25 Mar 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a personal relationship with God, assured that God is on the case, clear direction for my life, curse, divine protection, eternal life, everything will work out for good, eyewitnesses of his majesty, faith, favour, get prepared for Jesus' Second Coming, give Christ first place in our lives, give Him thanks and praise, glorify thy Son, I am the Lord, in the end, in whom I am well pleased, looking after our affairs, LOVE, more than an endless existence, my glory will I not give to another, negative word, new mercies and compassions, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, our bounden duty, promotion, reward every man according to his works, self-control, self-discipline, shall come in the glory of his Father, share our blessings generously, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the hour is come, the Messiah, the servant of God, the Son of man, the transfiguration, this is my beloved Son, Thursday Blessings, we are blessed, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, whosoever shall be ashamed of me
Matthew 17:5. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Here we are again people; alive and kicking on another wonderful day in God’s great universe! And all I can say is that we are BLESSED! Most certainly BLESSED to awaken to this day, even though everything’s not going our way. But we are also assured that God is on the case, looking after our affairs, setting it up so that in the end everything will work out for good!
Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my brethren! Let’s give him some thanks and praise nuh, for allowing us to see another day, for all the new mercies and compassions that He’s prepared new just for today! As I said a few days ago, with our God, there’s no stale stuff left over for the next day! No sir! Every day, everything is brand new!
And do we appreciate His wonderful blessings? I certainly hope so. But it’s obvious that many of us still don’t appreciate Him, else we wouldn’t be trying so hard to get rid of Him from our society. And how many times do I have to remind us that He won’t ever allow it eh? He’s the supreme ruler and if it’s one thing He doesn’t play with it’s His glory.
Hear what He says on that subject nuh, through the prophet Isaiah. ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is. 42:8) Here Isaiah is talking about the servant of God (the Messiah) coming to earth to glorify God through His earthly ministry. And though man may, and has most certainly disobeyed God and tried to give His glory to false gods and graven images, from God’s perspective, He, the Lord, the Creator will not allow it to happen.
Oh, He might declare that He is a jealous God, in respect to His covenant with believers, (Ex. 20:5, 34:14) But He is not a selfish God, and He does share His glory with His Son Jesus Christ, who is a member of our Triune Godhead, as so many passages of scripture declare.
Let’s look at a few nuh. Matthew records Jesus words as He foretells His passion (death) thus: ‘For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.’ (Matt. 16:27) Meanwhile, Mark puts it this way. ‘Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’ (Mark 8:38)
Now hear Jesus from John’s gospel, as He speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit. ‘Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of (what is) mine, and shall show (declare) it unto you. All things the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.’ (John 16:13-15)
And some more from John, when Jesus prayed for Himself and His own. ‘These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may also glorify thee: As thou hast given him power (authority) over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self (alongside thee) with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.’ (John 17:1-5)
Oh friends, those are words of extreme importance to us believers. Why, you ask? Because the time had come for Jesus to be glorified on the cross and in the resurrection, and that the salvation and eternal life we so highly cherish, depended directly on Jesus’ glorification. Let’s also remember that ‘Eternal life is more than an endless existence. It is a personal relationship with God.’
And finally, these words from Peter, re Christ’s temporary glorification at the transfiguration. ‘For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.’ (2 Pet. 1:16) Yes friends, Peter, along with James and John, were eyewitnesses at the transfiguration of Christ, when He was revealed in all His glory. (Matt. 17:1-8)
The scholars tell us that ‘This was a foreshadowing of Christ’s coming in power and glory to establish His kingdom. The presence of Moses and Elijah on the mountain represented all those who enter the kingdom by death or translation. The declaration of the Father, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.’ (Matt. 17:5) reinforces Christ’s dominion over His kingdom. Application: Since Christians live expectantly looking forward to the return of Christ, they ought to give Him first place in their lives today, just as He will have in the kingdom. (First Ref. Matt. 17:1-9; Primary Ref. 2 Pet. 1:16; cf. Heb. 9:12.)
Now that makes perfect sense friends. It’s best to give Jesus first place in our lives right here and right now, so we can get accustomed to it, for when He comes in all His glory with His angels, we won’t have any choice. (smile) And it’s now time for us to go home proclaiming our Thursday Blessings. Note, I didn’t say declaring (awright!) because I was afraid of spelling it wrong. (smile) But I did spell it right there.
So as one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
It’s now our bounden duty to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…it’s wise…to get prepared for Jesus’ Second Coming…while we wait and look expectantly for it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: apply our hearts unto wisdom, comapssionate heart, compared with eternity our lives are short, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, curse, deceitful and lying words, earthly wealth, eating of the forbidden fruit, every man walketh in a vain show, faith, favour, gain a heart of wisdom, good health, he heapeth up riches, heaven is the best choice, I may know how frail I am, Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, knoweth not who shall gather them, lay up treasures in heaven, living each day to its fullest, made my days as a handbreadth, make me to know mine end, making financial plans for eternity, man's best state is altogether vanity, negative word, one day at a time, only two options: heaven and hell, our bounden duty, our Guiding Light and Comforter, prosper, rejoice and be glad, Satan's hellhole, seize the day, share blessings generously, succeed, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, teach us to number our days, the brevity of life, the Grim Reaper came calling, the measure of my days, the number of thy days I will fulfill, the parable of the rich fool, Thursday Blessings, time is short, to whom we turn in all circumstances, use it wisely
Psalm 90:12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).
