26 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, above all these things put on charity, above all things, anger flares in people's eyes, be ye angry and sin not, Bible, charity envieth not, charity is not puffed up, charity suffereth long and is kind, charity vaunteth not itself, christianity, convert the sinner, cover a multitude of sins, crying our for help, err from the truth, evil will continue to rule, faith, Father Time, Friday chant, from the error of his way, god, good examples of Christian living, hatred stirreth up strifes, have fervent charity among yourselves, Jesus, Jesus Christ, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, like there's no tomorrow, LOVE, Love - god's most important attribute, love awakens in the breasts of men, love covereth all sins, love does not brag on itself, Love is kind, love is not jealous, love is patient, loves is not arrogant, neither give place to the devil, omnipotent help, our sinful world can wake up, pull up our bootstraps, return backsliders to your fold, running his race, salvation, save a soul from death, set the ball rolling, simmering unrest, tempres start to rise, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the bond of perfectness, the one who enables us to get wealth, trusting faith, turning from our evil ways, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom
Colossians 3:14. And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness.
It’s another bright, sunshiny day, this last Friday in April! But just imagine that nuh; April is almost finished. Father Time is certainly waiting on no one, he’s running his race like there’s no tomorrow. And it would be wise if we copied his example and ran our own race as if there’s no tomorrow, for who knows how many, if any of us will be alive to see tomorrow. But be that as it may, the worldwide shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have been heard around the world, and thus the weekend, plans and promises for it, has become our focus.
And yes, the weekend is ours to enjoy, but during it, let’s not forget the most important One in our entire lives; Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, for He’s the One who enables us to get health, wealth strength, salvation and eternal life! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful ‘Thank You Jesus!’ Now, since the Lord spared our lives, meaning his mercies and compassions were new this morning, (smile) let’s keep our promise to continue talking about some of the things that the prayer yesterday from the In Touch Devotional triggered.
And the main thing we found was LOVE, which is God’s most important attribute and has so many appealing and intriguing aspects to it. And above all it was God’s LOVE for us that caused Him to send His only begotten Son Jesus to die for us on the cross of Calvary so that our sins could be forgiven, making reconciliation possible with Him. And, as we saw yesterday, that means we need to reciprocate that LOVE as much as we can. But here are a few other things that that magnificent attribute can and does do.
On the basic nature of LOVE, Bruh Paul writes in 1 Corinthians: ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.’ (1 Cor. 13:4) In other words, ‘LOVE is patient, LOVE is kind, it is not jealous; LOVE does not brag, it is not arrogant.’ In light of that he writes thus to the Colossians: ‘And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness.’ (Col. 3:14) And the scholars explain that ‘LOVE is the crowning grace completing the list of virtues required for perfectness or spiritual maturity,. As a “bond” it binds all other virtues together in harmony and unity.’
Meanwhile, Peter says it this way: ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet. 4:8) Now that’s how strong LOVE is my people, when we have it amongst each other, it can help eliminate many sins. Such as James, Jesus’ brother explains. ‘Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth (wander), and one convert him (turns him back); Let him know, that he which converteth (turns) the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide (cover) a multitude of sins.’ (James 5:19-20)
And don’t for one moment think that the wisest one, Cousin Sol didn’t have that covered long before James and Peter came on the scene. (smile) He most certainly did, as he so rightfully warned in Proverbs: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov. 10:12) And it most certainly can when it prospers among us my fellow saints. But the problem though is that LOVE, sadly is not as plentiful and prosperous, neither amongst believers, or the world in general, for it to make the big difference it needs to make to set us straight and right with each other and with Almighty God. Thus the heavy price we’re currently paying as hatred, strife, anger and all the negative emotions control our world instead of LOVE.
That brings us to this last scripture, awakened by the words of the prayer: ‘when tempers start to rise…when anger flares in people’s eyes.’ And unfortunately those words so appropriately describe the current state of our world. Ah friends, this noteworthy scripture from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians warns us: ‘Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph. 4:26-27) Yes my fellow believers, we can get angry, but not do anything to give the devil an opportunity to get into our souls, and don’t let that anger last until we go to bed, because most likely it will disturb our sleep and we’ll awaken with it still plaguing our souls and spirts.
And let’s not fool ourselves, it’s going to take a real uphill battle, one of much sacrifice and suffering for us to replace the hatred and anger now enveloping our world with the sincere LOVE of God. But with God on our side friends, we all know we can do it. We just have to make up our minds and pull up our bootstraps and move as one body in Christ Jesus! And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace in the prayerful words of our Friday Chant.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
But please remember friends, that to gain divine help, WE must set the ball rolling by doing the things the Lord desires, like being good examples of Christian living, and turning from our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…until…and unless the LOVE for God and man…truly awakens in the breasts of men…evil will continue ruling the roost…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, agitate a complaining spirit, Bible, blameless and harmless, bless your Holy Name, climate change, compassion, complaining, crying our for help, do all things without murmurings and disputings, do not allow discontentment to fester, faith, Friday chant, give you thanks, god, grace, great is thy faithfulness, handle the unexpected storms, his compassions fail not, I may prove them, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lack of meat, LOVE, mercy, omnipotent help, problems escalating, rain bread from heaven, rain from the skies, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the right attitude, the simmering unrest, the sin of complaining, the sons of God, they are new every morning, wake up and smell the coffee, walk in my law, wisdom, wise guidance, without me ye can do nothing, without rebuke, ye shine as lights in the world
Philippians 2:14. Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings:
Well, we were disappointed in the sun yesterday because it never won the battle with the dark clouds, and instead of blinding sunshine, those dark clouds poured down rain from late afternoon to late night. Now, today, when everyone’s shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ it appears to be another cloudy day, with li’l hope of the sun’s appearance. But as the ole people would say, ‘be thankful for small mercies,’ since it could have been snow and not rain pouring down from the heavenly skies. In fact, without the startling effects of climate change, at this time of the year, it ought to be snow and not rain.
