apparently it reverberated and resonated through my mind during those restful hours of sleep, because I got up this morning still singing it. I took that as a sure sign that I was expected to share it with you on this chilly Tuesday spring morning.
And to further solidify that theory, when I went outside just now to put out the garbage, I heard the birds singing it too. (smile) So if these lesser creatures can recognize their blessings and give thanks for them, why can’t we, God’s greatest creation eh?
So please sing the chorus with me: ‘Oh we, we are blessed! Let’s shout to the world, that we, we are blessed! Yes indeed, we are truly, truly blessed!’
Yes my brethren, if you can read these words and mentally process them, then you are indeed blessed! The roofs over our heads, the clothes on our backs, the food on our tables, the fruit of our loins, our children, the jobs we go to which allow us to earn money to provide those necessities, those all indicate that we are greatly blessed!
The freedom to worship Jehovah God, all of that shouts out blessings and blessedness my brethren! For there is a very large portion of the earth’s population who can’t say those things at all.
So please, let’s gratefully appreciate them nuh, instead of simply taking them for granted and abusing them, and learn to share our good fortune, our godly empowerment with the less fortunate, and stand up strong and fight to keep those rights that our forefathers fought so long and hard to get, but which the cruel, evil and greedy enemy now wants to take away from us!
Wow Friends! That certainly came in a sudden burst of inspiration! (smile) Now here is this touching story entitled ‘The Truant,’ from the One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
It says: ‘What does God do with a truant who plays hooky from her heavenly Father? What are the options? One thing is sure: He doesn’t pamper her. He knows she needs to stretch her spiritual muscles. He doesn’t shout, “Get up, foolish child!”
She’s so covered with mud she can’t move. He doesn’t condemn her, because His promise is “There is therefore now no condemnation.” In the end he does what He always does for any half-demolished child of His: He unlocks her handcuffed spirit with His key of infinite LOVE.
He checks her fluctuating heart with its spiritual irregularity. He gives her a fleeting glimpse of things as they could be. He accepts her confession. He thoroughly cleanses her, then He holds her close to His tender heart. He restores her joy and empowers her to obey.
Suddenly she knows with great gladness that her one safe fortress is the centre of her Father’s will. At least so it is with one truant child: me.’
And Friends, that story is ever so true! It’s repeated thousands of times a day by our wonderful heavenly Father! No other supposed god does anything like that. They put you through even more misery for your sins and shortcomings.
But not our wonderful God! When we confess our wrongdoings, He instead cleanses us and shows us LOVE and compassion! And yet so many of us still refuse to obey and faithfully serve Him. What foolishness, what lack of wisdom, my people!
And the Bible promise that’s quoted for that story is our Bit for today. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Oh my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, those are just more beautiful truths that ought to empower and uplift us, to encourage us to keep on faithfully following our wonderful Lord and Saviour! But they obviously don’t do that for a large part of our population, who prefer to follow the sinful path of the prince of darkness.
Now listen to the verse after our Bit. ‘If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:10) More unfortunate truths again my people!
And the scholars offer these interesting explanations on those verses. ‘1.9. This is a restatement of verse 7. We ought not to deny our sins (v.8), but rather to confess them before God. This opens the door for His forgiving and cleansing light to purify our hearts. Unrighteousness is another way of saying “sin”.
1:10. To deny one’s sinfulness (v.8) or sins is not just to deceive oneself; it is to make God a liar by denying His word. Both Old and New Testaments stress the universality of man’s sin. (e.g. Job 4:17; Ps.14:3; Is.53:6; Rom.3:10-18, 23).’
Yes Friends, that’s all gospel truth: ‘For we have all sinned, and come short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23)
So, after hearing all of that, we have no good or real reason not to believe in and serve the omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. None whatsoever! Unless we’ve lost our minds and literally gone mad.
Sadly though, it seems that a lot of us have succumbed to that dreaded illness, because too many of us have chosen, and are choosing to follow the worldly, lustful ways of Beelzebub, the prince of darkness, rather than the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Master and Giver of Light and Eternal Life!
The wonderful thing about our God though, is that we can always get another chance! While there is His breath of life in our mortal and sinful bodies, there’s always hope for His forgiveness.
