03 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a double -minded man, a false ring, a woman's question, all up in arms, Anselm, ask of God, aspires to inspire us, blessed, conscience, controlling factor, depart from evil, devious, don't lie, doubting, earthly wealth, Eureka moment, evil deed, fear, fearing God, fools despise wisdom and instruction, generous present, get in hot water, glorifying God, glory hallelujah, godly purposes, gospel truth, incriminating questions, lack wisdom, liberally, lies, lying, one more day, ores, our heavenly Father, precious metals, reverential awe, riotous living, suspicions, the beginning of knowledge, the fear of the Lord, the gift of God, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the place of understanding, the sufferer, trust, truth, understanding, unstable, untruth, wavering, wiles, wisdom, without reproach
Proverbs 1:7. The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
One more day friends, one more day! Glory Hallelujah! Yes, we’ve been granted, blessed with life to enjoy another day on God’s great earth! It’s a generous present from our heavenly Father, so we ought to be grateful and use it wisely, following whatever plan He has designed for our lives.
It’s not to be used in riotous living or perpetrating dark, evil deeds, but for good and godly purposes, whereby our Father can be glorified. Remember, glorifying God is one of our most important jobs down here one earth. In fact, everything we do or say should in some way add to His glorification.
And having gotten that straight, since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to some quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this week, Anselm seems to have been rather preoccupied with lies and lying, for all the quotes dealt with some aspect of untruth.
Here is the first one: ‘A person who says they will never lie to you is probably lying already.’ And does that ever ring true! For if anyone has to convince us that they are telling the truth, then it adds a sort of false ring to their words and quickly raises our suspicions.
The second quote says: ‘Never lie to someone who trusts you. Never trust someone who lies to you.’ Now that is excellent advice, for trust is very hard to come by, but can very easily be lost!
But here is my favourite quote of Anselm’s for this week. ‘Never lie to a woman’s question. Sometimes she already knows the answer. That’s why she is asking.’
Ah mih male breddren, that is something for us to truly sit and ponder, since women can be so devious when they are ready. And you women reading this, please don’t get all up in arms, because that is the gospel truth! (smile) They’ll often ask an incriminating question, to which they already know the answer, just to see our response, to see if they can catch us lying.
Ah Lord eh! The wiles that we use against each other! Seriously though my people, lies cause so many problems that we must all try to avoid them as much as possible, rather DON’T LIE AT ALL! That’s what our Saviour and our faith teaches us.
Once upon a time I used to lie, and I think I was pretty good at it, (smile) but eventually I realized that lying caused more problems than it solved, because for every lie you told, you had to make up another one to cover the one before it, and the lies just keep multiplying until you forget whom you’ve told what, and in the long run you get caught out anyway.
So it’s always better to tell the truth, even though it may get you in hot water. And I can certainly remember getting in plenty hot water for telling the truth, (smile) but then your conscience is clear and you don’t have to worry about what you’ve said to whom. Now I never set out to preach a sermon on lying, but we never know where the Holy Spirit will lead us.
And likewise, it lead me unawares to today’s Bit. As I was flipping through the Good Book, looking for something I could get my head around, I suddenly came upon it, and realized right away that that was my Eureka moment. So what does it say? ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ Ah friends, Cousin Sol never spoke truer words!
But before we get into any scriptures that corroborate it, let’s hear from the scholars. ‘1:7. The fear of the Lord means submission to the Lord and His revelation. When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view here. It is a healthy fear, like the fear of electricity or the fear of one’s parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner.
The beginning does not mean that “the fear of the Lord” is left behind in the course of acquiring wisdom, but that it is the controlling principle of wisdom.’
Yes friends, before one can acquire wisdom, one has to have a reverential awe of the Lord because it is through Him that wisdom is dispensed. What did James say on the subject? ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach), and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
Yuh see mih people; wisdom comes from God, but we must have the right awe and respect for Him, and when we ask for it, there must be no doubting in our spirit, else He won’t grant it to us. And we’ll end with some precious words from Job, in chapter 28, re wisdom being the gift of God.
The scholars tell us: ’28:1-28. This chapter is one of the most beautiful poems on wisdom found in the Scriptures. After describing how laboriously man works to extract the ores and precious metals from the earth (vv. 1-11), Job raises the ultimate question of the sufferer. ‘But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?’ (v.12).
It cannot be purchased with earthly wealth (vv.13-19) but is conveyed only through the controlling factor of the fear of the Lord. ‘And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’ (v.28). The concept of the fear of the Lord unites all the wisdom books (cf. Prov.1:7; Eccl.12:13).’
Yes friends, without a healthy respect for the Lord God Jehovah, wisdom will never be ours. So if we’re smart, (smile) we’ll begin developing that healthy respect and awe right now! Much LOVE!
…the first aspect of wisdom…is fearing God…
29 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a glorious deliverer, a marathon race, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abide by Jesus' word, abundance, agonizing, blessings, broken in the name of Jesus, come to pass, courage, creativity, crucified, curse, dangers, dead in our sins, despising the shame, direction, disbelief, divine necessity, divine protection, endured the cross, eternity, family, favour, finisher, fools, foretold, forgiven, friends, fulfillment, future, glory, glory hallelujah, God's LOVE, good and faithful servant, Hades, health, heaven, History, identity, impediments, in innocence, iniquity, Jesus, joy, leader, look to Jesus, looking unto Jesus, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Lucifer, Messiah, mindbending, Moses, negative word, New Testament, obedience, of our faith, Old Testament, open the eyes, originator, our heavenly Father, passe, perfector, promotion, prophets, prosper, radiance, reconciled to the Father, Resurrection day, scriptures, self-control, self-discipline, selfless sacrifice, set down at God's right hand, shame, significance of Jesus, sins of the world, slow of heart, succeed, success, successful living, suffering, supernatural strength, talent, thanks and praise, the author, the Father's will, the road to Emmaus, the SON, the true path, Thursday Blessings, trailblazer, transgressions, ungrateful people, welcome
Hebrews 12:2. Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God.
