20 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: 2017, a beautiful experience, a fine day, a glorious future with Jesus, a grain of mustard seed, a milestone, a watershed year, blessed is the man, confess, David, delivered me, disastrous, Donald Trump, earthquake, faith, fear, fear not, fear the Lord, forgiving God, from all my fears, halfway home, he heard me, heavenly throne, hurricane, I sought the Lord, in control of the universe, Jose, kneel, lack, living for Jesus, looking straight ahead, Maria, merciful, Mexico City, miraculous things, na, natural disasters, not ashamed, nothing shall be impossible, O taste and see, omnipotent god, One Year Book of Bible promises, personal testimony, physically and emotionally spent, poor man, possible emergency, poverty, puzzling circumstance, Ruth Harms Calkin, saints, seek the Lord, serious messages, suffer want, testing, the angel of the Lord, the breath of life, the Lord hears the righteous, The Lord is good, time of fear, trial, troubles, trusts in God, unbelief, warms the cockles of my heart, wasted hours, Wednesday Wail
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Welcome to Wednesday friends and neighbours! For some of us it’s going to be a fine day, for others it could be disastrous.
And just looking at the possibilities in our hemisphere; Jose is still moving up the North American east coast causing some damage, while Maria is tossing a hissy fit in the Caribbean, steadily moving in the direction of Puerto Rico and some of the smaller Caribbean Islands.
But to add to all of that, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake apparently has hit Mexico City with a significant loss of life and physical structures. When is it going to end eh friends? 2017 has definitely been a watershed year, a milestone in our society from the antics of Donald Trump to the natural disasters we’re experiencing.
But my faithful brethren, there’s no need to fear, for our omnipotent God is still on His heavenly throne and still in control of the universe He created. He’s just sending us some serious messages.
And to help us, this Wednesday morning, here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calking that simply tells us: ‘Fear Not.’
Please pray with me. ‘Again and again, dear Lord I read Your words, “Fear Not.” Surely You would not say it so often If there were any reason to fear. Nor would You command it so explicitly If You could not keep me from fearing.
God, You have given me a Fear Not For every puzzling circumstance For every possible emergency For every trial and testing Real or imagined. Yet I confess wasted hours – Even days, dear Lord When fear clutches and clobbers me Until I am physically and emotionally spent.
Lord, when David cried to You, You delivered him from all his fears. On this gray-sky morning I kneel before You with David’s cry. O my Father, I cannot believe You would be less kind to me Than You were to David.’
And no my people, our most merciful and forgiving God would NEVER be less kind to you than He was to Bruh David, if you cry out to Him in your time of fear!
And our Bit for today, which comes from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous – the words of none other than Bruh David proves it in spades. Bruh David declares in no uncertain terms: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’
Oh my people, I know that some of you will say that your faith is not as strong as Bruh David’s was, and that will surely be true, because not too many of us will have His strong faith, but remember what Jesus said to the disciples when they could not heal a demon infested child.
‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible unto you.’ (Matt.17:20)
So friends, once you have true faith, all sorts of miraculous things are possible, with God’s help. Therefore, please don’t sell yourself short. And the Bible verses associated with the poem above, are the two verses after our Bit.
‘They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.’ (Ps.34:5-6)
Again my brethren, yuh see how our faces become radiant and we’re not ashamed when we look to the Lord for our daily needs? And when we cry out to him, even in our physical and spiritual poverty, He hears us and delivers us.
Hear Bruh David further: ‘The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 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.’ (Ps.34:7-10)
And all of that friends, is a personal testimony of Bruh David, when he narrowly escaped death at the hands of Saul, his archenemy. So it’s not mere talk, but true reality. That means we can rely on it without any fear.
And seeing that we have now eased ALL of our fears (smile), let’s go home loudly, proudly and sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail, which tells of our profound faith and trust in Almighty God.
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now let’s put it all into action, so others can see it and come to Jesus. Much LOVE!…
living with…and for Jesus…is such a beautiful experience…it just warms the cockles of one’s heart…
08 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a good-looking day, a modicum of circumspection, acquainr thyself with God, be at peace, Beelzebub, better late than never, boundaries, call upon me, carousing, defense, disaster, drinking, earthquakes, eat drink and be merry, eating, Eliphaz, enthusiasm, exaltation, fires, Friday chant, furthering God's kingdom, gain a foothold, glorify, go overboard, good weather, he shall hear thee, heartbreaking situation, hurricane Irma, hurricanes, I will deliver thee, in Jesus' name, in the day of trouble, in thine heart, invitation, Jesus, Job, lay up his words, lift up thy face to God, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, man's best bet, men are cast down, natural disasters, omnipotent god, pay thy vows, pray, prayer, problems, pureness of hands, raveages, refreshed, relax, renewed, repented, return to the Almighty, save the humble, sensible solution, soul body and mind, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Caribbean, the Good Book, the innocent, The Israelites, the law, the light shall shine, the most powerful force, the weekend, the workingman, thou shalt glorify me, time of need, trouble, warnings, week of work, work, worry
Psalm 50:15. And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Oh friends, it’s shaping up to be a good-looking day in my neighbourhood, and the workingman was out early singing his song. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And soon, no more work! It’ll be a beautiful weekend, with all the good stuff happening; like eating and drinking and carousing, paying no mind to the problems that surround us.