Oh mih bredrin, it’s Thursday, so let’s rejoice and be glad nuh, because our days on God’s great earth have been extended by one! Glory be! Remember way back in time when the Lord brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt, He made them this promise: ‘There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfill.’ (Ex. 23:26)
Yeh, God promised that we will be satisfied with a good, long life, but we can only live that long life one day at a time, which means we have to take each and every day as it comes, and enjoy it as though it’s the last one, for we know not when our time will be up. That brings us to Moses’ prayer in Psalm 90. ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).’ (Ps. 90:12)
And I like how the websitewww.theologyofwork.orgexplains it. ‘Numbering our days means, as the NLT (New Living Translation) indicates, realizing the brevity of life. It means knowing that we only have so many days on this earth, and therefore we want to “seize the day,” living each day to the fullest. When we recognize that we have only so much time on this earth, that truth will help us think rightly about how to spend our time.’
And that is exactly what we need to understand this Thursday morning at the end of October 2020 my people. Our lives are short, compared with eternity and time as seen by God, so we need to enjoy it to the best of our ability, and we can only do that when Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour, our Guiding Light and Comforter. The One we turn to in ALL cases of difficulty or misunderstanding. The One who understands what we’re going through, because He also experienced the trials and tribulation of this earthly life.
Oh friends, Satan can’t do anything much to relieve our suffering in this his supposed world nuh, all he can do is increase that suffering, and eventually catapult us into his hellhole of fire and darkness. So please, let’s not place our misguided trust in him, despite his sweet, deceitful and lying words. And he is smooth and guileful; yuh see how easy he talked Eve into eating of the forbidden fruit. Please, let’s not allow him to do the same to us.
And when we remember Bruh David’s words in Psalm 39 – A prayer for self-understanding – the situation becomes even more critical. (smile) ‘Lord make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity (vapour). Selah. Surely every man walketh in a vain show (as a shadow); surely they are disquieted in vain (make an uproar for nothing): he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.’ (Ps. 39:4-6)
Oh friends, that’s all so true! We spend so much time building earthly wealth, and seeking power and importance, all to what purpose eh? To leave it all behind for others to enjoy, because we can’t take any of it with us. Too many of us behave like the rich fool in Jesus’ parable, (Luke 12:13-21) who was only interested in laying up treasure for himself here on earth. But what happened eh? That same night he made all his grandiose plans was his last day, the Grim Reaper came a-calling.
So precious people, we must not live only for the things of this earth, but also for the things of heaven, be rich towards God, lay up treasures in heaven, for you know not when your time will come. If it comes and you don’t have treasures stored in heaven, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe! (smile) And we’ve said all of that, just to say that our life on earth is fairly short, so we can’t afford to waste it, and our most important task down here is to decide where we will spend eternity, which lasts forever.
And unfortunately, there are only two options available to us: heaven, or hell. And I don’t need to tell us which is the best one – but I will nonetheless. (smile) Heaven is the best choice friends! No doubt about it! So let’s be wise nuh. Knowing that our time here is short, let’s begin laying up treasures in heaven nuh, for that’s where the wise money is headed; that’s where the best benefits and the highest interest rates are to be had, not down here on earth!
Oh my people, it’s time to examine our financial plans for eternity and bring them into line with true wisdom, otherwise we might just end up on the losing side of the equation, which will indeed be an irrevocable tragedy! And for those of us who are already engaged in making financial plans for eternity, let’s go home now declaring (chuh pool!) our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on those who sincerely seek Him, to enable them to do His earthly work.
All together 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 yes, because some of us might forget, (smile) I will remind us that our bounden duty is now to go out and share those blessings just as generously with others as the Lord has shared them with us. Our God is wonderful friends, I don’t see how we can ever turn away from Him nuh! Much LOVE!
…time is short…so let’s use it wisely…
15 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a reflection of that bygone one, between you and your God, bring forth iniquity, compassionate heart, conceive mischief, curse, divine protection, encouraging each other, faithful brethren in Christ, fleshly desires of the evil one, friend and stranger, from henceforth and forever, get back to our roots, grace, greetings, he will not hear you, helping each other, ignorance, in the name of Jesus, know where their bread is buttered, mercy, my spirit that is upon thee, my words, negative word, neither his ear heavy, none calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth, not too late, our bounden duty, our faith in Christ assures us, our sins separate us from God, our society, out of thy seed, out of thy seed's seed, pandemic, Peace and Love, people of god, pride, prosper, receive salvation, refuse to listen, return to the Lord's fold, salutations, sent His Son to die to for us, shall not depart out of thy mouth, show the true colours of Christ, speak lies, step forward, succeed, sufferation, that it cannot hear, that it cannot save, the action of a wise society, the church of Christ, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Lord's hand is not shortened, there will be an eventual end, Thursday Blessings, to turn from our evil ways, tragedy, trust in vanity, unnecessaray deaths, unpredictable year of 2020, we will come out better and stronger, which I have put in thy mouth, while we were yet sinners, worldly passions and desires, your fingers with iniquity, your hands are defiled with blood, your iniquities have separated, your lips have spoken lies, your sins have hid his face from you
Isaiah 59:2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Greetings and salutations, with much peace and LOVE, on this wet and dreary looking Thursday autumn morn my faithful brethren in Christ! Yes, that’s somewhat of a mouthful, (smile) but it comes sincerely from the heart, as we continue this most unpredictable and unexpected year of 2020. And re one of my usual musings, we’ve already reached the midpoint of October which just began the other day. (smile)
Oh boy, although this year has been somewhat topsy-turvy, confusing and rather challenging, it has also passed rather quickly – at least in my humble opinion. That’s possibly because I’m not suffering as much as many people, who can’t find work, food nor money and are having a rather rough time of it all. Ah friends, for those of us who are having it fairly safe and comfortable, it behooves us to try and help the many who are not, who are facing unimaginable tragedy in their lives because of this seemingly unsolvable pandemic.