Well friends, it’s a cloudy morning in my area. The sun is not shining, but thankfully the Son is holding forth as usual in all His wonderful radiance and brilliant glory!
All thanks and praise be to our heavenly Father for giving us Jesus as our Messiah, Leader, Lord and Saviour! Without Him, we’d be certainly dead in our sins, heading for a rough and troubled eternity with Lucifer in Hades.
But thanks to God’s great LOVE and Jesus’ selfless sacrifice, we have been reconciled to the Father and as His beloved children, can now look forward to spending eternity with Him in heaven. Glory Hallelujah!
And on that glorious note, let’s declare out Thursday Blessings, as we remember that a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone. With true belief, sincerity and enthusiasm 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!’
Glory to God my people! We shall be blessed when we go out and come in, when we sit or lie down… in fact in all aspects of our lives our God will cause us to prosper. Wow! Isn’t that something else? It surely is!
That’s why we have to pay serious attention to our Bit. ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’
Yes friends, Jesus was the original trailblazer of our faith. He first ran the race and set all the standards for it. Now we need to adhere to those standards so that we can run the race successfully too. It’s not an easy race to run, for it’s a marathon across hill and dale, rivers and streams, one fraught with all sorts of dangers and impediments.
But thankfully Jesus has blazed the trail, shown us the way, lit the path, and if we sincerely abide by His word, then we too will have success, and one day hear the Father declare: ‘Welcome, thou good and faithful servant!’
Oh what a joyful day that will be my people! But first we have to get serious about looking to Jesus and following in His famous footsteps, otherwise we’re just wasting our time and His.
Now let’s look at a couple of interesting parts of our Bit, the first being, ‘who for the joy that was set before him…’
Now I really don’t see the joy in what Jesus was asked to do by the Father nuh – take the sins of the world on His shoulders, be crucified in innocence to pay for the iniquity and transgressions of ungrateful people.
It was joyful for us, because through His actions our sins were forgiven, but it must surely have been mind-bending and agonizing for Him. However, despite the affliction, His obedience to the Father’s will was perfect.
That brings us to Jesus’ words to the two disciples He met on Resurrection Day along the road to Emmaus. He chided them for their disbelief.
‘Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.’ (Luke 24:25-27)
Oh friends, the Lord didn’t send the prophets because He had nothing better to do, but to open the eyes of the people unto the coming of Jesus and what His purpose was going to be.
Hear the scholars. ’24:26. Ought (Gr. dei) bespeaks a divine necessity; what the prophets had foretold (see Is.53; Ps.16; 22) must and did come to pass. The disciples had been ready to see in Jesus a glorious deliverer, but Jesus’ rebuke (v.25) relates to their unwillingness to take seriously the many Old Testament texts that speak not only of the Messiah’s glory, but also of His suffering.’
And unfortunately, today a lot of us are also refusing to understand the importance of the Old Testament in the formation of the New Testament. But the scholars kindly inform us: ‘24:27. The entire Old Testament is indispensable for a grounded grasp of the identity and significance of Jesus.’
That is friends, if we don’t understand Jesus’ role and significance in the Old Testament; His appearances, His status, His doings and the prophesies about Him, we won’t be fully able to comprehend His form and function in the New Testament.
Therefore, please, let’s stop considering the Old Testament as passé, because it isn’t. It’s just as important as the New Testament in that it expounds the nature of our faith; it’s beginnings, its ups and downs, its promises, and above all the great message about our Messiah.
So today, as Almighty God blesses us, and as we bless others, let’s remember where we came from – the Old Testament – because if we don’t know our history and recognize it as being important, we surely won’t know our future; where we’re going, the direction in which we’re headed and how to handle it. Much LOVE!
…only as we look to Jesus…will we see the true path to successful living…
24 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a perfect man, alive and kicking, answer for our words, bad, beam at a moment's notice, blessed ones, cautious speech, childlike faith, Christian life, cloudy day, death, depth of understanding, dreams, eat good fruit, enthusiasm, Father of all grace and mercy, forbid them not, glad to be alive, Glory Hallelujah1, good, grace, great day to be alive, greet a new day, guards, he that keeps his mouth, hopes, innocence, keepeth his soul, keeps his life, life, life-changing words, listen more, LOVE, love it, major aspects, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, never let a cloudy day ruin your sunshine, none is perfect, not looking back, obits, offend, One More Day Devotional, our heavenly Father, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, perfected praise, personal sunshine, Praise the Lord, repercussions, responsibility, rewards, sense of purpose, shall eat the fruit thereof, simplistic, sincerity, smiles, stumble, suffer the little children, sunshine, thankful, the breath of life, the judgement day, the kingdom of heaven, the power of the tongue, think carefully before we speak, through the eyes of a child, to a glorious future with Jesus, troubling times, trust, understanding, unnecessary trouble, Wednesday Wail, whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, wisdom, words, work for Jesus, zenith
Proverbs 18:21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Oh friends, what a great day it is to be alive! If you’ve read the obits and haven’t seen your name and/or your picture there, then you are one of the blessed ones! (smile)
And everyday we open our eyes and greet a new day, we ought to be immensely thankful to the Father of all grace and mercy for enabling us to partake, to participate in whatever activities He has planned for us.
And believe you me, He does have activities planned for us, that’s why we’re alive and kicking today. So please let’s do whatever we’re called to do today with a true sense of purpose and of responsibility. End of sermon! (smile)
Now let me share a wonderful quote with you – I’m pretty sure I’ve shared it sometime aback, but it is truly worthy of sharing again in the restless and troubling times we’re currently undergoing. It’s taken from my One More Day Devotional – Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness.