God gave us the weekend so that we could relax and enjoy it, not to work or worry. So that’s exactly what we going to do. Eat, drink and be merry! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah mih people, a lot of what he says is true; God did give us the weekends to rest and relax, but not to go overboard. Remember, we need to have certain boundaries that we don’t cross and thus allow Beelzebub to gain a foothold in our lives. A much better incantation would be our Friday Chant, which contains those boundaries.
Let’s declare it now nuh, with the same enthusiasm that the workingman declared his song. ‘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 my people, we always have to be cognizant of what comes after the weekend. Otherwise, come Monday morning, when we have to go back to work, we’ll be too tired and wasted and of no use to either God’s kingdom or ourselves. That’s why ‘a modicum of circumspection’ is always necessary my brethren.
But unfortunately, today, many of our fellow men around the globe won’t have the luxury of enjoying good weather or the weekend, because of hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes or some such natural disaster.
Please, let’s remember to pray for them sincerely. We can’t help them all with money or other worldly stuff, but we CAN help them all with PRAYER, the most powerful force in the universe.
What a heartbreaking situation it is to see your fellow man suffering the ravages of disaster, like Hurricane Irma is causing down in the Caribbean, and you can’t do much to help them physically. But as true believers we can call on our great God to help them in their time of need.
Our God said it: ‘And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ Yeh friends, that’s the faithful invitation of our omnipotent God! And in these very trying end times, it’s the most sensible solution we can ever consider.
As we keep saying, who knows whether all the numerous disasters occurring around our planet right now are warnings from God? They might be, as well as they might not be. But the wisest path we can take is to consider them warnings as our sinful and ungodly world plunges down to hell with one unwise step after another.
Oh friends, please take note of the Israelites, who, when they found themselves in trouble for turning away from the God of their fathers, repented and turned back to Him, and he welcomed them back with opened arms. We desperately need to do the same.
Listen to this scripture where Job’s friend Eliphaz after accusing him of sin, implores him to repent. ‘Acquaint now thyself with him (God), and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law (instruction) from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles (tents). Then shalt thou lay up gold as (in the) dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defense (gold), and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up (exaltation); and he shall save the humble person. He shall deliver the island of the innocent (the one who is not innocent): and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.’ (Job 22:21-30)
Oh my people, there it is, the solution for all our problems, written in the Good Book ages ago, and nothing about it has changed. So what are waiting for eh?
Come on Christians, we need to up the ante in these disastrous times and get Jesus’ LOVE Revolution running full steam ahead. That’s the ONE and ONLY answer to our lost and ungodly world! Much LOVE!
…in times of trouble…man’s best bet is to…PRAY…
P.S. Please accept my apologies for the lateness of the Bit. Though I went to bed early, by my standards, (smile) some new medication kept me bogged down for longer than I expected. But better late than never! Much LOVE!
02 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a false attitude, a hard night, a rough night, arthritic pains, awe, basis of our faith, be of good courage, believe it to see it, born to win, Christians, courage, disliked, expect to win, failure, faith, feared, Friend Anselm, grin and bear them, heavenly Father, help, hope, I feel so mash up, in his word do I hope, inspire us, Jesus Christ, Labour Day, liked, LOVE, loving-kindness, merciful God, mercy, mount up with wings, my soul doth wait, not be faint, not be weary, omnipotent god, plan to win, prepare to win, Prince Buster, redemption, renew their strength, respect for others, respect for self, responsibility for your actions, reverenced, revolutionary ways, run, sins, strengthen thine heart, success, surrender forgiveness, take note of iniquities, the costume of failure, the fruit of the spirit, the ladder of success, the three R's, trust, wait on the Lord, wait patiently, walk, watch for the morning, what a bam bam, who shall stand, wisdom
Isaiah 40:31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Well friends, it looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous Labour Day Saturday! Wow! Both the Sun and the Son are overwhelmingly brilliant, but it is a tad chilly in my area though, a mere 10 Celsius, which means the people up north in the cottage country might even have had the fire and warm clothing going on overnight.
And, like the old Prince Buster song, I’m claiming, ‘I feel so mash up today…It was a hard night…a rough night…’ However, it’s not for the reasons that Prince Buster stated, although that might have made it somewhat easier to bear. (smile) Only the ole Jamaican fogies would know that song, and we can’t discuss it in a family paper. (smile)
But the ole arthritic pains acted up last night. What a bam bam eh! But we’ll just grin and bear them and continue keeping on with the help of our great ever-LOVING and merciful God.
And since today is Saturday, let’s have a gander at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. First up is one that all Christians should be following. ‘I’d rather be disliked for who I am than be liked for who I’m not.’
Yes friends, we should always show our true faces, the true Christian one, and who doesn’t like it ‘chuh pool.’ (smile) I’m not sure if that is the correct spelling of the term, but we all know what I mean.
We should NEVER put on a false attitude just for people to like us. Our Leader, Jesus Christ NEVER did that, though a lot of people tended to dislike Him for His revolutionary ways.
This next quote also applies very much to us Christians. ‘You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.’ And because many of us don’t plan and prepare and expect to win, we end up losing. It’s the very basis of our faith my brethren…believe it and you’ll see it!