And we’re not really complaining nuh, (smile) we’re saying, ‘Thank You Lord for life and LOVE this Friday morning, be it cloudy, sunshiny, rainy or snowy! As always, we give You Thanks and bless your holy name! Amen’ Now, that’s the proper attitude to display, regardless of our circumstances, although it’s much easier said than done, and we do need the Lord’s help to do it. As Jesus so rightly said, ‘For without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) At least nothing worthwhile or substantial. And as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5)
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! It surely is, for without the mercy and grace of God we cannot do anything, and without His awesome breath of life, we won’t even be alive! That just goes to show how much we owe to our wonderful God Jehovah! As Jeremiah so wisely said in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) Yes friends, every day we get a new batch of grace, mercy and compassion! It’s like how Jesus taught us to pray: ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ (Matt. 6:11)
And that’s how the Lord dishes out His largesse, just enough for every day. It’s like when the Israelites were complaining about food in the wilderness and the Lord, angered by their complaining, said unto Moses: ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day (only eneough for one day), that I may prove (test) them, whether they will walk in my law. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.’ (Ex. 16:4-5)
In other words, every day, they would collect just enough for that day, except on the day before the sabbath, when they would collect twice as much, so they wouldn’t have to go and gather any on the sabbath. And for forty long years the Lord provided the Israelites with manna which they abhorred. But although it might not have tasted or looked as good as the food they had back in their bondage in Egypt, that manna kept them going strong and healthy in the wilderness, because it was food from Almighty God. And sadly, it’s the same way so many of us complain today about what we don’t have, forgetting all that we do have.
We could have ninety nine good things, but we’d rather complain about the hundredth thing that we’re lacking, instead of enjoying the ninety and nine that we already have. But I guess that’s the nature of the beast, especially in these selfish and greedy times, where it’s all about ‘Me, Myself, and I.’ And one of Israel’s greatest sins was complaining. Remember what we spoke of yesterday when they complained about the lack of meat, being tired of the tasteless manna. The Lord rained down so much quail flesh on them, that they got sick of it, then He smote them with a great plague. (Num. 11:18-33)
Oh friends, the Lord knows that sometimes things are difficult, and what we’d like, we don’t have, or are not getting, but He expects us to always have a good attitude and not complain as though life were so tough and He wasn’t looking after us. And it’s not that He doesn’t want us to come to Him with our problems, real or perceived, but it’s how we come to Him; not in anger and defiance, casting blame, where it doesn’t belong. Technically speaking, it’s not wrong to complain, but it’s how we do it, and if there’s really something to complain about.
Nowadays, most of what we complain about are either petty or nonsensical. As this commentary so wisely advises: ‘The sin of complaining is a sin that God deals with swiftly and severely. The example recorded for us in Numbers 11 reminds us of the awful, wicked sin of complaining in our own lives. Don’t minimize what God has provided for you, and do not allow discontentment to fester and agitate a complaining spirit.’
No my people. That is one of the worst things we can ever do. Instead, let’s remember this memorable advice from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:14-15) Yes my fellow saints, if we heed that wise advice, we will never go wrong…at least where complaining is concerned. (smile)
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant with confidence and humility, to ask for the divine help we so badly need to handle our earthly problems. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ And right there in our prayer, we have the beginning of the answer to it; ‘by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’
Yes friends, we need to set a good example for the unbelievers to see, if we expect God to help us. Much LOVE!
…be careful how you complain…and what you complain about…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
08 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a form of godliness, a lack of total allegiance to God, a new flock of believers, backsliders, but denying the power thereof, come to the knowledge of the truth, error of their ways, faith, faithful believers, false teaachers, for thy good, Friday chant, has the Lord great delight in burnt offerings and scrifices, Jannes and Jambres, Jesus Christ, keep the commnamdnets of the Lord, LOVE, men of corrupt minds, mercy, omnipotent help, prey upon silly women, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, religious ritual devoid of spiritual reality, simmering unrest, stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the weekend, to do justly and to love mercy, to fear the Lord thy God, to hearken than the fat of rams, to obey is better than sacrifice, to sacrifice un the Lord, to serve the Lord with all thy heart and soul, to walk humbly with thy God, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, what doth the Lord require of thee, wickedness flourished, wisdom
1 Samuel 22:b. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Now, this Friday March morning looks like another beautiful day in my area. And I’m sure when the folks cried out ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ they were overjoyed at the prospect of a sunshiny day and weekend. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case, for there’s been some warnings of bad weather for the next couple of days. But it‘s Friday, and nothing can spoil the weekend’s magnetic appeal! (smile)
And today we’re going to talk about a significant scripture from the prophet Micah, which has tremendous bearings on the kind of lives we live today, just like it had back in the days of old, when it was first spoken. When the children of Israel were involved in a controversy with God about sacrifices and no true heart spirit, Micah said unto them: ‘He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God.’ (Mic. 6:8)
Israel was in a state of unjust dealings with both man and God, and wickedness flourished all over the land…just like it is today. And all Micah really did there was remind the Israelites of Moses’ words earlier on. ‘And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear (reverence) the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good (benefit, welfare).’ (Deut. 10:12-13)
Oh my people, please pay particular attention to the last words of Moses; ‘for thy good.’ Yes, all the Lord tells us to do and expects of us is for our good, our benefit, not for His! He already owns and rules the world, He doesn’t need anything from us but our reverence and obedience. And we see this played out in God’s rejection of Saul from being king of Israel after he refused to obey God’s word to the letter. He had been instructed to totally destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions, but he fell short of total obedience and saved Agag the king of the Amalekites, and also allowed the people to take of the spoil.