This is the time when the church of Christ must step up, step forward and show the true colours of our Lord and Saviour. We possibly won’t have a better opportunity than this time to show the world what Christ is really about – in action, not just in words; LOVE and caring for both friend and stranger, grace and mercy, helping each other, praying for each other, sacrificing for each other, welcoming each other, where possible, with open arms, and encouraging each other to stand strong in faith in these turbulent times that seem to have no foreseeable end in sight.
But that’s why we’re believers, our faith in Christ Jesus assures us that there will be an eventual end, and that we will come out good, even stronger on the other side; strong and more faithful than ever! And that’s what we have to try and encourage in all those with whom we come into contact – whether it’s by snail mail, e-mail, text-messaging, telephone or in person – that this Covid -19 business and the societal upheaval in general will not last forever, but if we get back to our roots, get back to the Father and Creator of all; the One who sent His Son to die for us while we were yet strangers and sinners, then our current sorry plight will definitely improve.
But until we do that, we’ll keep on having disastrous times. Hear this scripture from Isaiah on the topic of national corruption and consequent suffering nuh. ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened. That it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood (cause much bloodshed), and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity (empty words), and speak lies; they conceive mischief (trouble, evil), and bring forth iniquity.’ (Is. 59:1-4)
Yeh friends, Isaiah was telling his people that the Lord’s hand was not yet beyond the reach of salvation for their abominable sins, which He laid out in more detail in the ongoing verses of the chapter. However, at the very end of that chapter He made this promise. ‘And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever.’ (Is.20-21)
But yuh know what, even though the Almighty kept His promise, and made it so much easier for us to receive salvation through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ, we have fallen into the same well of evil in which the Israelites found themselves so long ago. Yeh, without a doubt, our current society is a reflection of that bygone one, and even worse than that, since we are purposely trying to turf God out of our society, and blatantly lording our sins and sinful behaviour over Him.
But the Lord God Jehovah is still merciful and graceful and long-suffering, and the same thing He told the Israelites way back then, is what He’s also trying to tell us now: it is not too late to turn from our evil ways, though our sins separate us from His presence. But in our proud, stubborn and know-it-all state, we refuse to listen and persist in our sinful, iniquitous ways. Remember all those times Israel departed from God and the tough circumstances they then found themselves in? Now why would it be any different with us eh?
But the wise thing about Israel is that they eventually remembered where their bread was buttered, woke up and returned to worshipping the Lord…and He took them back with opened arms and healed their land. It’s the same offer He’s making to us today my people; return to my fold and I will forgive and heal you. But no, we seem too proud and haughty, too big for our britches to admit our failure, our wrongdoing and give up our worldly passions and desires. Therefore ‘sufferation’ will continue.
And it’s not so much the Lord’s doing nuh, but mostly our own ignorance and pride. Take a look at the pandemic; the only things we have right now to lessen the slaughter are physical distancing, wearing masks and washing hands, but we refuse to adhere to those simple protocols, while we watch unnecessary deaths consequently proliferate. Is that the action of a wise society? I very much doubt it.
Anyway, enough preaching for today. (smile) People of God, let’s go home now declaring (yeahh!) our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has so magnanimously bestowed on us so that we can perform His blessed work down here on earth. All together now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts:
‘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!’
Now let us go out, or stay in, whichever is safer and more practical, and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…true wisdom…following the guidance of the Holy Spirit…not the lustful, fleshly desires of the evil one…
05 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sad tale, aches and pains, action, an apostle of Jesus Christ, Aristotle, brotherly kindness, by their fruits ye shall know them, calling, care, charity, Christian attributes, Christian faith, cleansed from old sins, come out of the woodwork, come to Jesus, compassion, corruption, diligence, disappoints Jesus, divine power, effort, election, energy, excellence, excellence is not an act but a habit, faith, fall, fiasco, fruits, godliness, going to bed early is for the birds, grace and peace, grow in spiritual maturity, help, help of the Holy Spirit, if these things abound in you, in a world of plenty, knowledge, lead and guide us, life, live fruitful lives, LOVE, lust, our bounden duty, our guidebook, patience, people of excellence, perseverance, practice, promises, repetition, self-control, share our good fortune, Simon Peter, spiritual maturity, stumble, superstar, temperance, the BIBLE, the divine nature, the everlasting kingdom, the Holy Spirit, time, toil, true disciples of Jesus, turning and tossing, unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, virtue, we are what we do repeatedly, ye shall neither be barren
2 Peter 1:8. For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren (useless) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Aye Friends, this going to bed early is truly for the birds yes! Steups! I tried it last night and what a fiasco it turned out to be.
Chuh! I was up almost every hour on the hour, then couldn’t find a comfortable position to go back to sleep, and thus kept turning and tossing.
Then I was finally forced to get up by my aches and pains. It surely seems like they have all come out of the woodwork this morning, and have me doddering around like a real old man. (smile)
Don’t know how people lie in their beds for 8 to 10 hours nuh. I could not even make seven comfortably. After about five, if so much, things begin to go awry with me.