It’s the last stanza of a poem written by Amy Michelle Pitzele. And it says: ‘So never let a cloudy day ruin your sunshine, for even if you can’t see it, the sunshine is still there, inside of you, ready to shine when you will let it.’
Words of great truth my brethren. But can you believe that Amy was only nine years old when she wrote the poem? No wonder Jesus quoted Bruh David in Psalm 8:2: ‘Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings (infants) thou hast perfected praise?’ (Matt.21:16)
Yes friends, wisdom is not allotted only to the mature and elderly, but also to the young. As the Devotional says: ‘Life seen through the eyes of a child can be serenely simplistic. Where does a child get that kind of wisdom and that depth of understanding?’ From our heavenly Father of course!
Remember too what Jesus said to His disciples when they were turning away children from coming to Him. ‘Suffer (allow the) little children; and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 19:14). It just goes to show that childlike faith and innocence and trust are major aspects of our Christian life.
And the Devotional also tells us: ‘We can struggle to keep the child in us alive. We, too, can recognize that even when the cloudy days come, the sunshine – our smiles, our hopes, our dreams – is still there, ready to beam at a moment’s notice.’
So friends, regardless of the weather, let’s make sure that the personal sunshine that’s within us, shines today nuh, as we go about doing the work of Jesus. And all God’s children said ‘Praise the Lord!’
Now let’s further ramp up our faith by declaring our Wednesday Wail with plenty enthusiasm and sincerity. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh my people, what a joy it is to feel God’s breath of life flowing through us as we work for Jesus and focus on the wonderful future He has in store for us! It can’t get any better than that my brethren!
However my fellow believers with all of that comes the responsibility and life changing words of our Bit. ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’
That means that whatever we say will have repercussions, and according to the words we speak, those repercussions will either be good or bad, and we’ll have to answer for them come the judgement day. As Cousin Sol so wisely informs us: ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles.’ (Prov.21:23)
Meanwhile, James declares; ‘For in many things we offend all (all stumble). If any man offend not (does not stumble) in word, the same is a perfect man, and also able to bridle the whole body.’ (James 3:2) Unfortunately though friends, none of us is perfect, which means we all stumble and offend to some degree with our words.
But that doesn’t mean we necessarily have to shut up and say nothing, or only utter a few words. It means though that we have to do more listening, and then think carefully before we speak. That’s the only way for us to eat good fruit from our words and not bad ones.
And we’ll close off this topic with more of Cousin Sol’s wisdom. ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (guards) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov.13:3) And isn’t that the gospel truth my people!
As the scholars explain: ’13:3. The reward of cautious speech is fuller life and the avoidance of unnecessary trouble.’
Oh friends, I couldn’t put it any better! Now let’s go out today and earn rewards through our cautious speech nuh, for that’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…words are so powerful…that they are what the Lord used…to create the universe and all therein…
22 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined life, a rod of correction, a saving grace, a soulful song, a welcome decision, Amen, beat with a rod, build a house for my name, chastening, christ jesus, correction, covenant, dangerous, deceitful, deliver his soul from hell, discipline, disobedience, do a good job, enormous proportions, evil intent, fellowship, for Jesus, freedom, Friday chant, fruit of righteousness, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, George Elliston, God's great earth, God's greatest creation, gospel truth, grievous, growth, How beautiful a day can be, I will be his father, in Jesus' name, iniquity, invade our souls, joyful cry, joyous, kindness, leggo beast, looking over our shoulders, mankind, massa, maturity, mental, mercy, our benefit, our heavenly Father, out of thy bowels, peaceable, personal expereince, perspective, physical slavery, punishing, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, righteousness, safely, set up thy seed, sleep with thy fathers, standard, step out of line, sun, tempo, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the children of men, the enemy, the Good Book, the heart of God, the rod of men, the stripes, the working class, they days be fulfilled, to heaven, topsy-turvy, truth, unkindness, up in arms, weekend, when kindness touches it, wisdom, workweek, wreak havoc
Hebrews 12:11. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.
And all over God’s great earth, on this blessed Friday morning in July 2016, the joyful cry of the working class rises like a touching, soulful song to heaven!
‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the workweek is almost over! Thank God that the weekend is upon us, bringing freedom from mental and physical slavery for two big days! We can do whatever we want to do without massa looking over our shoulders! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend!’
Yes friends, it is a viable cry, but we must still be careful about doing what we want over the weekend. We can’t just behave like leggo beast and give the enemy a chance to invade our souls. We need to always be wary of his deceitful tactics to gain entrance to our souls and his evil intent, to wreak havoc there.
Instead, let’s chant our Friday Chant that gives us a better perspective on the use of the weekend. All together 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.’
Ah mih people, the way we handle the weekend sets the tempo and standard for our new workweek. Unless we are fresh and reinvigorated, we won’t be able to do a good job for Jesus when the time comes. So please be careful and handle the next couple of days in appropriate godly fashion. (smile)
Now here’s a beautiful quote attributed to one George Elliston (1883-1946), a female American journalist and editor who bequeathed a large sum of money to the University of Cincinnati to open a chair in poetry. At some stage of her life, she reputedly proclaimed: ‘How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! When kindness touches a day, there’s nothing left but for it to indeed be beautiful, because kindness comes from the heart of God! Oh how our world is dying from unkindness and desperately waiting and desiring to experience much more kindness amongst God’s greatest creation, mankind. And until we achieve that experience, our world will continue to be topsy-turvy, dangerous and deceitful.
But my people, thankfully there’s a saving grace, if you can call it that, displayed in the words of our Bit. ‘Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’
Yes friends, we can count on our heavenly Father to chasten, to discipline us when we step out of line and follow our own devious devices and plans. Oh, I know from personal experience that it’s not a welcome decision, but it seems to be necessary for our eventual growth and maturity in Christ Jesus.