And when confronted by the prophet Samuel, he confidently declared (yes!!!): ‘Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil (plunder), sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed , to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.’ (1 Sam. 15:20-21) Oh friends, that is exactly how many of us feel today when we only do half of God’s bidding. God said to Saul destroy EVERYONE and EVERYTHING belonging to the Amalekites, but he saved their king and their animals, ostensibly to sacrifice to God later on.
But this led to Samuel’s famous chastisement. ‘And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam. 15:22-23) And though Saul repented and asked for forgiveness, the deed was done, and the Lord had already rejected him in favour of Bruh David.
Now, the scholars have an excellent explanation of those last two verses. ‘These verses reinforce the Old Testament viewpoint that religious ritual devoid of spiritual reality and of a life of total allegiance to a sovereign Lord is worthless. (cf. Ps. 40:6-8; Is. 1:10-20; Mic. 6:8).’ And sadly, that is exactly what many of us supposed believers are doing today. We’re full of plenty religious talk, but the walk, the true spiritual connection is lacking, and we only obey the parts of the Lord’s word that are convenient to us.
It also reminds us of Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy about the state of man in the last days. ‘Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate (disapproved) concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.’ (2 Tim. 3:5-9)
And the scholars explain thus: ‘A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from these false teachers who prey upon silly women laden with sins, who are especially susceptible to false teachers. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth condemns not intense study but some esoteric quest for truth apart from God’s Word.’ And that sort of quest is ever so popular today, with everybody searching for their own truth, as though there could ever be more than one truth! ‘Jannes and Jambres, according to Jewish tradition were the two magicians in Pharaoh’s court who attempted to duplicate Moses’ miracles. (cf. Ex. 7:11; 9:11)’
So friends, you see that life hasn’t changed all that much from olden times. We’re still short-changing the Lord and His Word; looking for any excuse to get out of doing His will. But please remember that partial obedience is still disobedience, and thus sin. And instead of taking His Word as perfect truth, we searching all over for what we consider to be truth. How foolish is that eh? No wonder our world is in such a chaotic state. But thankfully there’s a way to turn things around, that’s by going to the Lord in prayer and asking for divine help. So let’s do that right now, through our Friday Chant.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Remember now friends, we have to set a truly good example if we expect to see any divine help. Much LOVE!
…to do justice and judgement (righteousness and justice)…is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice… (Prov. 21:3)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: backsliders, be examples of faithful believers, be not afraid of sudden fear, Christ has paved the way, double digit temps, faith, Friday chant, from whence cometh my help, glorious sunshine floods the land, God neither slumbers nor sleeps, I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, Jesus Christ, keep sound wisdom and discretion, LOVE, mercy, my help cometh from the Lord, not suffer thy foot to be moved, omnipotent help, shouts of joy, simmering unrest, springlike temperatures, suffer thy Holy One to see corruption, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the portion of mine inheritance, the shade upon thy right hand, the shall be thy confidence, thy sleep shall be sweet, trusting faith, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 121:2. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
And as the glorious sunshine floods the land, the shouts of joy rise up to heaven! ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes friends, the weekend is here at long last. And there’s not only beautiful sunshine to enjoy it with, but also spring-like temperatures. Yes, temps in double-digits. Imagine that nuh. Having springlike temps and it’s not even the middle of February! Wow! Strange things do happen in this life oui! And believe me, we’re not complaining. I guess you’ll see people out and about without winter coats and such like because of the fairly warm temperatures, but we have to be very careful, for it’s in this kind of weather that we tend to get sick, believing it’s so warm and not dressing properly, then getting caught in a sudden cold front. So please don’t be fooled by the non-winter temp and dress appropriately. Sermon done! (smile)
And on this glorious spring-like Friday my people, we’ll look at the very popular and very relevant Psalm 121, titled ‘God Neither Slumbers Nor Sleeps.’ It’s one of those Songs of Degrees or Accents that the pilgrims sang on their way up to Jerusalem to participate in the big feasts. And the psalm begins in a very interesting manner. So please read with me: ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (mountains), from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.’ (Ps. 121:1-2)
Now isn’t that interesting? It certainly is! The psalmist declares (yesss!!!) that he will lift up his eyes to the mountains, while wandering where his help is going to come from. The last part of that first verse should probably be in question form, and that’s why so many of us believe that the writer is looking to the hills and mountains for his divine help. But not so. He sees them more as harmful or threatening. And in the second verse he answers that question very clearly. ‘My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth.’ (Ps. 121:2) And that’s exactly what we believers ought to believe and expect; that the Lord God Jehovah was, is and will always be our help, both in the good and the bad times!
Then he goes on to tell us all about how God will look after us. ‘He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil. He shall preserve (keep) thy soul. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and ever for evermore.’ (Ps. 121:3-8) Ah my fellow believers, that’s the promise of our great God! And if by chance we don’t believe it, then let’s bring up some other scriptures that assure us of God’s help in our lives, if we put our sincere trust in Him.