But you know what Friends, I will take those aches and pains any day over the more serious problems that more than half the world has. I at least have a roof over my head, food on my table and a comfortable bed to sleep in, I just can’t spend too much time in it. (smile).
However, a lot of our brothers and sisters around the world, don’t have those luxuries, and may never have them throughout their entire lives. What a sad tale in a world of plenty!
At least I know that as the day goes along and I move around, my aches and pains will gradually diminish, but there are too many unfortunates in this rich world whose lives will never change without help, and it is our bounden duty to help them in whatever way we can.
We have to be people of excellence, of LOVE, care and compassion, as Jesus desires us to be, and share our good fortune with the less fortunate. That’s how people will know that we are true disciples of His.
And while we’re on the subject of excellence, listen to this quote attributed to the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C). It says that ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.’
And that’s very true my people. You just don’t develop excellence overnight; you have to work at it continually. That means that excellence can only be achieved through repetition. And that is why we practice and practice and practice yet again, at the things we want to be excellent in.
Nowadays everybody wants to be a supposed superstar, but unfortunately they don’t want to put in the effort and work necessary to become one. I think it’s the same with our Christian faith. We all want to be mature and righteous and otherwise, but we don’t want to do the things it takes to become such.
Those Christian attributes don’t come overnight nuh mih people. Like everything else, they do take a lot of toil and time, effort and energy, misfortune and suffering. But the beauty of our situation though is that we have the powerful help of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in becoming excellent Christians, provided we’re willing to do what it takes.
No other faith has that divine body continually with them, and I’m sure it disappoints Jesus when we don’t use His Spirit to the max, or in the best ways possible.
Now let’s turn to our guidebook, the Bible, where we have this passage from 2 Peter that exemplifies all that we’ve been speaking about. ‘Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like (the same kind of) precious faith with us through the righteousness of (our) God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this (but also for this very reason), giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance (self-control); and to temperance patience (perseverance); and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (LOVE).
For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren (useless) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.’(2 Pet.1-8)
Yes Friends, we already have everything we need to live fruitful lives, we just have to raise them up and work continuously at them. That’s the only way we can grow in spiritual maturity, which Peter is encouraging us all to do.
And Peter doesn’t stop there, he also shows us the other side of the coin. ‘But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off (is shortsighted), and hath forgotten that he was purged (cleansed) from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (stumble): For so an entrance shall be ministered (supplied) unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ (2 Pet.1:9-11)
There we have it Friends; to become excellent in the knowledge and glory of Christ, we have to work diligently at it. And a large part of becoming mature in Christ is that as we grow, we also put our knowledge, faith, virtue, godliness, brotherly kindness etc. to work.
For we ALL need to remember that our faith, Christianity, is not merely a lot of talking, but even more importantly, plenty, plenty action. So today, as we grow in faith, let’s also grow in our actions nuh, so that others may see our worthwhile fruits and desire to come to Jesus, and get what we have. Much LOVE!
…wherefore…by their fruits ye shall know them… (Matt.7:20)
30 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a special invitation, advocating on our behalf, arrogant, awe, blessed be the Lord, Christ died for us, Deity of all deities, embracing, eternal life, foolish, forgiveness, gather together in God's sanctuary, getting into bed with Lucifer, glorify, glory hallelujah, glory to God, god, God demonstrates His love for us, God loved us, God's great compassion, grace, grasp God's love, gratitude, His only begotten Son, human love, Jehovah, jehovah god, Jethro, LOVE, magnify, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, mercy, Moses, obedience, our bounden duty, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Pharaoh, praise, promting, propitiation for sins, proud, revelling in, reverence, salvation, sing, thanks, thanksgiving, the bells tolling, the Boss, the Lord is greater than all gods, the LOVE of God, the Most High, the things of God, the things of this world, thou art exalted far above all gods, thou Lord art high above all the earth, undeserving children of men, unwise, while we were yet sinners, worship
Psalm 97:9. For thou , Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.
Aye Friends and neighbours! Yuh hear them; the bells tolling sweetly in the distance? Yes, this Sunday morning they are extending a special invitation to all and sundry, to gather together in God’s sanctuary to sing and praise, worship and glorify and magnify Him, for He is a great and wonderful God and is indeed worthy of our awe and reverence, our thanks and our everlasting gratitude. What a mouthful! (smile)
But it’s all true, my people. Our God Jehovah, is a most wonderful Deity; the Deity of all deities!
And John, in his first epistle brings it home to us in these two immortal verses of scripture. ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:9-10)
Oh Friends, if the Lord never did anything else for us in this world, that alone would be more than sufficient! Having our sins washed clean, with the promise of salvation and eternal life with God is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to mankind!
And here are a couple of insights into those verses from the scholars. ‘4:9. To grasp God’s LOVE aright, one must look to how God has demonstrated it. Here John is in total harmony with Paul (Rom.5:8).’
And I might as well spell out that reference, because I know that very few of you will actually go and look it up. (smile) ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates his own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:8) Glory Hallelujah!
And as per ‘4:10. No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’
Yes my brethren, our God is so wonderful that it’s impossible to argue with sentiments of the psalmist in our Bit. ‘For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.’
And why wouldn’t He be eh? He created the universe and all therein, and still controls it from His throne in the high heavens, where our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ sits at his right hand advocating on our behalf.