The next quote obviously follows from the last. ‘You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.’ Figuratively, it takes a certain style of dress to climb that much vaunted ladder of success.
And we’re not talking about the world’s ladder, but Christ’s ladder of success. If you’re not dressed for it, filled with faith, LOVE, trust, surrender, forgiveness and the other fruit of the Spirit then you won’t ever climb it.
And we’ve saved the best for last. ‘Follow The Three R’s: The three R’s are: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for your actions’ Even more thought provoking Christian actions my brethren, although they should apply to even the non-believers.
Unfortunately though, those three ‘R’s’ have been lost in the craziness of today’s mad scramble for wealth and power. And the ONLY way you can truly accomplish those three ‘R’s’ is through the help of our heavenly Father.
That’s why our Bit is so important in our daily life. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’
Yeh friends, when we wait upon our magnificent God, then we do all of the above, because HE gives us the wherewithal to do it. We can’t get it ALL from NO other place or person! And that’s an indisputable fact!
Hear how the psalmist puts it in Psalm 130 –My soul waiteth for the Lord. ‘If thou Lord shouldest mark (take note of) iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared (reverenced with awe). I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.’ (Ps.130:3-8)
What more is there to say eh friends? Nothing really. So please, let’s be smart and wait patiently, reverently, faithfully and perseveringly on our omnipotent God nuh, for that is the wisdom above all wisdom. Much LOVE!
…wait on the Lord: be of good courage…and he shall strengthen thine heart…wait…I say…on the Lord… (Ps.27:14)
18 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accomplish nothing in life, adultery, and know my heart, Anselm's quotes, any wicked way, aspire to inspire, authority, Bathsheba, believe, Christ's Church, Christian faith, climate change, come boldly to the throne of grace, courageous, earthly body, excellence, expand your consciousness, expectations, faith, family, fears, friends, get away scotch free, go out on a limb, great invitation, high priest, Jesus Christ, know my anxious thoughts, lead me in the way everlasting, life's circumstances, murder, omnipotent god, our earthly walk with Jesus, outside your comfort zone, presence and power of God, provision, rest, Scrip-Bit, search me O God, secrets, shirt-sleeves, succour, take risks, the bane of our language, the end from the beginning, the wrong side of the fence, tired, trust, try me, Uriah, watchword, weary, wisdom
Psalm 139:23. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts.
Welcome to another beautiful day in God’s wonderful universe, my Scrip-Bit family and friends! The day is indeed unfurling as it should, as our omnipotent God planned it. But I beg to wonder why our temperature today is supposed to go up to around ten degrees Celsius, from a low of around minus 7, or thereabouts, and then fall back to below freezing temps by Sunday night? They say it’s climate change.
Ah Lord eh! That’s why so many people get sick in these volatile temperature changes! Today a whole lot of people will be out in shirt sleeves, declaring what beautiful spring-like weather it is. Then they’ll get caught without proper protection from the elements later on. But that’s the nature of the beast in these parts. (smile)
Anyway, let’s take a look at a few of our friend Anselm’s quotes for this past week. Remember, his aspiration is to inspire us with his thoughtful words. The first one says: ‘He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.’ And that’s quite true!
But there are sensible risks and not so sensible ones. So we still have to consider whether the risks are worthwhile or not. It’s brave to go out on limb that seems able to stand your weight, but foolish to go out on one that is obviously too small. The same goes for risks.
That brings us to this quote: ‘If you put yourself in a position where you have to stretch outside your comfort zone, then you are forced to expand your consciousness.’ That’s also true, but then again how far outside of your comfort zone do you want to go, or is it wise for you to go? It’s all a matter of your comfort level.
And this next one declares: ‘The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the buts you use today.’ More truth friends! You know how we always like to say marvelous things, then affix them with ‘a but.’ That’s the bane of our modern day language; everything, everything – but.
And the last one tells us. ‘No one rises to low expectations.’ Yes my people, we cannot rise high unless our expectations are high. That’s just the normal workings of the universe. And our Christian faith expects us to keep on rising higher and higher, making excellence the watchword of our earthly walk with Jesus. For if we do not aspire to excellence, the church will simply become stagnant and eventually fall apart.
And I believe that is what’s happening right now. Christ’s church, His earthly body is not growing as it should, for numerous reasons. But we’re not here to talk about that today, we’re here to discuss the motives of our heart, of our spiritual being, as expressed by Bruh David in his grand Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God.
He boldly, but contritely states in the last two verses – the first one our Bit. ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 39:23-24)
Ah mih people, the overriding question now is, whether we as Christians, are willing, and or able to declare such a brave statement to our Maker? The truth of the matter is that we ought to be. We ought to be so open and be so close to our God, that we shouldn’t fear to go to Him in any situation at all, even though we know we are on the wrong side of the fence.
For as the author of Hebrews reminds us: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb.4:16)
And I like the explanation the scholars put forward. ‘4:16. Only Christianity provides such boldness for sinful men before a holy God, and that boldness is possible only because of our High Priest (Jesus Christ). The figure of a throne suggests a place of authority and provision. It is the place to obtain God’s grace when it is especially needed.’
Yeh friends, only our wonderful faith exhibits such a confidence in being able to go to God in any and every circumstance. He welcomes us, invites us in the Great Invitation (Matt.11:28-30) to come to Him when we‘re tired and weary and beset by life’s circumstances, and He will give us rest.