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs, when he asserts that the wisdom of God, His knowledge and understanding are oh so precious. ‘My son, let them not (knowledge and understanding) depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace (favour) to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov. 3:21-26) There you have it again, my fellow saints; the confidence that the Lord our God will keep us safe if we worship and obey Him.
Now hear Bruh David in this contemplation, Psalm 16, titled ‘God Preserves His People.’ He writes with the utmost confidence: ‘The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest (uphold) my lot. The lines (my circumstances) are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage (inheritance). I will bless the Lord , who hath given me council: my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh shall also rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps. 16:5-11)
Oh my people, what wonderful words of confident assurance of God’s goodness and mercy to those who sincerely believe in and trust Him! Yes, and as the scholars remind us: ‘David’s confidence in his ultimate destiny is valid for him (and for all believers) only because Christ has travelled down that path and paved the way for all who believe in Him.’ Glory Hallelujah! And you can check the reference in Acts 2:25-28, where Peter, in his big Pentecost sermon, quotes the words of Bruh David from Ps. 16:8-11.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace with confident humility, asking for divine help in these times of worldwide distress and anxiety. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now friends, if we really desire divine help, then it’s time to show our trusting faith and be good Christian examples, so that others can see what we have and want it too. Much LOVE!
…if you truly believe…then there’s no need to worry…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
02 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A song of Accents, A Song of Degrees, be fruitful and multiply, children are an heritage of the Lord, crying out for help, eat the bread of sorrows, enjoyment is a gift of God, except the Lord keep the city, faith, Friday chant, happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them, introudce a new flock of believers, it is good and comely for one to eat and drink, it is his portion, Jesus Christ, LOVE, omnipotent help, raise one's spirits, replenish the earth, return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, speak with the enemies in the gate, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the fruit of the womb is his reward, the joy of his heart, the watchman waketh in vain, the winter blahs, to enjoy the good of all his labour, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, without God all is vain
Psalm 127:1a. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it:
Then it was Friday, and the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ went up all over the world. And in my area, a cloudy sunshine hovers over the land, but it’s sunshine enough to raise one’s spirit and decrease the winter blahs. (smile) And today, I want to look at a short psalm, but one nonetheless filled with several things of great concern to us in these evil and ungodly times. It’s Psalm 127, titled ‘Labouring in Vain.’
It’s one of the fifteen Psalms, called ‘A Song of Degrees, or A Song of Accents,’ songs that the pilgrims of Israel sang on their thrice yearly visits up to Jerusalem to celebrate the three great Jewish feasts of Pentecost, Passover and Tabernacles. Now, it seems like this psalm was written by Cousin Sol, for it says, ‘A song of Degrees for (of) Solomon.’ And if one think backs to Cousin Sol’s preaching in Ecclesiastes, about all is vanity and futility, this psalm fits in very nicely to that mould.
However, enough talk, (smile) let’s read it together. ‘Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep (guards) the city, the watchman waketh but (stays awake) in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man (warrior); so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.’ (Ps. 127:1-5)
There it is friends, short but sweet and informative! And the scholars explain it very well. They say: ‘The principle of this psalm is that all human efforts are in vain unless they have God’s blessing. This principle is applied to four areas: building a house (vs. 1a), guarding a city (vs. 1b), working long hours (vs. 2), and having children (vs. 3-5). It is possible to accomplish all of these things without God’s blessing, but it is not possible to accomplish them purposefully and with eternal value without God’s blessing. The psalm includes, incidentally, two practical reasons for having children: they bring you joy and they protect you (vs.5).’
And that’s certainly two good reasons for having children, although, unfortunately, in these tragic times, many children don’t bring their parents joy, or protect them. Instead they make their lives a living hell with their devilish, diabolical scenarios, and sometimes even fight them, both physically and emotionally. In the last little while there’s even been an upsurge in children killing their parents.
These are indeed sad times, so much so that many couples don’t want children because they find them a hindrance and a burden they are not willing to bear. Thus negating the words of God when He created man and woman. The Bible tells us, ‘And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth…’ (Gen. 1:28) And obviously there are all sorts of contention about those words, between religions, denominations, sects, etc. etc. But one thing is abundantly clear, if we don’t have children, the human race will eventually die out, become like the dodo bird; that’s extinct.
But getting back to the original scenario, that’s doing things purposefully and with lasting values without God’s blessing. It’s oh so true. Doing stuff in this world is not easy, never was, and never will be, and to have the energy, courage, peace of mind and all the other things necessary to do stuff like build a house, work successfully at a job and have a LOVING family requires the strong and solid input of Almighty God. Otherwise, we’ll be plagued with setbacks and problems that will produce so much doubt and worry, that we won’t be able to accomplish our goal(s).
Yes friends, without the Lord’s involvement in our plans, they will all be futile. So, working yourself to the bone to amass earthly wealth is not advisable because more likely than not you will eventually get sick and drop down, or miss the growth of your children, lose your spouse through neglect and end up alone, broken and lonely. And I believe these words of Cousin Sol’s from Ecclesiastes, where he talks about rejoicing in your labour, cover the whole situation very nicely.