Anyway, there’s not much we can do about it, except try to give the Lord as few instances as possible to chasten and discipline us. Now let’s continue looking at some scriptural examples of how important chastening is to God. And nobody spoke on it more often than Cousin Sol.
Listen to him. ‘Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with a rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.’ (Prov.23:13-14)
Now I know some of you will be up in arms over those statements, but I’m only quoting the Good Book. And as much as you might dislike punishing your children, yuh better believe that God will punish us, like children, for disobedience. Not necessarily with a rod of correction, but in some manner that He deems suitable.
Now hear what the Lord said to Bruh David when He made His covenant with him. ‘And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes (strokes) of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I put away before thee.’ (2 Sam.7:12-15)
Yes friends the Lord was speaking there about the rise of Cousin Sol. And please note the serious warning about chastening for disobedience, because it hasn’t changed one iota since then.
So my fellow believers, in closing, I just want to remind us that although we don’t like chastening by God, because in the short term it seems a bit on the rough side, be assured that in the long run it will be to our benefit. Our God does NOTHING in our lives that’s not for our benefit.
Now let’s go out and see if we can do as little as possible to deserve His chastening, for that’s wisdom of enormous proportions! Much LOVE!
…to walk this earth successfully…a disciplined life is essential…
P.S. I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of this new Outlook setup. Glory Hallelujah! Much LOVE!
21 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great family, a positive effect, a positive outlook on life, a smile costs nothing, abundance, as a man chastens his son, blessed day, blessings, bound, brighten someone's day, broken, chastening, clear direction, commandments, consequences, consequences of disobedience, corporal punishment, courage, creativity, crying, curse, discipline, disobedience, divine protection, enjoy a day, everyone smiles in the same language, face muscles, faith, faithfulness, favour, fearful, foolishness, for the present, frown, fruit, fulfillment, full moon, get us down, glory hallelujah, gnarled branches, God's development programme, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, grace, grievous, grin and bear it, hope, I am blessed, in the heart of a child, in the name of Jesus, Israelites, joyous, loving kindness, magnanimous, magnificent, mercy, Moses, nature, negative stuff, negative word, our heavenly Father, peace, peaceful fruit of righteousness, problems, promotion, prosper, put my hands to, quiet, righteouness, self-control, self-discipline, selfish, smile, spare for his crying, strong will, succeed, success, supernatural strength, talent, the Lord thy god chastens you, the Old Testament, this is the day the Lord has made, Thursday's Blessings, truth, unfriendly, walk in his ways, we will be glad and rejoice in it, wisdom
Hebrews 12:11. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.
Ah mih people, another beautiful day has begun! The Lord in His awesome grace and mercy has decreed that His servants will enjoy another blessed day! Glory Hallelujah!
And in spite of any negative stuff that’s coming against us, God’s children are able to proudly, truthfully and enthusiastically declare: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
Yes friends, it doesn’t make any sense to let our problems get us so down that we can’t enjoy a day in the mercy and LOVING-kindness of our heavenly Father, for He will give us the wherewithal to do it if we sincerely ask Him.
And please don’t think that only the days are beautiful, because the nights are too. This morning at 3.30 I was sitting on my porch enjoying the peace and quiet of nature. I was most surprised when I first sat down, raised my head and saw a big, bright, beautiful full moon shining down on me, through an open space between two gnarled branches of the dying ash tree in my front yard. That’s one of the reasons for my late start this morning. (smile)
Anyhow, here’s a li’l something from a plaque I have in my office. It says: ‘Everyone smiles in the same language.’ And isn’t that the glorious and indisputable truth! It certainly is!
That’s why it’s so hard to understand why we don’t smile at each other more often. In fact we smile at each other much less than we previously did. Today’s world has become so selfish, fearful and unfriendly that we find it difficult to share even a simple, easy thing like a smile, which could brighten someone’s day, and have a positive effect on him or her.
A smile costs nothing my people; just the moving of a few face muscles, and less than a frown to boot. So let’s promises ourselves to do some more smiling at each other nuh, cause it’s a language we all understand and appreciate.
And to help us keep that promise let’s lift up our spirits by declaring our Thursday Blessings, for remember, a blessing’s not a blessing until it’s declared. So as one now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Awright mih breddren, let’s go out and enjoy those blessings now, doing God’s work, smiling and sharing with those less fortunate than us, for that’s what our magnanimous and magnificent God desires of us. But remember also to keep the possible consequences of disobedience in the back of one’s mind, as our Bit informs us.
‘Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’
Ah friends, none of us like to hear those words, chastening, and discipline, much less experience them. (smile) But the fact is they are a big part of our everyday lives; a major aspect of God’s development program. (smile)
‘Hn!’ many of us sadly mutter as we contemplate that statement and some of the chastening that we’ve recently been through, or are currently going through. Unfortunately though my people that’s God’s way, and there’s not much we can do about it, except try to have as few reasons as possible for Him to chasten us.
Now let’s delve into some scriptures that show how important chastening is in God’s world. And we’ll go all the way back to the Old Testament for our first scripture. Here Moses is warning the Israelites about their future behaviour.
‘Thou shalt also consider (know) in thine heart, that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.’ (Deut.8:5-6) It couldn’t be any plainer than that friends.
Now listen to Cousin Sol, who had a lot to say on the subject. ‘Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying (don’t allow yourself to be distracted by his crying).’ (Prov.19:18) Yes my people, too many of us allow our children’s crying to dissuade us when we are chastening them.
More Cousin Sol: ‘Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.’ (Prov.22:15) Hn! And the scholars explain that verse thus: ’22:15. Corporal punishment is necessary for children due to inherent foolishness.’
Now we won’t get into any arguments about that particular scripture here. We’ll close with some words from Ethan the Ezrahite from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David.