And all God’s people declared a loud and proud and grateful: ‘Glory to God for His wonderful grace and mercy and forgiveness to the undeserving children of men!’
And that’s exactly why we ought to hold Him in greater esteem, show Him more reverence, LOVE and obedience than we do. Instead of trying to remove Him from our society, we should be promoting, embracing and revelling in His wonderful word and works!
It just goes to show how proud, arrogant, unwise and foolish we are, that the prevalent action nowadays is getting into bed with Lucifer and the evil, easily destroyed and moth eaten things of this world, rather than with Almighty God and the everlasting things of heaven.
Oh Friends, what can Lucifer, a fallen angel, kicked out of heaven when he tried to over throw God, really do for us now eh? Not a blooming thing, but make us lose our salvation and eternal life with Jesus!
Even from olden times it was recognized that Jehovah God was a most powerful and magnanimous deity. Listen to what Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law declared when he visited Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness. ‘And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt (behaved) proudly he was above them.’ (Ex.18:10-11)
Yes Friends, even Jethro, who had been on the sidelines all the time that Moses was doing God’s work in Israel, recognized the power and the majesty of Israel’s God. So why can’t we do the same today eh? Who knows!
Now let’s look at some other scriptures that magnify God to the highest, beginning with Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God. ‘O Come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.’ (Ps.95:1-3) There is absolutely no doubt all that my people!
And finally these words from the psalmist Asaph, from Psalm 83 – A prayer for the destruction of Israel’s enemies. ‘O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind (the whirling dust). As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute (pursue) them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled (ashamed and dismayed) for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish. That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah (Lord), art the Most High over all the earth.’ (Ps.83:13-18)
Oh Friends, that is exactly what our God needs to do in these evil, wicked, treacherous and troubled times, so that mankind can truly know who is the real BOSS!
In the meantime though, let us continue to press on with our own accolades for our heavenly Father, diligently spreading His Word and living sincere lives that reflect it, and thus glorifies Him. That is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…if one doesn’t recognize God’s great LOVE and awesome power…then thou art not one of His children…
18 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a name above all names, adoration, all knees will bow, all tongues confess, atonement for sins, burdens, come to faith, conviction, day of rest, death, devotion, easy yoke, eternal damnation, everlasting separation from God, family togetherness, fellow believers, fellowship, fight the good fight, focused, Garden of Gethsemane, Glory Halleujah, God's awesome wonder, godly week, gratitude, I am known of mine, I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep, I lay down my life for the sheep, Jesus, Jesus christ is Lord, Jesus Love Revolution, Jesus' invitation, Jews, King of Kings, live a life worthy of Jesus, Lord of Lords, loving kindness, mistake, our bounden duty, persevering, praise, propserous, repentance, shepherd, singular purpose, substitutionary death, Sunday, take up the gauntlet, tender loving care, thanksgiving, the depths of hell, the Lord's Day, the Sabbath Day, the scripture be fulfilled, the worse fate man can suffer, there shall be one fold and one shepherd, to die so that we might live, to the glory of the Father, warm the cockles of God's heart, what a wonderful world, win-win situation, worship
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Well here it is again Friends, the first and most important day of the new week; Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the Sabbath, or day of rest, fellowship and family togetherness! And it’s the most important day because it sets the tone and tenor for the remainder of the week. How you set up and use your Sundays, usually determines how your Monday to Saturday will go. That means we have to pay particular attention to what we do on Sunday, if we want to have a focused, persevering, prosperous and godly week.
So let’s begin by going out to church today nuh, joining in worship and praise, adoration, devotion, gratitude and thanksgiving! That will warm the cockles of God’s heart, as well as open up our souls and spirits to His awesome wonder and LOVING-kindness! It’s what we call, in today’s parlance, a win – win situation.
And talking of win- win situations, the best one ever is when Jesus gave His life for us, in atonement for our sins. Some might consider us the big winner in that relationship, but Jesus also won because for His obedience, He was exalted by the Father with a name above all others, as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, the One to whom all knees will eventually bow, and all tongues confess that He is Lord indeed, to the glory of the Father. (Phil.2:9-11)
That brings us to our Bit, the same as the last couple of days: ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’
Oh what a most encouraging statement my people! We all know the LOVE and care that a shepherd shows for His flock, so if Jesus, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, claims to be our shepherd, how can we brook any argument about it eh? We’d be worse than foolish to deny Him that right, and ourselves, His tender LOVING care!
Unfortunately though, a lot of us unwisely do just that, and if we don’t wake up soon and realize our terrible mistake, we will eventually face death, eternal damnation and everlasting separation from our heavenly Father. And let me tell you my brethren, that is the worse fate a human being can ever suffer!
Now listen to Jesus as He continues His discourse on the topic, after our Bit. ‘As the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (Matt.10:15-16)
Oh what a glorious day that was Friends, when Jesus united His two folds, the Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) which includes you and I! His sacrificial, substitutionary death on our behalf fulfilled that promise! And again I ask, why would I, being of sound mind and reason, turn away from Jesus wonderful invitation to come to Him and lay down my heavy burdens, and refuse to be brought under His easy yoke, to bear His light burden? (Matt.11:28 -30)
In light of all that we’ve said and know for a fact, that certainly doesn’t make sense to me. And I just adore these next verses where Jesus expounds on His authority, obedience and closeness to the Father. ‘Therefore doth my Father LOVE me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.’ (Matt.10:17-18)
Oh Glory Hallelujah! Yuh see my fellow believers, that close and beautiful relationship that Jesus has with the Father, is the same kind that we can have with Jesus, and by extension, with the Father too. Wow! So why ‘dis’ Jesus eh, and refuse His LOVING entreaties? That’s nothing but a fool’s wisdom!