He writes: ‘Behold, that which I have seen: it is good and comely (fitting) for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour (his toil) that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion (heritage). Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion (receive his heritage), and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.’ (Eccl. 5:18-20)
And do I ever like that last statement, because it’s exactly where God answers us: in the joy of our hearts. When we do His will, He gives us heartfelt joy! And what could be better than that eh? Nothing! All the trials and tribulations of the world fade away when the joy of God fills our hearts. And as the scholars say: ‘Enjoyment is a gift of God, and man should be motivated by the brevity of his own life to experience it.’ Yes, my fellow believers, it’s a tough world to live and labour in, but when we do it in God’s name and faithfulness, then we don’t particularly notice the difficulties, because with God in our lives, they are minimized and soon forgotten.
Therefore it only makes sense not to ty to do anything in this world without God’s help. Consequently, let’s go to Him right now, through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help in these ungodly and turbulent times. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land.
We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And it’s somewhat amusing to note that the answer to our problems begin with words from our own prayer, meaning we will see divine help when we begin setting a good Christian example for the unbelievers around us. Nuff said! Much LOVE!
…without God in our lives…all we do is vain and futile…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
26 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, all things work together for good, carnal state, cleanse your hands ye sinners, every tongue that rises against you shall be condemned, face the trials of life with certainty, faith, Friday chant, FRiday Chant., friendship with the world is enmity with God, giveth grace to the humble, God resisteth the proud, holy spirit, humble yourselves in the sight of God, if god be for us who can be against us, in all these things we are more than conquerors, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, no condemnation to them which are in Christ, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, omnipotent help, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, simmering unrest in our land, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that ye may consume it upon your lusts, that's life, the error of their ways, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the one who can kill both body and soul, to be carnally minded is death, to be spiritually minded is life and peace, to them who are called according to his purpose, to them who love God, trusting faith, unwavering assurance from God's Word, walk not after the flesh but after the spirit, what shall we then say to these things, wisdom, wise guidance, ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss
Romans 8:31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
And it’s a wet and gloomy Friday in my neighborhood. It’s been raining since yesterday, so there’s not the usual enthusiasm when we proclaim: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ because we have to go out and face the inclement weather for another day. But as the man says: ‘That’s life!’ And anyway with God’s ever-faithful help, His children can stand up to any circumstance that comes against them. And His Word gives us that unwavering assurance. Listen to some wonderful extracts from it.
This first one assures us that ‘No weapon formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) Brother! What an encouraging and inspiring scripture! And what does it really mean eh? It’s simply saying that anyone who desires to do evil against God’s children will utterly fail, despite it sometimes looking like we might be defeated. In other words, God assures us of the victory. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord!’
Now hear these other marvellous assurances from our great God, as Bruh Paul elucidates or explains them in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose… What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?… Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:28, 31, 37)
Yes friends, if we believe and work to God’s will, then everything will work out good for us eventually. And furthermore, if God is on our side, then NOBODY, not a single soul can stand against us, for through His everlasting and powerful LOVE we’re made powerful ourselves, more than conquerors, therefore ‘we can face the trials of life with the certainty that we are not alone. We have a mighty Father who fights for us.’
And that Chapter 8 of Romans is possibly one of the most potent and reassuring chapters of the Bible, because there Bruh Paul lays out our basic state as children of God. He opens it thus: ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:1) Wow! There’s no more condemnation my brethren, if we listen to and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. That’s certainly good and reassuring news.
Then Bruh Paul steadfastly warns us: ‘For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.’ (Rom. 8:6) Yes, if we have our lives dominated by our sinful nature, then death is our due, but if we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, then eternal life and peace will be ours. But unfortunately, too many of us in the body of Christ, too many supposed Christians are still living carnally minded lives; avidly seeking the things of the world, the things that their sinful flesh desires, rather than seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness, which the Holy Spirit guides us to.
No wonder our world and the church is in such a shoddy and evil state! As James so wisely and rightly states: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (fleshly pleasures). Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:3-4) And that’s definitely not wisdom my brethren! Why would you knowingly want to be the enemy of the most potent and powerful force in the universe eh? The one who can kill both your body and soul and condemn them to hellfire and damnation!
So how do we change our thinking and our actions then? James gives us the basic details, when he writes: ‘God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefor to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted (lament) and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:6-10)
Yes my fellow saints, that’s how we come out of the carnal state so many of us are still in. In fact, in whatever state we’re in, it is absolutely necessary to humble ourselves before Almighty God, because He hates the proud, who behave as though they don’t need Him, but the humble, He showers with unwavering grace and mercy. And since, with the sorry state of our world, we definitely need lots of that grace and mercy, let’s go to God right now, through our Friday Chant and seek divine help.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And a part of the answer lies right there in our prayer…by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ Yes friends, if we sincerely desire divine help, then we need to begin the process by setting a good Christian example to those around us. Much LOVE!
…if you’re a true believer in Christ…then you will be concerned…but not overly worried or anxious about anything…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, according to your faith be it done unto you, an element of doubt, be careful for nothing, bear your everyday burdens, believe ye that I am able, Bible, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, christianity, crying out for help, embrace your love and compassion, faith, Friday chant, grin and bear it, holy spirit, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in everything, Jesus Christ, keep fighting the good fight, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, omnipotent help, Peace i leave with you, prayer, simmering discontent, spiritual war, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the peace of God which passeth all understading, trust and confidence in Christ's ability, trusting faith, unexpected storms, wise guidance
Matthew 9:29. According to your faith be it unto you.