‘If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgements; If they break (profane) my statutes, and keep not (obey) my commandments; Then will I visit (attend to) their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my LOVING-kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail (to be false).’ (Ps.89:30-33)
That’s the way it is my people, we just have to learn to grin and bear it. So let’s go out today and smile and be obedient to God’s word, for that is the ultimate test of wisdom. Much LOVE!
… three ways to avoid chastening…obedience…obedience…obedience…
P.S. I want to apologize for a typo I made yesterday. I gave the scripture reference for a Proverb as 13:12; it ought to have been 3:12. Now let’s go and see what games Outlook has to play with me today. They played some yesterday, but not as much as the day before. Ah Lord eh! Much LOVE!
17 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, all are naked and opened, as thou hast believed, belief, bridges the gap between God and man, dr robert h schuller, draw nourishment from, embryonic ideas, faith, glory to God, He sent His word and healed them, I am not worthy, I have not found so great a faith, Jesus, nothing is hiddedn from God's sight, our heavenly Father, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, prayer, prayer is the power, pulls everything together successfully, Roman Centurion, sharper than any twoedged sword, so be it done unto thee, speak the word only, surrender, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the liaison, the light of the Son, the link, the LOVE of Jesus, the motives of our hearts, the umbilical cord, the wind blowing away smoke and chaff, the Word of God is quick, trust, you can run but you can't hide
Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.
Oh friends, oh friends, welcome to another terrific Thursday in the life! All glory be to God for bringing us safely through another dark night of the spirit into the bright light of the sun…
Oh, it might just be shrouded in certain places by dark clouds, but like the Son, it is always shining brightly, except that the light of the Son fires through the dark clouds like the wind blowing away smoke and chaff. Glory be my people!
Now here are some wise and powerful words on the all-important subject of prayer by Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. Please pay close attention.
‘Prayer is the umbilical cord that allows you – with your embryonic ideas – to draw nourishment from a source that you, like an unborn infant, can neither see nor fully know or comprehend – God our heavenly Father! Prayer is the power that pulls everything together successfully.’
Yes my people, that’s why prayer is of such great importance in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ! It is the liaison, the link that bridges the gap between our Creator and us.
So if we want to enjoy good and serious communication with Almighty God, then we have to pray consistently…and pray sincerely too, since the Lord doesn’t merely listen to our words, but even more importantly, considers the motives our hearts.
So without further ado, here are the awesome words of our Bit and the verse after it. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in (hidden from) his sight: but all are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (must give account).’ (Heb.4:12-13)
Yes friends, NOTHING is hidden from the sight of our omnipotent and omniscient God! He sees all and knows all. So as the old saying goes, you can run, but you can’t hide. (smile)
Now here is some info from the scholars on those two verses. ‘4:12-13. For the word of God. The reason given for one’s careful scrutiny of his life involves the reality that God is intently scrutinizing it. His word is quick (living). This word is first in the Greek and is the emphasis.
God’s Word is not old or archaic; it is alive. It is not inept or inactive; it is powerful (active). It reaches into the inner secrets of man’s mind to discern even his thoughts and intents. Likewise, God’s eye sees man as though he were naked, unable to hide behind excuse or pretense.’
There you go my brethren, good reason for many of us to stop trying to hide from our Maker as we so foolishly try to do.
Now let’s check out a few scriptures that prove the truth of our Bit; the awesome power found in the Word of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, beginning with words from Psalm 107 – God’s wonderful works to the children of men.
‘Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.
Oh that men would praise (give thanks to) the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men. And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing (joyful singing).’ (Ps.107:19-22)
Ah mih people, yuh see how our mighty God healed those that cried out to Him? ‘He sent his word, and healed them.’ That just goes to show how powerful the Word of God is, and that we ought to be very thankful for it by offering the sacrifice of praise.
And hear this from Psalm 147 – Great is our God and of great power. ‘He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of wheat. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth swiftly. He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoar frost like ashes.
He casteth forth like morsels (fragments of food): who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters to flow. He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes unto Israel.’ (Ps.147:14-19)
Yes Friends, God’s Word works powerfully in ALL aspects of our lives!
And finally this situation with Jesus and the Roman centurion, who meets Him as He enters Capernaum, and asks for healing for his sick servant at home.
‘And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.’ (Matt.8:7-8)
This admission by the heathen centurion surprised Jesus so much that He declared: ‘Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’ (Matt.8:10)
Yes my brethren, it had to be surprising that a Roman officer had so much faith in the power of Jesus’ Words.
Finally, ‘Jesus said unto the centurion, go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.’ (Matt.8:13)
Ah Friends, it all has to do with faith, with belief, with surrender, with trust and with the LOVE of Jesus. We cannot exist successfully without those elements in our daily lives. Much LOVE!
…be it unto us…as our faith dictates…
05 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a tree planted by the rivers of waters, ambassadors, belly and backbone, blessed are the righteous, blessed is he that readeth, blessings, bounden duty, break the enemy's yoke, brings forth fruit in his season, charles stanley, children of men, commandments, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, darkness, evil, fall by the wayside, followers of Christ, for the time is at hand, formula for success, give God thanks, glory to God, God is ever-faithful, gospel truth, hate, his leaf shall not wither, in the way of sinners, Joshua, keep those things which are written therein, lead a horse to water, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, lusts of the flesh, make thy way prosperous, meditate on God's Word, mercies, miraculous occasion, obey God, our heavenly Father, prosperous, put God's word into action, rebelled against God, rebuked by God, sits in the seat of the scornful, smart money on Jesus, spread God's word all over the world, success, successful, suffered God's wrath, the Birth of Christ, the book of the law, the breath of life, the counsel of the ungodly, the Creator of the universe, the Holy One of Israel, the One and Only True God, the things of the world, they that hear the words of this prophecy, thy Redeemer, unfaithfulness, war, what God promises He will deliver
Revelation 1:3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Oh Friends, what a beautiful Saturday morning to be alive! Glory to God! Just imagine that in a mere three weeks time nuh, we’ll be celebrating that marvelous, miraculous occasion; the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the manger in Bethlehem! Oh how wonderful and ever-LOVING our heavenly Father has been to us!