No other faith offers such succour my brethren. So I don’t understand why so many of us are afraid to bare our hearts to the Lord. Remember though that’s He’s our Creator, and already knows what’s happening with us, even more than we know. He knows and sees the beginning to the end.
Consequently friends, please let’s stop trying to hide our innermost secrets and fears from Him, because it’s foolish to do so. He wants us to come to Him and let it all out, to show that you truly believe in and trust Him.
Yuh notice how Bruh David went to God without fear on everything – even eventually His adultery with Bathsheba and His murder of Uriah, her husband, after the prophet Nathan berated him about it.
Now we won’t always get away scotch free with our wicked deeds – Bruh David paid a hefty price with strife in his house – but we’ll always get forgiveness and mercy if we sincerely repent of them. That’s wisdom for the ages my people. Please ponder on that today. Much LOVE!
…fear should never override faith…especially in dealing with God…
04 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: against the wiles of the devil, alligators, Anselm, catalyst, celebrities, chances for success, change, communication, conviction, dictate the battle, divine aid, entourages, feelin hot hot hot, fighting off the enemy, for all saints, freedom, God's armour, good time friends, grin and bear it, hangers on, harvests, inevitability, initial toil, layabouts, natural habitat, of the utmost importance, omnipotent god, perseverance, power, prayer, prayer is indispensable, praying always, protection of faith, put on the whole armour of God, repentance, rewards, Satan's attacks, snakes, sow before your reap, spiritual combat, stay centred in the word, straighten our backs, struggle, supplication, swamps, testify to the truth, that ye may be able to stand, the bedrock of Jesus, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the Good Book, the helmet of salvation, the instigating factor, the prince of darkness, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith, the spiritual weapon, the sword of the Spirit, the upper hand, vigilant, watching thereunto, wealth, with the Lord's help, work before you get paid, work for our freedom, your back is bent
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.
‘Ah feelin’ hot, hot, hot…! And friends, if you believe that, I have some beautiful land to sell you in Florida; no alligators, so swamps, no snakes, just lush parkland! (smile) And believe me, I could handle that Florida weather right now yes, despite it’s somewhat unsafe natural habitat because it’s a chilly Saturday morning in my area. But no such luck, so I’ll just have to grin and bear it.
And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at a trio of quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. The first one is a tad heavy, (smile) and says: ‘Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.’ And that’s gospel truth my people!
And this second quote is a companion to the first. ‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.’ Yeh friends, for serious and sincere change to occur in our lives, or around us, we must be the instigating factor, with the Lord’s help obviously!
And this last one is indeed a gem. ‘All rewards require initial toil.’ Now that’s an eye-opener for a lot of people in these modern times of supposed entitlement. But that’s how God’s economy runs; you have to work first before you can get paid, sow good seed, before you can reap an abundant harvest.
Unfortunately though, too many of us, Christians, included want to reap harvests without sowing seeds, and get rewards without any toil. That’s why there are so many layabouts and hangers on to those who have. The celebrities must have their large entourages to show off their wealth, power and importance, but once the money’s gone, so are the good time friends.
Anyhow, let’s move on to our Bit. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ Now I know that many of you are tired with it, but it is of the utmost importance in our fighting off the enemy, and if you don’t know all that it entails, then our chances for success are seriously lessened. This is the last day for it anyway – I promise. (smile)
Now there’s one more extremely important verse in Bruh Paul’s dialogue to the Ephesians. Having put on the whole armour of God, one must continue the action by: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:18)
So my brethren, the mere putting on of God’s armour doesn’t do the trick, it needs constant prayer and supplication too. Listen to the scholar’s explanation of that verse.
‘6:19. Praying is grammatically linked to “stand” in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means “on every occasion,” that is, when Satan attacks. In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made. Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
Ah mih people, you see that prayer is the catalyst that gets the whole show going. Without it, nothing of any significance happens. And for all our benefit, I’ll stress here again, just in case we didn’t notice when the scholars declared: ‘PRAYER IS INDISPENSABLE!’
And that it certainly is my fellow believers! It’s basically how we communicate with our wonderful, awesome, omnipotent God, so where there is no prayer, there is no communication with the Lord God Jehovah, and mankind cannot live successfully without God in his life. Now another important point of it all, is that we must not just pray for ourselves, but for ALL believers too!
And as a reminder of all we’ve been talking about recently, let’s remember on a practical level, to: Put on Daily: The helmet of salvation to guard our minds. The breastplate of righteousness to guard our emotions. The belt of truth, to stay centred in the Word – walk, talk, live in and testify to the truth. The sandals of peace – so that wherever we go, we’ll go in peace and tranquility – anchoring our feet boldly in the bedrock of Jesus.
The shield of faith – so that we can deflect the fiery arrows of the enemy, and stand safely behind the massive protection of faith. The sword of the Spirit – the Good Book – the spiritual weapon that cuts deeply to bring about conviction and repentance. And then follow it all up with prayer.
Yes friends, we need all those accoutrements of battle, not simply bits and pieces, if we hope to be successful in fighting for Jesus against the prince of darkness. Much LOVE!