And then it was a cold, cloudy Friday, but there were still shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ I guess we don’t much care what kind of weather we have on a Friday, because it means that the weekend is here and we can do whatever we want. No more of the getting up early, carting the children to the baby-sitter or to school, then facing the rush hour traffic jam to and from work. What a terrible grind our work week can be, especially if you have young children and you’re living far from work. But that’s just the way the society is set up, and you have to grin and bear it, and make it work somehow for you.
I certainly remember the days, some forty odd years ago, carting my eldest daughter to the baby sitter and picking her up again every night. And that was long before you had all the helpful amenities, you now have. (smile) But that’s exactly why you need Jesus in your life! He helps you bear the tough burdens of everyday life, with a modicum of peace and circumspection. With Jesus running the show, you’re never as worried and frazzled as you are without Him. And these two promises of His are very important in our everyday lives. We know them fairly well, but we just can’t seem to put them into action, so that our pain can be eased.
The first one says: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And yes, it’s very easy to say the words, and even believe them, but it’s not as easy to put them into serious action, especially in today’s crazy and volatile world, for there’s always an element of doubt, or some niggling circumstance that gets in the way. But we just have to hang in there and do the best we can, not give up, and keep fighting the good fight with Jesus.
Then there’s this other promise along the same lines. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Ah friends, although we might know deep down that Jesus has overcome the world by dying and being resurrected, therefore defeating Satan, hell, death and the grave, it’s indeed difficult to be peaceful and of good cheer when all the problems of the world seem like they are tumbling down around you. And to further help us in our earthly battle, we need to take Bruh Paul’s advice to the Philippians.
He writes: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) Yes my brethren, that is the basic pattern our lives must follow if we are to experience some sense of peace and comfort in our daily lives. Prayer with thanksgiving is oh so essential. And we know that giving thanks under some of the situations we face is extremely difficult, and sometimes we even feel it impossible. However, that’s the only way to get what Bruh Paul promised. ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7)
Now those aren’t easy scriptures to live by; not to worry about anything, but to pray constantly and give thanks even in untenable situations. But do it we must, by writing them indelibly in our hearts, minds and souls, then asking the Holy Spirit for His help to action them. That’s one of His many purposes in our lives; help to live the life Christ desires of us. But there again, we need to sincerely engage the Holy Spirit’s help, and then listen to what he says. And that’s where we’re not as obedient as we ought to.
With all the many distractions and voices flurrying around in our minds, we ofttimes miss the still, soft voice of the Holy Spirit, especially when our decision is contrary to His. And the devil just LOVES to get into our brain, our minds, where spiritual war is constantly being waged, and disrupt the peace and joy we are fighting to attain. And that’s where our levels of faith and trust in Jesus come in. It’s like Jesus’ interaction with two blind men who followed Him, ‘crying and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.’ (Matt. 9:27-29)
Now that last sentence is the answer to many of our problems. Yes friends, it’s according to our trust and confidence in Christ’s ability to do whatever we ask Him, that we will see positive outcomes. It’s our faith, not God’s, that determines our outcomes in life. It has everything to do with what we truly believe. And for those of us who truly believe in the omnipotent power of Christ, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help to handle our many earthly problems.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we expect to see divine help, then we need to do what we said in our prayer, that’s stand strong and steadfast as best we can, and also set a good example as faithful believers. Much LOVE!
… the size of our problems that Jesus can solve…depends on the size of our faith in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, chaos, Christmas, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, disaster, divine help, embrace your love and compassion, Friday chant, good and acceptable in the sight of the Lord, in all goodness and honesty, incompetent and corrupt leaders, Jesus -the reason for the season, Jesus Christ, lead a peaceable and quiet life, LOVE, man's inhumanity to man, mercy, omnipotent help, one God, one mediator between God and men: Jesus Christ, prayer, prayer be made for all men, respect for governmental authority, stand strong and steadfast, strife, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the Prince of Peace, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee
1 Timothy 2:8. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
And you have to block your ears for all the voices around the world shouting, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The Friday of Christmas weekend!’ Yes friends, it’s going to be a marvellous time, with celebrations galore! Sadly though, there will be many places that won’t have any celebrations because of the serious strife and chaos existing in those places…too many places my people! The birth of Jesus ought to be celebrated all over the world with very few, if any, exceptions. But it’s certainly not going to be like that this year, for, unfortunately, this year will mark the most places without Christmas celebrations, because it’s the year, outside of the years of the two world wars, that we’ve had the most strife, disaster and chaos ever in our world. How ghastly!
There’s so much unnecessary strife and suffering on the earth at a time when we should all be celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace. But there’s not much that most of us can do about it,, except celebrate with a modicum of circumspection, and pray for those who are experiencing the unfortunate miseries of man’s inhumanity to man. Pray, that the Lord in His awesome wisdom and mercy will soon bring most, if not all, of those inhumane activities to a peaceful end, for He’s the ONLY One who has the power and wisdom to mitigate those tragic circumstances.
And what a weekend this will be, with many people taking today off from work and not having to return until next Wednesday, making it a truly long weekend. (smile) But whatever the length of our weekend, please, let’s remember that it’s come about all because of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Let’s try and keep that fact uppermost in our minds, as we rush around to finish our Christmas shopping and the many other preparations we plan to accomplish before the big day on Monday.