Please remember to acknowledge Him and give Him thanks every time you open your eyes to a brand new day. That is the least we can do for still enjoying the breath of life and the many new blessing and mercies He has promised to rain down on us every day. And we know that He’s ever-faithful, so whatever He promises, He WILL deliver.
That’s why I can’t understand why so many people refuse to accept Almighty God, the Creator of the universe as the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD, especially after all the wonderful things He’s done over the years for the undeserving children of men. But that’s their loss, and our gain.
However our God is so wonderful that instead of simply letting the unbelievers fall unnoticed by the wayside, He requires us to tell them about Him, spread His word all over the world, and live a life that shows His word in action. That is our job, our bounden duty as believers, as true and loyal followers of Jesus Christ, as His earthly ambassadors.
Unfortunately though, it doesn’t seem as though we are doing such a good job because people are turning away from Jesus in droves and the world is filled with untold evil and darkness and war and hate, all the things He doesn’t stand for.
Now why is that eh mih people? Is it because we are paying too much attention to the things of the world, indulging too much in the foolish lusts of our flesh, plus not having enough belly and backbone to stand up to enemy and his evil cronies?
In addition to all of that, can it also be that we’re not following the wisdom of our Bit, which so boldly proclaims: ‘Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.’
Oh friends, I do believe it’s a combination of all those things. But if we want to be faithful believers we have to break the yoke of the enemy in our lives. And the only true and lasting way to do that is to take our Bit seriously; regularly read the Lord’s word, meditate on it, talk about it and put it into action.
And I didn’t make this up, but it came straight from our God, where He solemnly warned Joshua when he took over leadership of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8)
Oh friends, that is one of the most important verses in the Bible, and if we would only take it to heart, sincerely follow it, then as God has promised, we will be prosperous and successful! What’s so difficult in that to understand eh, especially since it’s been proven many a time down through the ages?
Ah mih breddren, as they say, you can only lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. (smile) Likewise I can only guide us to the Good Book and what it says, I can’t force us to seriously embrace it and put it into action.
Just remember though, that all the smart money has been placed on Jesus, and when the time comes, if you’re not in His pool, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
Now let’s end up this series of messages with some more scriptures that corroborate our Bit. Listen to Isaiah as he talks about Israel’s unfaithfulness being rebuked by God. ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded, obeyed) my commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body) like the gravel (grains of sand) thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’ (Is.48:17-19)
Oh my people, all yuh hear what the Lord said in those two passages. If you obey, you will prosper and succeed. If you don’t, then you’re going to pay a steep price. And that is exactly what happened to the Israelites, several times too. When they obeyed they prospered, but like us, then they believed it was their own work that brought the prosperity and they foolishly rebelled against God and suffered His wrath.
Anyway friends, let’s end with these wise words from Psalm 1 – Blessed are the righteous – which most of us know quite well, but obviously don’t pay sufficient attention to.
‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder by talking to oneself) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3)
There you have it again friends, the formula for success and prosperity in this fallen, sinful world! Now please, I implore us to be wise and use it to the fullest nuh, for that’s what is required of us by our God. Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) keeps saying…the best way to live this life…is to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… and that’s gospel truth…
25 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: agony, Babylon, bounden duty, cell phones, concrete jungle, cried out for solace, declare his glory among the heathen, discomfort, drought, eye candy, fleshly nature, give me the beans, glory hallelujah, glory to God, graven images, great is the Lord, greatly to be praised, grin and bear it, hanging out with Jesus, I am halfway home, I'm glad to be alive, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not looking back, idolatrous society, idolatry, idols, Jeremiah, keep yourselves from idols, little children, LOVE, meditating on god's word, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, our heavenly Father, pain, prosperity, reverential awe, show forth his salvation, sinful stuff, sing unto the Lord, success, technological toys, that too would pass, the breath of life, the gods of the people are idols, the land of graven images, the long and short of the story, the Lord won't give you more than you can bear, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, worship the Lord, worthless things
1 John 5:21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Oh Friends, I don’t know how I’m going to do this nuh, most likely very slowly, but the Bit has to go out come rain, sleet or snow. (smile)
The long and short of the story is that I went into the concrete jungle (Toronto) yesterday, on my birthday, no less, to have a procedure done on my ‘arthritically’ challenged right shoulder.
Now everything went okay, I took the bus and the train like the last time I ventured into the city.There was some pain in the shoulder, but nothing to worry about.
However later on in the night when the local anesthetic had worn off… oh brother, did that shoulder ever give me beans! The good-looking, young, white female doctor that did the procedure did say that I might have some discomfort.
Hn! But this was certainly much more than discomfort. I couldn’t move it to do anything without an agonizing pain coursing through my body. Even at rest the shoulder was still pulsing and throbbing. And when I did go to bed, sometime after 2 a.m….Hn!…it was pure agony.
I just couldn’t find a comfortable place to rest my arm. Every time I thought I’d found one, a couple seconds later, the pain flared up. And believe me Friends, I have a decent pain threshold, but this pain is something else.
I’m chuckling here now, because when I make a mistake, I just back up and type over again, because going up to the mouse to correct it is not a treat. Surprisingly though, I can move my fingers over the keyboard okay, but moving my arm away from my body is another story.
Anyway, when I finally realized the enormity of the situation, I took a pain killer, but it obviously wasn’t enough, because a couple hours later I had to come downstairs and get a couple more, and shortly after five the constant throbbing and pulsing eventually eased up.