But please be warned, there isn’t time to waiver and sit on the fence, because Jesus is coming back in majesty and glory at any time! And when He does… all bets are off!
So please be wise and get yourselves straightened away with Him today; better yet, RIGHT NOW! That is the wisdom of the righteous! Much LOVE!
…let us be wise…be prepared…for we know not when…the last train bound for glory…will be steaming out of the station…and if we’re not on it…hn!…then crapaud smoke we pipe…
05 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abide in me, against all odds, almighty god, because of mine enemies, blessings, bolsters our spirits, breath of life, brings us joy, Bruh David, cherish every moment with those you love, Clark Gable, confidence, destruction, do God's will, faithfulness, followers of Jesus, furthering God's glorious kingdom, gospel truth, gratitude, guidance, guilt, heavenly Father, hope, I am the vine, I lift up my soul to thee, image of Jesus, improvement, in league with the Creator of the universe, in thee do I trust, Jack Layton, jehovah god, lead me in a plain path, learn God's word, Lent, lessen's regrets, LOVE, loving kindness, make thy way straight, meditate, mercies, misleading, moving onward and upward, my help cometh from the Lord, O Lord, omni-present, omnipotent, omnisicient, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, prayer for protection, privilege, read, remakes us into the image of Jesus, righteous and godly life, righteousness., saviour jesus christ, Spread God's Word, strength, study, teach me thy statutes, Teach me thy way O Lord, thanks and praise, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the land of uprightness, the potter's wheel, the Spirit of Jesus, the ungodly world, the wonderful God we serve, Thursday, thy spirit is good, unconditional LOVE, walking with Jesus, wickedness, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing, ye are the branches
Psalm 27:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.
Aye Friends, it’s Thursday, and we’re moving onward and upward with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Wow! What a great privilege that is my people! To be in league with the Creator of the universe and all therein is truly something else!
So let’s give Him some thanks and praise this Lenten Thursday morning nuh, for first imbuing us with His awesome breath of life, then for the new mercies and blessings He has specially prepared for us today, and finally ask for strength and guidance to go out into the ungodly world that surrounds us and do His will; that of attracting souls to Him and thus furthering His glorious kingdom. Now that is indeed a mouthful, but not an impossible one. (smile)
Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly Father, we sincerely thank You for the breath of life You’ve breathed into each of us at our birth, and has allowed it to continue to this day. We thank You for all the wonderful work You’ve done in us, and are still doing. Being on Your potter’s wheel can sometimes be rough, but we understand the need for it. It’s the only way you can remake us into the image of Jesus.
Lots of thanks are also forthcoming for the many gifts of grace, mercy and forgiveness that You’ve bestowed on us. Your unconditional LOVE also calls for expressions of gratitude. Please help us this day to LOVE You as we ought to, and grant us your undying peace and wisdom, so that we can go out and diligently do Your Will, spread Your Word and Your LOVE! This we pray in the name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!’
Yeh mih breddren, it’s ALL about Jehovah God! And I found this quote on a piece of scrap paper yesterday. Don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but even if I have, it’s certainly worth sharing again. It’s attributed to Jack Layton (1950-2011) the late leader of the Federal Opposition party, the N.D.P. Jack has been reputed to advise: ‘Cherish every moment with those you LOVE, at every stage of your journey.’
And that is certainly wisdom for the ages my people! LOVING those around us not only bolsters our spirits and brings us joy each day, but it also lessens the regrets when a LOVED one passes away, whether suddenly or after a long illness. We don’t have the guilt and those negative feelings of not having told or shown them how much we LOVED them. And that takes a lot of pressure off of us when circumstances don’t go the way we want them to.
So Friends, starting NOW, let’s truly cherish those around us, as much as we can. Let’s both show and tell them that we LOVE and appreciate them. I’m sure we’ll see a big improvement in all the lives involved. And your luck’s in today Friends. (smile) Here’s another quote, this from Cark Gable (1901-1960), the famous American movie star of yore. Clark says: ‘The things a man has to have are hope and confidence in himself against all odds.’
And I quote this because though there’s some truth in it, those words ‘in himself’ can be quite misleading, for basically our hope and confidence is supposed to come from our union with our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God.