Yes, you might be tired hearing me say that Jesus is the reason for the season, but it’s ever so necessary to reinforce that fact because the commercial and ungodly world is fast forgetting it, and so it’s up to us faithful believers to keep reminding them of it, or else in another few years it’s totally possible that no one will remember the real reason behind the celebrations of Christmas, and consider it just another holiday period. Amen! End of Sermon! (smile)
And friends, I’m not only smiling, but also chuckling,. Why? Because we were just talking about prayer, and as I opened the Good Library, it miraculously opened unto the first Book of Timothy, where Bruh Paul exhorts him to prayer. Now is that a coincidence or what? (smile) It might be, but I’d prefer to look upon it as a moment of divine guidance. And if that’s true, then we’ve got to engage in that particular scripture. So please read with me, Bruh Paul’s instructions to Timothy on the subject of prayer.
‘I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayer, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority (a prominent position); that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all goodness and honesty (reverence). For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not:) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity (truth). I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim. 2:1-8)
Oh my fellow saints, those exhortations of Bruh Paul are ever so important if we truly desire to live a peaceful and reverent life. We need to pray for all of our leaders, from those in the lowest to the highest positions. And the scholars offer some good explanations on the passage. ‘A quiet and peaceful life: The word quiet means “not troubled from without”, that is, intercessory prayer enables good government to ensure that its citizens are not troubled by enemies or forces outside its borders. “Peaceable” means “not troubled from within”, that is, the church’s prayer also aids competent government in maintaining law and order within its own borders.’
And if that is truly so friends, then it’s obvious that we have not been praying, or not praying enough for our leaders because there’s lots of strife and violence both outside and within our borders. And the scholars further explain: ‘The translation godliness and honesty is unfortunate, for the exercise of these virtues is not dependent on good government; they can be cultivated even in poor political management and persecution. The text should read, “That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life with the utmost reverence and respect.” This respect is for governmental authority. Respect can best be realized when rulers are competent and rightly discharging their duties. Otherwise, it is difficult to respect rulers when they are incompetent and unjust.’
Now, is that ever saying something, for there is absolutely no respect for most of our leaders these days because so many of them are incompetent, unjust and also corrupt! I don’t believe I’ve ever seen so many incompetent and corrupt leaders as we have today. And sadly, that’s an avowed fact all over the world. But yuh know what, as Bruh Paul says, prayer is ever so important, and it’s also our biggest privilege, as well as our chief method of communication with our heavenly Father. So please, let’s use it wisely nuh, by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant and laying it all out to the ONLY One who can help us turn things around.
As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And as our prayer implies, if we want divine help, then we first have to set a good example of being faithful believers. It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…three of the most important things in a believer’s life…prayer…prayer…and more prayer…because prayer is basically communicating with our heavenly Father…and we can never have too much of that…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
01 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, before many witnesses, bring backsliders back to your fold, Christmas Season, coveted after money, crying out for help, divine help, erred from the faith, faith, fight the good fight of faith, first consider the consequences of our actions, Friday chant, FRiday Chant., godliness, hindsight is 20/20, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the reason for the season, keep Christ in Christmas, lay hold on eternal life, LOVE, material treasures, meekness, more than you sow and later than you sow, obedience to god, omnipotent help, our sinful world, pateince, professed a good profession, righteousness, shun the love of money, simmering unrest, spirutal treasures, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the daily struggle of life, the error of their ways, the LOVE of money, the root of all evil, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake u and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, you reap what you sow
1 Timothy 6:10. For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil;
Well friends, we might be shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ on this first day of December 2023, but it’s not such a good day, because it’s wet and cloudy and miserable. It seems to be the kind of weather that just gets inside your soul and irritates it no end. (smile) However, many of us don’t care, because it’s Friday and the end of the work week, and we have all sorts of plans for the upcoming weekend as the Christmas Season gets into full swing. And is it ever a busy season; shopping for gifts for the friends and family, decorating the house and the yard, baking and cooking, the numerous things we do to get ready for Christmas.
But friends, allow me to include one word of caution; please, let’s remember the reason for the season, the birth of Christ! That’s why there’s a Christmas or holiday or whatever season you want to call it. We celebrate the incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and though it’s good to have all the worldly hoopla, we must not forget what brings us the joy, and focus on Jesus more than on the things the world considers important. It’s sad, but every year, less and less people are focusing on Jesus being the reason for Christmas and more on the holiday spirit, the shopping and decorating, baking and cooking, as the world exerts more ungodly influence over the traditional Christmas season.
But as true believers, let’s not allow Christ to be taken from Christmas, but to be more firmly planted and rooted there, as He ought to be! End of Sermon! (smile) And as I was going to ask what’s on the agenda for today, I opened the Bible and where do you think it opened to? These everlasting wise, interesting and encouraging words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil; which some have coveted after (for which some in their greediness), they have erred (strayed) from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim. 6:10)
And unfortunately, too many of us have done just that! But let’s get one thing straight, the LOVE of money is not the only source or root of evil, there are many others, but the LOVE of money is a prime one. For as Bruh Paul says above there, many have coveted after money, ‘striven after’ money as the goal of life, and have ended up in sorrows, in ruin, physically, spiritually and financially. And there’s no season like this Christmas one where money is ever so important, because if you don’t have it you can’t buy the things you believe you need.
Thus many of us without the hard cash to purchase what we want, go out and splurge on our Credit Cards during this time, but when the bills start coming in in January, we hold our heads and bawl: ‘Woe is me! Where am I going to get the money to pay all these bills? I shouldn’t have bought all that stuff on Credit!’ That’s for sure! But please remember that hindsight has 20-20 vision. However, then it’s too late to do anything about our mistakes. What we need more desperately than anything else is foresight, where we sit and consider the consequences of our actions before me make them.