Now hear this explanation from the scholars, re those last two verses: ’10:17-18. Jesus does more than predict His crucifixion and resurrection. He also shows that He has the power to lay down His life and take it up again, once more asserting His deity.’
So all those people who believe that Jesus was just a push over for the faithless Jews and cruel, arrogant Romans who crucified Him are totally wrong! In fact, that was the singular purpose for which He came to earth in human form: to die so that we might live!
As He said to the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when the Roman soldiers came to arrest Him. ‘Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me (provide me with) more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scripture be fulfilled, that thus it must be?’ (Matt.26:53-54)
If he hadn’t fulfilled the Father’s plan, then we’d still be lost and gone astray, facing death and eternal separation from our Creator. And though it hurts, breaks my heart, to know the pain He bore on our behalf, I’m glad that He was true to His purpose. Now if only we, His followers could be true to ours… what a wonderful world this would be!
And do we ever need a whole lot of improvement in our troubled and diseased world my brethren! That’s the task that Jesus has set before us – live a life that causes the unbeliever to turn to Him in repentance and conviction, so that they can receive His free offer of salvation and eternal life.
So Friends, are we going to get real serious and sincere about that task this new year and do our best to further Jesus’ LOVE Revolution? I certainly hope so, because if we don’t, our beautiful world will just keep falling further and further into the depths of hell, until there’s no turning back. And what will that do to our children and their children eh? I leave that for each of us to ponder on, then hopefully do the right thing to correct the woeful situation in which our world is floundering right now.
Remember Friends, Jesus is depending on us to help alleviate the sad state of confusion and evil that’s currently reigning. Please, I implore us, to take up the gauntlet and fight the good fight to the death. That’s what a good and true soldier in Christ’s army is expected to do. Much LOVE!
…our bounden duty here on earth…is to live a life worthy of Jesus…so that others may see it…and come to faith in Him…
24 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joyful heart, a mllion miles away, a waste of time, all things work for out good, along our pilgrim's path, ambassadors, be assured, better late than never, blessings of obedience, brimming with confidence, confidence, crux of our problem, earthly pilgrim's path, eternal life, fellowship, forgiving, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God is always beside us, God is faithful, God's mysterious workings, gospel truth, gracious, greatest gift ever bestowed on man, I shout for joy, I will never let go of our hand, in Jesus' name, indisputable, inheritance, Israel, Jacob, Jesus, Jesus Love Revolution, Jesus' sacrifice, joy, joyful, joyful proclamations, labour, lifts our hearts, little by little, LOVE, loving, maganimous and magnificent God, majestic God, massa's slave-like toil, merciful, my heart was exceedingly joyful, no man shall be able to stand against thee, omnipotent god, One Year Book of Bible promises, our bounden duty, our view of circumstances, peaceful, promises of God, promises of Jesus, prosperous, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, rest and recuperate, riding high in our hearts, Romans 8:28, salvation, scriptural education, serve and worship God, source of fodder, sprit of evangelism, tat odds with truth, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the joy of the Lord is our strength, the Lord thy God, the Promised Land, the reality of the situation, the weekend, true believers, truth, undeniable, veritable, walking hand in hand, what seems to be is not always is, wine and roses, wisdom, work diligently
Psalm 47:1-2. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible (awesome); he is a great King over all the earth.
Well Friends, at last we’ve reached the finish line for this workweek’s race… It’s Friday! Glory Hallelujah! And I do hope that we all did our best in this week’s sprint…
And all God’s people joyfully declared: ‘Yes, we did our best! Jesus is proud of us! But nonetheless we must proclaim, TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is upon us! Oh there’s nothing like the weekend to rest and recuperate from massa’s slave-like toil and labour! That’s why we joyfully sing again: TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes!’
Oh Friends, it’s so wonderful to see us so joyful, because Jesus died so that we could enjoy our earthly life, enhanced by salvation and eternal life. And if we don’t enjoy it, especially when surrounded by the two greatest gifts ever granted to man – salvation and eternal life – then we’re just making His death a complete waste of time.
And we definitely don’t want to negate Jesus’ great sacrifice. Therefore, to help us continue in our joyful mode, here is a poem from an old Devotional called the ‘One Year Book of Bible Promises, I recently picked up in a Book Sale at church. It contains a Bible verse of promise for every day of the year, along with some interesting readings.
So expect to hear from it over the next little while. And I must tell you that when my eyes saw it, they lit up large and my heart was exceedingly joyful, because it’s one more source of fodder, of learning and truth that we have to engage us in our scriptural education.
Anyway, enough blather, (smile) here is the poem. It’s simply titled: ‘I Shout for Joy!’ And it says: ‘Sometimes Lord, You seem a million miles away. And then I remember Your unfailing words. “I will NEVER, NEVER, let go of your hand.” Once again I shout for joy, That what seems to be, Is not always what is.’
Oh yes my people, that’s ever so true! Lots of times our view of circumstances are totally at odds with the truth, with the reality of the situation, but at ALL times, we can be assured that our great and wonderful, magnificent and magnanimous, merciful, LOVING, most gracious and forgiving God is ALWAYS beside us, walking hand in hand with us along our pilgrim’s path!