As Jesus warned His disciples, and consequently us: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5-6)
Now that’s truly telling it like it is! It’s gospel truth my people! Without the Spirit of Jesus working in and walking with us, we can do nothing really worthwhile. That’s why I took issue with Clark’s comment. Only when we’re walking sincerely with Jesus, and only then, does that hope and confidence truly blossom in our souls!
That’s why our Bit is so necessary and so powerful. Bruh David truly lays it on the line. ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’
Yes my brethren, it’s only by doing it God’s way that we can truly live a righteous and godly life, despite the enmity that surrounds us. And Bruh David knew this from hard experience and used it to his advantage. Listen to him from Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection.
‘Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness (uprightness) in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness (destruction); their throat is an open sepulcher (an open tomb); they flatter with their tongue.’ (Ps.5:8-9)
Ah mih people, our world is so full of wickedness and flattery, that if we’re not careful, we can fall for some ungodly stuff every minute of every day. And the writer of Psalm 119, in the Daleth section – Make me to understand thy way- prayerfully beseeches God:
‘My soul cleaveth unto (clings to) the dust: quicken (revive) thou me according to thy word. I have declared my ways, and thou heardest (answered) me: teach me thy statutes. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’ (Ps.119:25-27)
Oh Friends, that’s only logical! We can’t talk about God and His wondrous works if we don’t know anything about Him! That’s why it’s ever so important, necessary and essential that followers of Jesus, read, study, meditate on and learn His Word. And having done that, we can then explain, expound and talk about the wonderful God we serve!
And we’ll end this series of messages on calling out to God for direction and help to learn His statutes, with these fateful, faithful and fruitful words of Bruh David from Psalm 143 – Teach me to do thy will.
‘Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me (unto thee I take cover). Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.’ (Ps.143:8-10)
Oh my fellow believers, please let those words lift us up today, and keep us centred and focused on Almighty God as we go out to do His will, for it’s only from Him, can true hope and confidence come. Much LOVE!
…I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills…from whence cometh my help…my help cometh from the Lord…which made heaven and earth… (Ps.121:1-2)
27 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a rough day, all praise to the lamb that was slain for us, almighty god, Amen, and he heard my voice, Anselm's Quote, anxious, approach God's holy throne, Asa, ask, ask and it shall be given to you, ask for Your help, attitude of positive expectation, Azariah, believers in Jesus Christ, Bruh David, burdens, Calvary, Creator, cup of java, enjoy God's goodness, ever-generous God, expectant faith, fallen world, fearful, freedom, friends, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's goodness, God's Holy Will, good things of God, grace, he will be found of you, he will forsake you, Healer, heavenly Father, heavenly wisdom.the giver of success, hot cup of coffee, hungry hope, I cried unto the Lord, I will not be afraid, if ye forsake him, if ye seek him, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, it's up to us to look for God, joint heirs with Christ, knock and it shall be opened, lead and guide us, lighten our load, look forward to a brighter day, loving kindness, mercy, naysayers, needful times, new blessings, new mercies, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, option, our be all and end all, out of his holy hill, petitions, precious blood, provider, reaching out to God, reconciled, safely, saved children, seek and you shall find, smile, strength to bear our load, succour, superior personality, Thank you Father, thanks and praise, the Father's good graces, the Lord is with you, the Lord sustained me, the Spirit of God, the undeserving children of men, time of need, Tuesday, warning, we love and adore you, while ye be with him, wisely
Psalm 3:4. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
Oh Friends, yesterday was indeed a rough day! I haven’t had one like that for a long while, and in truth, I don’t want to have another one for an even longer while! (smile) I guess though, that I was due for one of those rough and miserable days.
But the reality Friends, is that today is Tuesday; a brand new day, and I’m certainly looking forward to the brand new mercies and new blessings which the Lord prepares for us every day!
I’m still tired and a tad woozy (smile) but I am feeling better, although I could not get up to write an early Bit. However, I am waiting with hungry hope and expectant faith for all the good things that the Lord has in store for me today, and I would strongly advise that you do the same thing too.