For, as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) God rest his departed soul, liked to say: ‘You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.’ Yes mih bredrin, at some stage of the game, all the chickens will come home to roost, and if you haven’t prepared properly for them, you won’t be able to handle them. And it’s all about first considering the consequences of our actions, for every action has a consequence. Just like those who strive after money and material wealth end up in sorrow away from the church, all our ungodly and unwise actions have consequences that drive us to our knees…and sometimes even to the madhouse.
That’s why we need to listen to these further words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and has professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12)
Oh my fellow saints, that’s the kind of stuff we all need to follow. Shun the LOVE of money and striving for material wealth with all its consequential troubles. And instead pursue things like righteousness or practical correctness, as the scholars tell us: ‘Conforming to God’s will in one’s thinking and acting. While godliness is proper reverence for, and obedience to God. And faith is a trust in God that grows stronger with each passing day. LOVE is a maturing affection for God and man. Patience is perseverance or steadfastness in life and service. Meekness is gentleness.’
Yes my people, those are the things we need to help us fight the good fight of faith; the daily struggle of life, bombarded by sin and ungodly distractions at every turn, plus the adversity we all go through at one time or another. The scholars tell us: ‘A genuine believer demonstrates the reality of his faith by being engaged in this warfare.’ And that’s exactly what we need to do; put on the armour of God and daily fight the good fight of faith. Remember we cannot fight successfully without armour, and spiritual warfare without the spiritual armour of God. (Eph. 6:10-18)
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help to do all the things we’ve just spoken about. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And to get the ball rolling, we need to do exactly what we just expressed: be a good example of faithful believers. That’s the ONLY way divine help will come! Much LOVE!
…you can’t take your material treasures to heaven…only the spiritual ones…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
17 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, all good things end sometime, assured faith in Christ, be of good cheer, be strong and steadfast in our faith, by the example we set, faith, faith only grows through suffering, Friday chant, God is faithful, He is faithful that promised, holy spirit, i have overcome the world, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the only one we can totally trust, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, live the abundant life Jesus died for us to have, LOVE, make a way to escape, nothing good or bad lasts forever, omnipotent help, our sins could be forgiven, Praise the Lamb that was slain, restoring faith in you, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Christian life is tough, truth, with the temptation
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast to the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).
Well, the beautiful sunny days look like they have ended on this last day of the work week, as we shout: TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes, friends, it cloudy and windy and the presence of some kind of precipitation is in the air. But as we know, all good things must end sometime or the other, no good nor bad thing lasts forever. That’s why we have such strong belief and faith in Christ Jesus, because He has promised to be always with us in our every circumstance, and to eventually work them all out for out good! And the Good Book tells us that He who promises is faithful to deliver on His promises.
Wow! That’s why the author of the Book of Hebrews so candidly laid it out for us, when he wrote: ‘Let us hold fast to the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).’ (Heb. 10:23) Yes my people, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is indeed faithful to His every promise, He has never reneged, and will never renege on even one! That’s why we need to be strong and steadfast in our faith and hope in Him, for He is the ONLY ONE in whom we can put our total trust, and surrender our entire being to. Praise His holy name you faithful saints! Praise the Lamb that was slain so that we could be forgiven of our abominable sins! May He reign in glory for ever and ever! Amen!
Ah mih bredrin, the Christian life is tough, for it’s not easy to have strong and steadfast faith in Christ and then grow more faithful and righteous like Him every day, because that’s what discipleship calls for, and it’s what the Father expects of us. And the sad part of it all is that we only grow in faith through suffering and hardship, through trials and tribulation. That means to be a lifelong believer, you will always be faced by some problem or the other. Life will NEVER be clear sailing all the time, in due course, inclement weather will undoubtedly arrive at your doorstep. And only when we have that assured faith in Christ, will we ever be able to handle it.
The truth of the matter is that the more problems you encounter, the more your faith grows and the easier it gets the next time around. And I know that’s no consolation, but it’s the truth! (smile) But these encouraging words of Jesus do make things a tad easier. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Yes my fellow saints, Jesus has indeed overcome the world, by defeating hell, death and the grave and rising on the third day, and thus has also given all believers the victory. We now just have to endure the tough times this world has to offer, and to assist us in that endeavour, He’s generously given us His Holy Spirit to be our Guide, Comforter, Helper and Reminder of His truth, so that we can live the abundant life that He died for us to have, beginning right here on earth.
Give Almighty God the praise for all He’s had Jesus do on our behalf! That’s why Bruh Paul in his first letter to the church at Corinth, could write thus: ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor. 1:9) And later in that same letter, he wrote these words of encouragement: ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13)
The problem with that verse though is too many of us focus on the word ‘escape.’ However, in the Lord’s vocabulary, ‘escape’ doesn’t always mean literal escape. Many times it means, enabling us to go through the tough circumstances, not bypassing them completely. Yes, sometimes, God will allow us to escape certain things completely, but more often than not, He will give us the strength and the wherewithal to bear the temptations, because in doing so we will grow and mature in our faith, and that’s His plan for each and every one of His born again children.
And since we’re not doing as well as we ought to in these difficult and ungodly times, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, and ask for divine help to do better. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land.
We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And my fellow saints, I’m sure the Lord sometimes chuckles when He hears our prayers for help, prayers which include the very thing(s) we need to do to get it. Like above there where we say: ‘And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ Now that’s exactly what we need to get divine help, set a better example than we’re currently doing! Much LOVE!
…faithful is he that calleth you…who also will do it… (1 Thess. 5:24)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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