But moving my hand was still painful. And believe me, I knew that that too would pass, and that the Lord wouldn’t give me more than I could bare, but it was so agonizing and temperamental that I eventually cried our for solace from our heavenly Father. I guess between Him and the painkillers they finally worked. I couldn’t even walk and allow my arm to swing, I had to keep it anchored to my leg.
Thankfully, the worse seems to be over now, though I still have a hard time moving the old arm. Glory to God! Ohhh! I just went to the mouse and the pain shook me up. But I can only grin and bear it.So you can see the kind of birthday I had. (smile)
Anyway, enough about my problems. It’s Wednesday, that means it’s time for our Wednesday Wail. So let’s wail nuh, enthusiastically and convincingly. All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yeh mih people, in spite of the excruciating pain, I am glad to be alive this Wednesday morning, just looking forward to a glorious future with Jesus. I do hope that you are too, because there’s nothing as rewarding as hanging out with Jesus in this earthly life.
But to do that successfully, we have to do what our Bit says. ‘Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.’ Now that in general is an enormous task, but even more so in our society of plenty eye candy and sinful stuff, that calls out to our fleshly nature.
Here’s how Jeremiah said it in his prophecy against Babylon. ‘A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up; for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon (insane with) their idols.’ (Jer.50:38)
Oh Friends, Jeremiah could have been talking about us, because we are indeed a land of graven images and very insane with our idols. A good example of that is the pedestal on which we’ve put our cell-phones and other new technological toys.
Too many people just can’t operate without them. They have to be constantly checking this and checking that, from one social media site to another. I doubt the Lord is taking very kindly to this explosion of technological idolatry in which we’re currently engaging.
Oh yes, they do have a very useful purpose, but when you can’t do or live without them for even a few minutes, then you are crossing the line.
And we’ll end with some wise words from Bruh David in his psalm of thanksgiving: ‘Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods.
For all the gods of the people are idols (worthless things): but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.’ (1 Chr.16:23-29)
Yes Friends, that is exactly what we need to do in this godless, extremely sinful and idolatrous society we’re currently living in. And unfortunately, until we return to genuinely worshipping Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe, the society will just keep going downhill.
So my fellow believers, let’s ramp up our efforts to stop the idolatry and sinfulness in whatever way we can nuh, for it is our bounden duty to do so, and we haven’t been doing such a good job, that’s partly why it’s as bad as it is. Much LOVE!
…only by seriously meditating on God’s word…and obeying His commandments…can our society return to prosperity and success…
13 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool is counted wise, a fool's voice, a legacy of shame, a man of understanding, advice, bad luck, black magic, blessings, direction, do it all over again, Ecclesiastes, falsehood, fears, fellowship, focus on the weekend, foolish behaviour, foolish things, fools despise wisdom, fools die for for want of wisdom, Friday 13th, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glory, God's honour, gospel truth, he holdeth his peace, in Jesus' name, let us rejoice and be glad, LOVE, love vanity, loving kindness, old wives tales, our heavenly Father, P.S. I Love You, pearls of wisdom, plastic surgsery, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, reverential awe, seek after leasing, shame, shame shall be the legacy of fools, sons of men, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the beginning of wisdom, the fear of the Lord, the fool shall be servant to the wise, the kind of person we become, the multitude of words, the nature of the beast, the wise shall inherit glory, total control, trust in God, turn my glory into shame, worthlessness
Proverbs 3:35. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.
Well Friends, it’s Friday; Friday the 13th to boot… So what? Who believes in those old wives tales and witches manipulations anymore eh? I hope nobody, for a day is a day. It is made by the great God Jehovah and runs like any other day.
So whether Friday falls on the thirteenth or the fourteenth or fifteenth, they are all made so that we can rejoice and be glad in them.
So please lets forget about all the foolishness the enemy tries to put in our heads, about bad luck and otherwise on a day like today, and just enjoy the LOVING-kindness and blessings of our heavenly Father, as we normally do nuh.
It’s amazing though that many who usually shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, the weekend, and it’s time to party down the place,’ are quiet today.
Come on my people, let’s focus on the weekend and what we’re going to do on our two days off rather than some nebulous, unsubstantiated black magic in the offing. And to overcome any dormant fears, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much gusto and confidence.
As one chanter now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, that’s the template for the next few days! Put it to work and we’ll all be fine. And to go along with that, here is an appropriate quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE You ‘ Poster. It says: ‘We can’t do much about our appearance, but we have total control over the kind of person we become.’
And generally speaking that’s true, because with all the plastic surgery and otherwise available today, we can change our appearance a fair amount. But, as for who we become on the inside, that’s totally up to us.
People can give us all sorts of advice and direction, but in the long run it’s totally up to us decide what advice we’re going to take, what direction we’ll go in, and consequently what kind of person we will become.
And hopefully, as believers in Jesus Christ, we will take His wise advice and go in the good and prosperous direction that He points us toward. That brings us to our Bit for today: ‘The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.’
And that’s no lie Friends, for we can see it writ large in our society, and even in our own small area of influence. Shame is cast upon those who insist on doing foolish things. It’s sad, and oftimes wrong, but we can do a million wise and good things, but are remembered for, and tormented by the one mistake or foolish thing we’ve done. But I guess that’s just the nature of the beast.
Anyway, what I want to do today is simply highlight some scripture passages that deal with supposedly foolish behaviour, mainly from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. But we’ll begin with this one from Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God.
Bruh David asks the burning question back then. ‘O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity (worthlessness), and seek after leasing (falsehood)? Selah.’ (Ps.4:2)
Oh Friends, unfortunately that is still a burning question today, for mankind still refuses to give God His appropriate honour and glory, possibly even more so now than back then, because unashamedly we are going a whoring after all sorts of other gods and idols. And that my brethren will undoubted bring us a legacy of shame and nothing else.