And believe me, that first cup of java, tinged with some cough syrup, is certainly going down warm and soothing on the chest! (smile) Let the naysayers say what they want, but you can’t beat a hot cup of coffee on any morning, especially a cold one, and it is cold an snowy by me.
But enough of my woes, you have your own to contend with, and the only thing that’s going to help either of us, is reaching out to our Creator, our Healer, our Heavenly Father and generous Provider; the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
So let’s do that nuh. Please pray with me. ‘Heavenly Father, our be all and end all, Your grateful children come to you this morning bearing heavy burdens that we cannot carry. We sincerely ask for Your help, either for strength to bear them, or for Your LOVING-kindness to lessen and lighten our load.
We’re doing our best, but You know we can’t do much in our own strength, that’s why we’re looking to You this morning for grace, mercy and succour in our time of need.
We LOVE and adore You, and give You thanks and praise in our own simple way, and ask that You lead and guide us safely and wisely on this blessed day, as we make our way through this fallen world, trying to do Your holy will.
This we pray, in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose precious blood that was shed at Calvary, enables us to confidently come to You with our petitions. Thank You father. Amen.’
And you know what my people? If you sincerely prayed that prayer, I truly believe that our gracious Father in heaven heard it, and is right now getting ready to act on it on all our behalves! So let’s all look forward to a brighter day! Glory to God for His goodness to the undeserving children of men!
And rather appropriately, here is my friend Anselm’s quote from yesterday that inspires for a better tomorrow. ‘An attitude of positive expectation is the mark of a superior personality.’
And that’s no lie, my brethren, for all successful achievers have a positive attitude and outlook on life! Our Bit today is also rather appropriate. It comes from Psalm 3, Bruh David’s prayer of confidence in God. ‘I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.’
And that’s exactly what we did earlier on my people; we cried out to our ever-generous God for help and succour in these very trying and needful times.
We have that option because we are believers in Jesus Christ, which has made us new creations, with the freedom to approach God’s holy throne of grace, since we are now reconciled to Him once more. We are now His saved children, joint heirs with Christ in the kingdom.
And all God’s children declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise to the Lamb that was slain for us, so that we could get back into the Father’s good graces!’
By the way, the second cup of caffeine is going down just as good as the first! (smile)
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that reinforce our Bit. And we’ll begin with the verses right after it. ‘I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps.3:5-6)
Oh Friends, I do hope that we can all say those things in sincerity, because until we can, we will always be fearful and anxious about our lives.
And from way back when, comes this warning of the prophet Azariah. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet (before) Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr.15:1-2)
Now my brethren, the matter couldn’t be stated any simpler or more straightforward than that! It’s up to us to look for God.
And we’ll end with these famous words of Christ that convey the same basic message. ‘And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Luke 11:9-10)
Yes Friends, it’s time we start seeking, asking, and knocking, if we want to enjoy God’s goodness! That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to be successful…one must seek the Giver of success…Almighty God…
P.S. Please be forewarned that tomorrow’s Bit may be even later than today’s because I have some stuff to do out of town that will push my whole schedule back. But please wait with baited breath, because it will be good – as always. (smile) Much LOVE!
23 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bed of roses, a roof over our heads, all over the world, all things work together for good, almighty god, assurance, attitudes toward work, cacophony of sound, communications technology, confident, divine perspective, ease up the pressure, equal rights, evil, faith, faithful work, fellowship, followers of Jesus christ, food on our tables, forgiveness, Friday chant, friends and neighbours, generous help, glorious kingdom, good news, good news of Jesus christ, grace, great commission, harmony, holy spirit, human perspective, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, justice, lasting joy, living for Friday, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, passing happiness, peace, proactive outlook, purpose in life, relationship with Jesus, relaxation, rest, right this fallen world, salvation, sense of purpose, slave labour, spinning out of control, surrender, take up our cross, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the called, the characteristics of Jesus Christ, the elect, the message, the weekend, tired and hurting, to the ends of the earth, to them called according to His purpose, to them that love God, truth, turst, ungodliness, work, work keeps us going, worldly attitude
Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Well my fine Friends and neighbours, please don’t all gladly shout out at the same time, but it’s that magical day called Friday!
And do you think they listened to my plea? Steups! No way! For immediately a cacophony of sound erupted in my ears.
‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes! The week’s been a li’l rough, and we need a break from the slave labour right about now! Thank the Good Lord it’s finally Friday oui, and the weekend soon here to ease up the pressure!’
Ah mih people, I know that some of us are tired and hurting, and just dying for the weekend to come. And nothing’s really wrong with that, because we all deserve a couple days off after several days of labouring.
But we shouldn’t just have this worldly attitude of living for Friday and the weekend to come around. We ought to have a higher and deeper purpose in life.
The message we’ve been enjoined to share as followers of Jesus Christ is one LOVE, peace, harmony, justice, equal rights, truth, trust, surrender to and faith in Almighty God through His most wonderful son, Jesus Christ!
That’s the message we need to share with, reveal to the world, not just a bout of passing happiness on a Friday, because we’ve gotten a break from work. As true believers, we have to rise to a higher level than that.
Work should not be our enemy, but our friend, because it’s what keeps us going, gives us the broad and varied interaction with others that we need to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. And it also keeps food on our tables, as well as a roof over our heads.
So work should play an important part in our lives. We have to look at it not as the same old, same old, mundane way of life, that’s just a revolving circle with no end. Instead, we have to develop a bigger, brighter and better sense of purpose; one that will bring us the lasting joy that we so desperately need and desire, every day, rather than just on the weekends.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant, which helps us to have a better perspective on the use of the weekend. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, it’s short, but to the point! Let’s hope that it will cause us to look at our individual attitudes towards work and the weekend, and encourage us to come up a bit higher in the overall scheme of things.
And talking about purpose Friends, there’s no better scripture to call to mind on the topic than our Bit. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’
And there’s no disputing that statement my people, because that’s exactly what our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God does! He works out everything for good to those whom He has called, and who have responded with a deep and sincere LOVE for Him.
And I can personally testify to that, because since He’s called me to do His work, some eight years ago, my life has improved in numerous ways. Now it’s not a bed of roses, for I still have my human and earthly ups and downs.
But with His assurance and faithful work in my life, I now go about with a more confident and proactive outlook. And He can do the same for you, if you’ll only look to Him with sincere trust and faith.
Now let’s get some explanations on our Bit from the scholars. ‘8:28. To them that LOVE God is the human perspective. God is working all things together for good, but those who LOVE God are best able to appreciate that fact because they LOVE Him no matter what. (cf. Job 13:15) To them who are the called is the divine perspective. Scripture often refers to believers as “the called” or “the elect.”
Yes my brethren, we are indeed “the called, the elect” who are supposed to bring a brighter and better perspective to the world, one that reflects the characteristics of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
But are we doing that? To some extent, I suppose. But certainly not enough, for the world’s spinning further and further out of control, getting deeper and deeper into evil and ungodliness. And we, the followers of Jesus Christ, are the only people capable of stopping and righting it.
And that’s our basic purpose Friends; to right this fallen world of ours. That’s what Jesus died for. He gave His sinless life as a sacrifice to bring us into His fold, so that we can have fellowship together and a wonderful relationship with Him.
But once we’ve found that grace, mercy and forgiveness that He pours into our hearts, we’re also supposed to tell others about it, so that they too can find the joy, the peace and LOVING-kindness that comes with being a believer. Remember Jesus’ last words to the disciples were to go and spread the good news of His salvation all over the earth. (Matt.28:19-20)
Now my people, that Great Commission has been passed down to us. This is our time to spread the Word. And more than any other generation before us, we have the tools to do so with the recent explosion in communications technology.
So please, let’s get ourselves together nuh, in peace and harmony, as Jesus desires, and live up to our purpose as “the called, the elect” of God. That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…it’s time to take up our cross and follow Jesus…wherever he may lead…even to the ends of the earth…
P. S. It’s late because I had a bit of a struggle this morning, both physically and mentally. And just as I was about ready to send it out, the finicky computer froze on me. Ah Lord eh! But as you can see, the Lord eventually worked all things out for good as He promised. (smile) Much LOVE!