…in warfare…the better protected soldier…begins with the upper hand…and can thus dictate the battle…
26 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2017, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, a rejoicing church, a strong will, abiding in, abundance, and again I say rejoice, as in a glass, beholding, blessings, bountiful, challenging, changed, clear direction, cloudy day, courage, covenant, creativity, curse, decisions, divine protection, faith, faithfulness, favour, from glory to glory, fulfillment, generous, glory to God, goals, God is able, God's peace, grace, health, heavenly Father, honest, hope, hypocrisy, Jesus Christ, just, King James version, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, lovely, make all things new, make me clean, make me real, meditate, mercy, miraculously, mirror, negative word, New Year, noble, of good report, omnipotent god, open face, praise, praiseworthy, pray, priorities, productive, promises, promotion, prosper, reflect his glory, reflecting, Rejoice in the Lord always, renovate me, revitalized, Ruth Harms Calkin, self-control, self-discipline, self-righteousness, sham, simplistic, strength, strife filled, succeed, success, talent, the face of Moses, the glory of the Lord, the God of peace, the Most High God jehovah, the New Covenant, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the right activities, the right things, the same image, the SON, the Spirit of God, the spirit of the Lord, the very depth of my being, think, Thursday Blessings, to all and sundry, transform my fears, transformed, true, trust, unveiled, vibrant faith, virtue, whatsoever things, wisdom, work in me
Philippians 4:4. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Aye mih people, I don’t know what has happened to the sun nuh, because we haven’t seen it in my area for about two weeks now. Today seems to be another wet, cloudy day. And even when the days weren’t wet, very few, they were still cloudy.
But yuh know what? We’ve seen the SON every single day! Glory Hallelujah!
Rain or shine He shows up right on time to help guide us through another blessed day that His heavenly Father has granted us on this bountiful, though somewhat strife-filled earth! And for that faithfulness we are eternally grateful!
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that seems rather appropriate ‘For This New Year.’
Please pray with me. ‘O Lord God You are able. Able to make me clean Without self-righteousness and sham. Able to make me real Without hypocrisy. You are able To give me wisdom In all my priorities My decisions, my goals. You are able to transform my fears Into vibrant faith And quiet trust.
You are able To make this present year The most challenging The most productive Of all my life. So for this new year I covenant with You, dear God. Please work in me To the very depth of my being. Renovate me Transform me For You are able – miraculously able To make all things new.’
And that He certainly is my brethren! Our omnipotent God can make all and everything new through His miraculous powers!
And in this new year of 2017, that’s already a month old, we all desperately need cleaning up and being revitalized. And that can only happen through the auspices, the grace and mercy and LOVE of the Most High God Jehovah!
So let’s hope and pray that He does an awesome work of revitalization in us this year of 2017. And the promise of scripture for that poem is 2 Cor, 23:18.
The New Living translation boils it down thus: ‘As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.’
I’m sorry though, that translation, in my opinion falls way short of the beauty and majesty of the King James Version. ‘But we all, with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed (being transformed) into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’
Now friends, that speaks to me much more than the first version. That’s what I don’t like about some of these new translations; they just lose the whole ‘wonderment ‘ of the old language, by making it so simplistic. But that’s just me.
And the scholars tell us this about that verse. ‘3:18. Beholding as in a glass: The term ‘beholding’ can have the sense of “reflecting.” The believer himself “reflects” the glory of the Lord just as the face of Moses reflected the glory of the Lord.
For Moses the glory eventually faded away, but under the New Covenant the believer is changed into the same image. This transformation takes place by the abiding presence of the Spirit of God.’
Now I certainly like that: the longer we live, the more we become like Christ! Glory to God!
And I do hope that we have enough space and time for our Bit, which is enhanced everyday by the promises of the Lord’s Word. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’
Yes my fellow believers, a rejoicing church is what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ wants to see. That’s why He sacrificed His sinless life for us, and if we don’t show our sincere appreciation by being glad and joyful, then all He did was just a waste of time.
Now let’s continue Bruh Paul’s speech to the Philippians, from where we left off yesterday. ‘Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things.
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil4:8-9).
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘4:8-9. Finally could be rendered “in this connection,” since verses 6-9 are related: verses 6 and 7 tell how to obtain God’s peace; verses 8 and 9 tell how to keep it. In order to keep God’s peace, the readers must occupy their minds with the right things (v.8) and busy themselves with the right activities (v.9).’
It couldn’t be put any simpler friends, though it’s not always easy to do in this negative, evil and selfish world. However with the untold blessings and promises and help available from our awesome God, we can do it.
Now let’s begin doing it by declaring our Thursday Blessings with much verve, enthusiasm and belief. Remember a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
As one now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And having blessed ourselves, let’s go out now and bless the many others in this world of great ‘sufferation’ who desperately need it. Much LOVE!
…Christians must not withhold blessings…but be like Christ…be generous to all and sundry…
10 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anger, awesome, balance, beloved of God, bitterness, blessed, Christian mission, comforting place, darkness, dr robert h schuller, exciting thought, faith, fantastic lesson, friend of Jesus, glorification of God, glorify your heavenly Father, glory hallelujah, God LOVES me, good news, good works, graceful truth, happy report, human depravity, Jesus Christ, lay down their burdens, let your light so shine, light, light of the world, LOVE, omnipotent god, peaceful, plans of mice and men, salt, salt of the earth, set on a hill, share His love, shine, strife, the absence of light, Tuesday Mantra, under a bushel, work it out for good
Matthew 5:13-14. Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world…
Ah friends, it’s a snowy Tuesday afternoon in my neighbourhood, and I so wanted to get the Bit our earlier, but as they say the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray.