Oh what joy and confidence that brings to our hearts and spirits, my fellow believers! It just lifts our hearts over the proverbial bar, like a high jumper, just brimming with confidence that he can scale the next height in his jump! Yes Friends, that’s what the promises of our eternal, ever-LOVING, omnipotent God does for true believers!
Now it won’t always be wine and roses on our earthly pilgrim’s path – it definitely wasn’t for Jesus – but with Him working mightily in us, we can be assured and confident that ALL things will be eventually worked out in our favour, because that’s exactly what He has promised to do in Romans 8:28.
And my brethren, our majestic God is above everything else, most faithful to His promises!
That’s why we can joyfully declare in our Bit, these words of the sons of Korah from Psalm 47 – God is the King of all the earth. ‘O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible (awesome), he is a great King over all the earth.’
That my brethren, is indisputable, undeniable, veritable gospel truth!
And to enhance those facts, the psalmist joyfully continues: ‘He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he LOVED. Selah.’ (Ps.47:3-4)
Moreover, to corroborate those joyful proclamations, listen to Moses, as way back in the early days of Israel’s journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land, he directs them as to the blessings of obedience to the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
‘Thou shall not be affrighted at (afraid of) them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible (awesome). And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and (by) little: thou mayest not consume (destroy) them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before (against) thee, until thou have destroyed them.’ (Deut.7:21-24)
And as we all know Friends, those promises were all fulfilled, delivered in spades, once the Israelites served and worshipped Jehovah God sincerely. And the same promises apply to us today my people… once we too serve and worship Jehovah God sincerely.
But that’s the unfortunate crux of our problem though in this ungodly and evil day and age; not enough of us are serving and worshipping our great God, despite all the evidence that when we do so, we become peaceful and prosperous.
However, with the promises of Jesus riding high in our hearts, filling us with the spirit of evangelism, we few will continue to work diligently and sincerely to bring about His LOVE Revolution, because that’s wisdom from on high, as well as our bounden duty as His earthly ambassadors!
Now let’s go home chanting our Friday Chant- no I didn’t forget (smile) – fully embracing the wise perspective that it brings. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Much LOVE, my beautiful and joyful people!
and please remember…that the joy of the Lord is your strength… (Neh.8:10)
P.S. Oh Friends, certain circumstances beyond my control kept me up late last night, and consequently I didn’t arise until late this morning. But through the wonderful and mysterious workings of our great God I arose with a joyful heart, otherwise I couldn’t have written such a joyful Bit. (smile) Please excuse its tardiness. But as they say; better late than never! Much LOVE!
22 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham Isaac and Jacob, all things are possible with Jesus, be not afraid, be wise, belief, belief can move mountains, believe, believing, blessed, buried in our souls, comfort, compassion, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, earthly pilgrimage, encourage others to believe, eternal separation from God, faith, faithfulness, faithless, forgiveness, friends, glory hallelujah, God created man in his own image, God's bountiful earth, God's omnipotence, God's purposes, God's word is truth, great to be alive, hardest of hearts, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, into the world, Jesus Christ, Jesus prayed for us, joyful shout, kindness, long and short of the story, LOVE, Lucifer, may be as one, mercy, moment of truth, Most High God, My Lord and my God, omni-presence, omniscience, on the cross, one and only true God, only believe, our bounden duty, pay our sin debt, penny section, power of belief, refused to believe, sacrifice, sanctify, saved, serious trouble, sinless life, spiritual unity, the print of the nails, Thomas' unbelief, truth, understanding, wisdom, wonderful journey with Jesus, words of the apostles
Mark 5:36b. Be not afraid, only believe.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, isn’t it great to be alive, to see another beautiful day on God’s bountiful earth? It certainly is, regardless of all our troubles!
And all God’s people raised a joyful shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! Sing praises to the Most High God, for He is indeed worthy of praise, being such an awesome and magnanimous God!’
And that He most definitely is my brethren. He is just the ‘MOSTEST!’ (smile) The ‘Mostest’ in everything; LOVE, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, wisdom, faithfulness, understanding, compassion, comfort, etc. etc. etc. And we can go on listing the etcs’ forever. Wow!
Oh my people, it never fails to amaze me when I consider the mighty God we serve and worship, for there is none other like Him to be found anywhere in the entire universe!
And that’s why it is so important that ALL His creation believe in Him who created us in His own image; in His Son Jesus Christ who sacrificed His holy and sinless life on the cross to pay our sin debt in full and reconcile us to the Father; and in the Holy Spirit who lives and dwells in us, those who BELIEVE, to guide and comfort us along the oftimes rough and rugged pathway of our earthly pilgrimage.
And consequently, it’s imperative that we do as Jesus so wisely tells us in our Bit: ‘Be not afraid, only BELIEVE!’
And when we do that simple act my brethren, what an awesome change it brings to our lives; peace and mercy, LOVE and compassion, wisdom and understanding, faithfulness and righteousness… if fact all the wonderful attributes of our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Deity are transferred into our souls, thus bringing us into right thinking and living with our Creator, which is basically all He asks of us.
But Friends, the first step of the wonderful journey is always BELIEF; sincere Belief!
Yes, believe that the Holy Trinity is who and what they say they are. For without that strong belief, that strong faith buried in our souls that wonderful journey with Jesus is impossible.
Enough of me though trying to convince you, let’s hear it from Jesus Himself. And the first instance is when Jesus prays for His own. ‘Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.’ (John 17:17-21)
Yes Friends, Jesus is praying there for all like you and I, who believe on the words of the apostles and those who come after them. Imagine that nuh, Jesus prayed for us some two thousand years ago!