07 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and he delivered me from all my fears, as for me and mine, as I was with Moses, ask and it shall be given to you, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, blessings, children of the Most High, circumstances, communication with God, deity, diminish the cold, encouragement, fear, fervent and continual prayer, forgiveness, frequent prayer, giving, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's LOVING-kindness, grace, half-way home, hell freeze over, hope, I sought the Lord, I will not fail thee nor forsake thee, jehovah god, Joshua, knock and it shall be opened, leader of the Israelites, LOVE, magnanimity, magnificence, mercies, no excuse for failure, O taste and see that the Lord is good, oersevrance, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, promise, rejoice and be glad in it, reverence, sacrificing Jesus, seek and you shall find, Son Jesus, sunshine, taking, thank you heavenly Father, the death of Moses, the Lord thy God is with thee, the sun is shining, they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing, this is the day the Lord has made, to eternity and back, trust, walk in god's will, we praise and bless your holy name, we will follow Jesus, Wednesday, words of wisdom, workweek
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Well hello there Friends and Neighbours, welcome to this big and beautiful Wednesday morning! But brother it’s cold as ever, just like the last two days were, probably cold enough to make hell freeze over too! (smile)
Hopefully though, there will be lots of sunshine, like we had yesterday, to sort of mentally diminish the cold, since it never seems as bad when the sun is shining. Hn!
However my people, today is Wednesday, which means we are half-way home through our work week, which I know is proving to be very difficult for some of us, being the first one of the year, and all that. But wherever you are, and whatever the weather situation might be there, I want us to remember a few salient facts.
Firstly, that this is the day the Lord has made, and regardless of our circumstances, we ought to rejoice and be glad in it, for that’s why the Lord made it. Secondly, we’re alive, that means there’s hope that all our situations will be bettered eventually.
And lastly, that today, new mercies, new grace, new forgiveness, and new blessings are being prepared in heaven to shower down on us all later on.
Wow! That’s the magnificence, magnanimity and LOVING-kindness of our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God!
And all the children of the Most High declared a loud and heartfelt: ‘Thank You heavenly Father! You are so good to us! We praise and bless Your holy name! And much much thanks again too for sacrificing Your One Son Jesus, so that we could have LOVING communication once more with You.
You are indeed the very best! We truly do LOVE You, and will endeavour to walk sincerely in Your will this new year of 2015; with Your help and encouragement of course! This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!’
Oh Friends, Jehovah God is such a wonderful Deity, that I don’t know what we’d do without His LOVING-kindness!
Now that segues very smoothly into our Bit: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’
Oh my fellow believers, that only proves what we’ve said above! Which other supposed god does stuff like that eh? None of them! They are only interested in taking, while the living, LOVING and very active God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is much more concerned with giving!
I don’t know about you all nuh Friends, but I’d much rather have a God that gives than one that takes. That brings us to our first scripture passage showing where and how the Lord quells fear in His obedient subjects, and that’s when He appoints Joshua as the leader of the Israelites, after the death of Moses.
Hear these wonderful words of encouragement and promise that the Lord told him back then. ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Be strong and of a good courage… Only be thou strong and very courageous… Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1: 5, 6a, 7a, 9)
What a display of encouragement my people on the part of our kindly and LOVING God! Three times in four verses, He tells him to be strong and of a good courage. With all of that, if Joshua obeyed, He couldn’t help but succeed!
Now listen to some further words of Bruh David on the subject, which ought also to enlighten us and boost our courage. ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear (reverence) the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear (reverence) him.
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord.’ (Ps.34:8-11)
Oh my people, how can we not be encouraged when we hear those wonderful words from a man who lived them eh?
And we’ll close, as we like to whenever possible, with words from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself. Hear these challenging but righteous and very truthful words from the Master.
‘Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt.7:7-11)
Oh Friends, what beautiful sentiments from our Saviour!
Now here are some interesting and relevant notes on those verses from the scholars. ‘7:7-10. The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer.
Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (vs.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’
Oh my brethren, in light of those fateful and moving words from Jesus and the scholars, what more can a humble human like myself add eh?
Not much nuh, except to advise and encourage us to follow them, if we want to be successful down here on earth, as well as in heaven above, for they are indeed words of heavenly wisdom. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…hn!…we will follow Jesus…all the way to eternity…and back too… (smile) …that’s how much trust and faith we have in Him…
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