I’m still trying to find a new balance in this era of heart problems and it’s not proving to be very easy. But fear not, our wonderful and omnipotent God is in full command and in His time, all will work it self out for good.
And to help us come to terms with whatever problem(s) we are facing today, here is this li’l reminder from our Hour of Power Devotional by Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H Schuller) that’s simply titled ‘GOD LOVES ME!’
Please pray with me: ‘Thank you, Lord, for this holy sentence, this good news, this happy report, this exciting thought, this graceful truth, this fantastic lesson. God LOVES me! Even when I’m at my worst – God LOVES me. Even when my faith is dim – God LOVES me anyway! It’s incomprehensible and fantastic! Thank you, Father. Amen.’
And isn’t that the gospel, gospel truth friends? Our wonderful, amazing, awesome and incomprehensible heavenly Father LOVES us in what ever state we may be in; good, bad or indifferent! And that will NEVER change! Glory Hallelujah! We are so blessed and don’t truly realize it nuh.
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world…’ Yes my fellow believers, that’s how our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ desires us to be in this lost and fallen world – salt and light!
Yesterday we looked at the salt aspect, today, let’s look at the light portion. Jesus puts it thus: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket),
But on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:14-16)
Ah mih people, our Saviour wants us to shine, and shine so brightly that we light up this entire world of darkness!
Hear how the scholars explain those verses. ‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and he has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity.
He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is a basket. Darkness is the absence of light; and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.’
Always remember that please friends; the smallest light can displace great darkness! Once there is light, the darkness will flee! That’s why we need to shine, regardless of the intensity, for any bit of light is better than darkness.
And as always, the bottom line of our earthly behaviour is to glorify our heavenly Father! That’s our number one reason for being! I wonder how many of us though, even consider the effect our actions have on the glorification of our great God?
And I think that’s where a lot of us err; we don’t think enough, or sincerely about the effect our actions have on the glory of God.
Oh, I know it’s not possible to consider the effect of every action, but overall I believe we can do a better job in that department, because that’s where people are either drawn to Christ or are turned away from Him.
And I do believe that too many people are being turned away from Him these days by our less than stellar salt and light actions. But friends, it is of the utmost importance in these days of worldwide strife, anger and bitterness, we followers of Jesus give the world a peaceful and comforting place to come and lay down all their burdens.
It’s becoming more essential everyday that we be true salt and light in this wicked world. So let’s try and up the ante nuh, so that others can find a true place of rest in Jesus. Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra with a positive outlook and sense of purpose.
As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ Much LOVE!
…shine on…shine on…you believers…shine on…shine on for Jesus…
08 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: a future, a hope, a rewarder, a tree planted by waters, abiding love, action movement, affiction, believe that he is, bitterness, blessed is the man that trusts in God, blessings, boggles my imagination, calamity, christianity, diligently seek him, dramatic God, drought, easy row to hoe, evil, faithfulness, gall, glorification, goodness, grace, great is thy faithfulness, greatest rewards, heart problems, her leaf shall be green, his compassions fail not, hope, Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving-kindness, lustful pleasures, magnificent and magnanimous God, material things, mercies, misery, mysterious God, new every morning, omnipotent god, out of the woods, please God, promise, the Good Book, the leap of faith, the long and short of the story, the Lord's guidance, the salvation of the Lord, thoughts of peace, trials, tribulations, wait, we walk by faith not by sight, whose hope the Lord is, wine roses and song, with the Lord's help, without faith, wormwood, yielding fruit
2 Corinthians 5:17. (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Aye mih people, the ole fella’s here again – later than I had planned, but earlier than the last few days. (smile)
And I am feeling better, spiritually and physically. But I am certainly not out of the woods yet – though with perseverance and the Lord’s help I hope it won’t be too long or difficult a trip back.
Oh friends, I can never consider the goodness and LOVING-kindness of our magnificent and magnanimous God without feeling a deep, tender and abiding LOVE for Him! He’s been ever so good to me, that sometimes it just boggles my imagination.
Now don’t get me wrong, it has not always been wine, roses and song, there have been some serious trials and tribulations along the way, many of them unexpected and out of the blue, like this past week in the hospital with heart problems.
You know with that sort of stuff you usually feel a pain or something of the sort… well I have NOT felt a pain up to this day, just a constant shortness of breath. And thankfully I listened to the Holy Spirit that guided me to the hospital’s Emergency Department, otherwise I might not be alive to tell the tale today.
And come to think of it, this is the tenth year – can you imagine- ten years since I’ve been writing the Bit, and I certainly never expected to ring it in with heart problems in the hospital.
But our God is such a dramatic and mysterious God, that with Him anything is possible at any time. And you know what, somewhere along the line He is going to use this episode of my life for His glorification. I don’t know how, why or when – but that’s why He is God! (smile)
Ah mih breddren, I think I’ve gotten lost somewhere along the line yes, (smile) I don’t remember what point I was trying to make.