And the scholars offer these explanations: ’17:17. Sanctify means to “set apart” or “separate for God’s purposes.”
17:18. Sent me…sent them means the mission of the church, corresponding to that of Christ. Their tasks are alike – in fact, in purpose, and in results, as this prayer shows.
17:21. They…may be one conveys spiritual unity, not organizational unity (cf. 1 Cor.12:13; 2 Cor.1:11; Eph.2:19; 4:3-16; Heb.10:25).’
Please take the time to read those scriptures Friends, I did, and they are all interesting, helpful passages.
Ah mih people, the power of belief, especially belief in Jesus, it is so strong that it can move mountains, and even the hardest of hearts! (smile)
Then we come to that seminal moment of truth, re Thomas’ unbelief. When Jesus rose from the dead and visited His disciples, on the first occasion Thomas was absent. However, when the others told him later on that they had seen the Saviour, he outright refused to believe, saying: ‘Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.’ (John 20:25)
How foolish Friends! But eight days later, Jesus again appeared to the disciples, and this time Thomas was there. And it’s certainly revealing and important how He picked out Thomas and said to him: ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless (unbelieving), but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:27-29)
Yes Friends, those who haven’t seen and yet have believed, like us, are truly blessed! Such is the power of BELIEF!
And the scholars have an interesting note here: ’20:28. Lord…God: These words from Thomas form the climax of John’s gospel and summarize its theme.’
Oh my people, it’s all about BELIEF; belief in the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Now the long and short of the story is, if you believe, you’re blessed and saved; but if you don’t believe, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, you’re in serious trouble, facing eternal separation from Almighty God, the worst thing that can happen to a living soul.
So let’s be wise and believe nuh, it’s as simple as that. And furthermore, after we believe, let’s live a believing life and encourage others to believe, for remember the Father doesn’t want to lose even one single soul to that ole crook Lucifer.
And that’s the final message on belief from Jesus… And I hear the sighs of relief and the clapping of hands from the penny section. (smile)
And now may the Lord bless and keep us, those who believe, and also enable us to go out and help others to believe, for that is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…only believe…all things are possible with Jesus…only believe…
06 Jul 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: batten down the hatches, Friday chant, furthering Jesus' kingdom, glorify God, our bounden duty, renewed and refreshed, rest and relaxation, soul body and mind, TGIF!, the Promised Land, the weekend
Psalm 115:1. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! The eve of two days of freedom, or as close as we’ll ever really get. That’s why everybody’s so happy, and joyfully declaring to each other: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Oh Friends, what would most of us do without the weekend to look forward to eh? And believe me, we have to be very careful, diligent and strong to protect it, because if the greedy, evil politicos and their wealthy evil counterparts get the chance, they will gladly even take those two semi-free days away from us. So let’s batten down the hatches, and prepare to fight tooth and nail for that privilege and many others they are either taking away or planning to take away. Our forefathers’ fought too hard, even giving up their lives for the few measly benefits workers now have. We can’t afford to let the evildoers come and retake them. In the meanwhile though, let’s enjoy the weekend, but with ‘a modicum of circumspection’ as Jeeves would say. And to help us do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much verve and gusto. All together now, as one glorious voice: ‘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 mih people, we have to be circumspect about how we use our days off. The Lord God Jehovah should always be front and centre in our consciousness. And our Bit today certainly highlights that sentiment. ‘Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), and for thy truth’s sake.’ What we have to remember Friends is that we’re made for God’s purpose(s), not Him for ours. Thus, whatever happens in our lives, on earth or in heaven, is supposed to be all for God’s glory, not ours, as so many of us wrongly believe. And the Lord has made it clear on several occasions in His Word, that what He does is not always for us, but because He wants His Name to be glorified and not polluted or profaned. The first good example of that is when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, and he tells them: ‘Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For (because of) my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for (because of) the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee. Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform (fulfill) the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand therefore, that the Lord giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked (stubborn, rebellious) people.’ (Deut.9:4-6) So we see it’s not because the Israelites were so righteous that the Lord brought them out of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, because they were not, but because the inhabitants of the land were wicked and He had to keep His promise to their forefathers. Likewise Friends, many times what He does for us, is not because we’re so righteous either, but to protect His name and image or to keep some promise He’s made. Hear what He says about that through Isaiah: ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is.42:8) Yes mih breddren, the Lord’s very jealous of His name and glory. He has an immaculate image to project and protect, therefore He will not allow anyone to besmirch them. Listen to Him again, this time through Ezekiel: ‘But I wrought (acted) for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted (profaned) before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.’ (Ezek.20:9) Oh my people, that just goes to show what lengths the Lord will go to protect His name and His majestic image. And He further reminded them when He promised the future restoration of Israel: ‘Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel…Then the heathen (nations) that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build (rebuilt) the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.’ (Ezek.36:32,36) Ah Friends, strong words from our God, words that still resonate with us today, since He or His Word changes. Therefore let’s do our best to uphold His righteousness and not to provoke His anger any more than we’re already doing with the sinful, ungodly, wicked lifestyle we’re currently promoting in our society. Remember the last days are on the horizon, and the unrighteous are still many, so let’s do our part in our little area to glorify His name and cut down on the numbers that will be destroyed on that fateful day nuh. It is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!…to help others come to Christ…that’s the believers’ main goal…
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