The long and short of the story though is that I could not have written the Bit for so long, especially if you knew how it began; with just a simple verse from the Good Book and maybe some inane comment from me, to where it is now.
But it was ALL the Lord’s guidance and doing my people! I took the leap of faith and He extended His faithfulness. That’s why, if nothing else, I can always proclaim His faithfulness. But the important thing is that one first has to take whatever leap of faith He is advocating.
Now that brings us to our Bit; a few simple but very powerful words: ‘(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)’ That’s the basic foundation of our great action movement – Christianity!
As the Good Book says: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) So you see friends, we have to faithfully believe in and diligently seek the Lord if we expect to reap His blessings, grace and mercies.
Listen to this wonderful promise relayed through Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
Now isn’t that just a marvellous promise from an omnipotent God? It certainly is! The question then is why don’t we supposed believers cling to it the way we ought to eh?
Is it that we don’t truly believe, or our faith level isn’t that high, and on top of it all the lustful pleasures and material things of this world obscure God’s wonderful and faithful promises?
And Jeremiah though he was used and abused in his prophetic ministry could still say: ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heath cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer.17:7-8)
Oh friends, Christians would be a whole lot better of in all respects if we would only take hold of the thousands of God promises in His Word and cling to them the way we cling to the foolishness of the world.
And we’ll end with some marvellous sentiments from Jeremiah’s Lamentations. ‘And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me.
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:18-26)
Oh my people, if Jeremiah could have been as abused as he was, and still have hope, faith and trust in the Lord, then why can’t we who have not faced such persecution do the same eh?
That’s a question we have to answer individually. Let’s hope we do it positively and soon, for we know not when our Lord and Saviour Jesus will return. And once He comes back, ALL bets are off! Much LOVE!
…following Jesus is not an easy row to hoe…but it provides the greatest rewards…that’s for sure…
01 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2017, a compassionate heart, a majority, adventurous, affirmation, be perfect, beloved, blessings, broken, Christians, Christmas, clear direction, closer relationship with Jesus, comfort, conquering power, count it all joy, courage, creativity, curse, divers temptations, divine protection, drinking milk, eating solid food, evil world, faith, faithful promises, family, favour, fear not, fiery trial, friends, fulfillment, God and us, God has bruised, God play a more significant role, greater is he that's in you, grow in our faith, guidance, he that is in the world, health, I am the Lord thy God, I have redeemed thee, I will be with thee, in the likeness of Jesus, in the name of Jesus, interesting, Isaiah, journey, joy, lacking nothing, leading, LOVE, mature, more than conquerors, negative word, New Year, no condemnation, nothing to fear, omnipotent god, open arms, pass through the waters, passion, personal relationship with God, prince of darkness, produces patience, promotion, prosper, ransom, rejoice with Christ, rough and rocky, rules, self-control, self-discipline, sinless Son, some strange thing happened to you., spiritual growth, strength, strong belief, succeed, success, suffer with Christ, talent abundance, the cross of Calvary, the flame scorch thee, the Holy One of Israel, the Holy Spirit, think it not strange, thou art mine, thou shall not be burned, through him that loved us, Thursday Blessings, thy Saviour, to mold, to test us, to try you, trials, trying of your faith, various trials, victory, walk through the fire, wisdom, working for the Lord
1 Peter 4:12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
Oh friends, can you believe that it’s already the beginning of December? Wow! This year of 2016 has passed rather quickly, and before you know it, we’ll be into Christmas and then the New Year of 2017.
Wonder what that will hold for us eh? Hopefully it will be better than this one, more blessings and less trials and tribulations. But what we need to ask ourselves right now, is did we grow and mature in our faith this year?
Did we have a closer relationship with Jesus? Did God play a larger, a more significant role in our lives? Are we closer to where we’re supposed to be, and further away from where we started? Have we matured to the point where we are eating solid food and not drinking milk still?
I do hope the answer to all those questions are in the affirmative, otherwise we have wasted precious time, lost our way in the most important aspect of our lives; our personal relationship to Almighty God.
But the good news is that it’s not too late to begin, we can begin right now! Our God ALWAYS receives those who sincerely come to Him with open arms. There is no condemnation, just lots of LOVE and affirmation.
So if you haven’t done as well as you should have this year, then simply turn to Him right this moment and ask for His help. He will not refuse it. But be forewarned, the journey with Jesus will not always be smooth, but oftimes rough and rocky, just like Jesus’ earthly life was.
However, with all of His faithful promises and the guidance, leading and comfort of His Holy Spirit we will be able to overcome anything that comes against us. Remember we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. (Rom.8:37)
So we have conquering power over what’s in the world, ‘because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4) Yes friends, our Lord and Saviour is greater than the prince of darkness who rules this evil world!
That means we have nothing to fear in our earthly pilgrimage, for God and us, are a majority against any foe.
This brings us to our Bit, which can be very discouraging to some. ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.’
Yeh mih people, we should not be afraid when trials come upon us because God uses these trials to test us, to mold and grow us in the likeness of His wonderful, sinless Son Jesus Christ.
None of us likes these trials, especially when they suddenly spring up against us, but as I keep on saying, with God’s help we can over come any and everything. Listen to this awesome promise of our omnipotent God from Isaiah.
‘Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.’ (Is.43:1-3)
What an awesome promise my brethren! And the Lord kept it by redeeming us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. So what’s there to fear eh? NOTHING, once we are in league with Jesus!
Now, remember yesterday, we saw after our Bit, Peter talking about rejoicing in trials and tribulations, because if we suffered with Christ, we will eventually rejoice with Him. Hear now James’ take on the subject.
‘My brethren, count it all joy, when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials). Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing. (James 1:2-4)
And the scholars give us this info: ‘1:2-3 …These “negative” experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing….
It is not merely one’s presence in such trials but one’s victory over them that brings spiritual growth and maturity. Those Christians whom God can use the most are those whom God has bruised the most.’
Ah friends, that says it all; unless we are bruised, victoriously come through fiery trials, we are of no use to God. Anyway, let’s end on a brighter note; instead of trials, let’s end with blessings. Remember, a blessing is not a blessing, until it’s been spoken over someone.
So, as one strong voice, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings with sincere passion and strong belief. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life!
I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus!
I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And don’t forget to also bless those around us, our friends and families, for they need blessings too. Much LOVE!
…working for the Lord is not easy…but it’s surely interesting and adventurous…
12 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24 karat, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, anointest my head with oil, Bless His Holy Name, blessings, comfort me, confidence, died and gone to heaven, earthly pathway, encouragement, fear no evil, follow me, for His name's sake, gives food to all flesh, glory, glory to God, golden day, goodness, grace, green pastures, heaven, his mercy endureth for ever, honour, hurry, I AM, I shall not want, in due season, in the presence of mine enemies, Jesus Christ, leads and guides, LOVE, man goes to work, meat from God, mercy, mercy. all the days of my life, my cup runneth over, my friend Jesus, nature, omnipotent god, our Lord and Saviour, paths of righteousness, praise, preparest a table, preservation of nature, redeemed, rescued, restoreth my soul, riches, share His love, song of praise and worship, still waters, swell in the house of the Lord, thankfulness, thanks, the beloved of God, the eyes of all, the glory of God, the God of heaven, the Holy Spirit, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord of hosts, the valley of the shadow of death, thou givest them their food, thy rod, thy staff, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wait upon thee, wisdom, words of truth, worry, worship the Lord, young lions
Psalm 145:15. The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you); and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season.
Aye mih people, welcome to another 24 karat golden day…!
And all God’s people gloriously proclaimed: ‘Glory to God! Bless His Holy Name! And also bless the wonderful name of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And last but not least, bless the name of the Holy Spirit who leads and guides us safely along life’s rough earthly pathway!’
Yes friends, how good and how right it is for us to give praise and thanks and glory and honour to our awesome God!
So let’s continue in that vein nuh and give more thanks and praise in grateful song by singing this immortal psalm of Bruh David – The Lord is my Shepherd.
Please sing with me: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me besides the still waters: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me (always); thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever…and ever. Amen!’
Wow mih breddren! What an awesome and harmonious song of praise and worship, of confidence and encouragement! The heavens surely stood up and took notice!
Now let’s reinforce all of that by enthusiastically and sincerely declaring our Tuesday Mantra. ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Mama mia! It couldn’t get much better than that my fellow believers! Being God’s beloved and Jesus’ friend…which no one can take away for us…Hn! It’s so encouraging and reassuring, like…like we’ve died and gone to heaven! (smile)
Sorry though, we’re still here on earth. But that’s no problem because down here our wonderful God also looks after us with compassion and LOVING-kindness. Just listen to our Bit. ‘The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you); and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season.’
Wow! What a merciful, magnificent and magnanimous Deity we serve! Shout His name out people: ‘The Lord God Jehovah; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! The great I AM, Our Creator, our Healer, Our Provider, our Comforter…!’
We could go on forever and ever calling out the great names of our omnipotent God! Let’s shift though to checking out some scripture that lends credence to our Bit. Listen to these words of truth from Psalm 136 – Praise for the Lord’s past and present blessings.
The psalmist declares of our God: ‘Who remembered us in our low estate (lowly state): for his mercy endureth for ever. And hath redeemed (rescued) us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (Ps.136: 23-26)
And so should we my people, because God’s undeserving grace and mercy are always available to us if we sincerely, and humbly, ask for them. Now hear these awesome words from Psalm 104 – God’s preservation of nature.
‘The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches (possessions).
So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable (teeming things), both small and great beasts (living creatures). There go the ships: there is that leviathan (a large sea creature of unknown identity), whom thou hast made (formed) to play therein.
These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat (food) in due season. That (what) thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of God shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.’ (Ps.104: 21-31)
Oh friends, what illuminating words! I never intended to quote that much of the psalm, but it just seemed like such a natural progression, showing us how all the things and creatures of the earth, even man, depended on their Maker, the Lord of Hosts.
And we’ll end with a telling verse from Bruh Paul, when the people at Lystra wanted to worship and offer sacrifices to him and Barnabas after they healed a crippled man.
‘Nevertheless he (God) left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.’ (Acts 14:17)
Yes friends, it is our most merciful God who gives us all that we have! Please let’s never forget that, and consequently behave as we ought to; with thankfulness and praise and worship of His glorious Deity! For that is indeed wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…O worship the Lord in truth…all you His creation…
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