Now listen to Cousin Sol. Right at the beginning of Proverbs he proffers this serious warning. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7) Yes Friends, wisdom begins by acknowledging Almighty God and all that He is!
Now hear him in Chapter 10, where he begins contrasting the wise and the foolish ‘The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want (lack) of wisdom.’ (Prov.10:21)
Then in Chapter 11, Cousin Sol declares: ‘He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be the servant to the wise of heart.’ (Prov.11:29) No doubt about that Friends! We see it in our society all the time, where the wise lord it over the unwise.
Now here are a couple of verses from Chapter 12, where Cousin Sol continues his contrasting between the wise and the foolish. ‘The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto (listens to) counsel is wise. A fool’s wrath is presently known (known at once): but a prudent man covereth shame.’ (Prov.12:15-16) Gospel truth that my brethren!
Turning to Ecclesiastes, listen to these pearls of wisdom. ‘For a dream cometh through the multitude of business (effort or activity); and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.’ (Eccl.5:3)
That brings us back to Proverbs, where Cousin Sol declares: ‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov.17:28) No disputing that my people, as we do it all the time!
And we’ll end there for today. Don’t want to give us too much material to consider (smile), but I do hope that these sayings will have an impact on our behaviour, as we read and ponder them in regards to our own life, for I am sure that we all have room for improvement along those lines. Much LOVE!
…I was sometimes wise…but not seldom foolish…
10 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all praise and thanks, all ye lands, bless His name, blessings, canyons, child-like behaviour, children of the Most High God, churlish, City of Toronto, come before his presence with singing, concrete jungle, confrontational, daily commuters, donkey's years, eternal life, glory hallelujah, glory to God, Go station, Go-Bus, He is love, his mercy is everlasting, his truth endureth for ever, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, it feels good to be alive, lazy, like ants, LOVE, loving kindness, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, mercies, mercy, miserable, my neck of the woods, our heavenly Father, our Lord and Saviour, resentful, salvation, Scrip-Bit Friends, scurrying along, serve the Lord with gladness, share His love with the world, shout joyfully unto the Lord, shouting for joy, skyscrapers, sons and daughters of God, stressed out, thanskgiving, the elders in heaven, the Light of our lives, the Lord he is God, The Lord is good, the sheep of his pasture, the things of God, the wisdom of heaven, thou art worthy O lord, thou hast created all things, tired as a dog, to get to and from work, to receive glory honour and power, traffic congestion, Tuesday Mantra, Union Station, walking stick, we are his people, with the help of God, worthwhile action, written indelibly into our souls
Psalm 100:1. Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord all ye lands (all the earth).
Well a hearty good morning to you my Scrip-Bit Friends and family! It’s a somewhat chilly Tuesday morning in my neck of the woods, but that’s the norm for this time of year. And it surely feels good to be alive, especially after inhaling some of that fresh air while doing my garbage man duties. (smile)
Now, before I forget, the ole fella had a thrilling adventure in the goodly city of Toronto yesterday afternoon… well it wasn’t all that thrilling, but it certainly was interesting. I had a medical appointment in the city and through my young daughter’s encouragement, I parked my car at the nearby Go Station and took the Go Bus into the city.
That in itself was a first, and from high up, I noticed a lot of stuff that I never notice while driving in my car. Unfortunately though, after reaching the Bus Terminal I had to walk some four or five blocks to my appointment. But glory to God, between Him, my trusty walking stick and I, we made it without too much trouble. The knees held up admirably!
Oh Friends, Toronto has become the veritable concrete jungle that Bob Marley sang in his song of the same name. All you can see is the sky right above you, as you walk down the streets that resemble canyons between the numerous skyscrapers. And you’d better believe that there are still several buildings in construction around the downtown area. Ah Lord eh, when is it ever going to end?
Then I had to walk back the same distance to Union Station to catch a train home. I haven’t been in that place for literally donkey’s years, (smile) and with its new and refurbished look it was at first somewhat disconcerting. But again, with the help of God and the service people there I found my way to the train on time.
Now that too was another eye-opening experience, since I had never ridden the Go-train on that route before. And it’s amazing what you see when you ride the train; all the undesirable and not-so beautiful backside of the city. I never even knew that there were so many stops along that route either.
And if you think the traffic congestion is bad now, just imagine if the hundreds of cars parked in each Go-station parking lot were also on the road. Mama Mia! But I can now understand what the daily commuters go through; just like little ants scurrying along to get to and from work.
And I left the city early, before the real rush began. Thank the Lord I don’t have to do that kind of commuting nuh! I can now understand too why the society is so stressed out, miserable and confrontational. Doing that sort of thing twice a day, five times a week is no joking matter. And by the time I got back home, I was as tired as a dog.
Anyway, enough about my adventures. (smile) Today is Tuesday, so let’s recite our Tuesday Mantra. All together now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Glory to God my people, for being such a wonderful Deity! And as children of the Most High God Jehovah, we have all His considerable and wonderful blessings and mercies set out before us in new batches each and every day! All praise and thanks be to our incomparable heavenly Father!
Sadly though, I don’t think that we do offer our wonderful and awesome God enough sincere thanks and praise for our blessings, that’s why we’re continuing today with more scripture extolling those facets of our faith. Our Bit from Psalm 100 – A call to praise the Lord – declares it in great fashion. ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord all ye lands (all the earth).’
Now that’s exactly what we ought to be doing my fellow believers! We have so much to be thankful for, especially salvation and eternal life, that we ought to be jumping and shouting for joy, praising and thanking the Light of our lives, our Lord and Saviour, for His endless mercy and LOVING-kindness towards us, when we don’t deserve one iota of it.
But what do we do? Instead we get sour and churlish, miserable and resentful as soon as some little thing doesn’t go our way. Chuh! That’s selfish and child-like behaviour my brethren, definitely not suitable for true followers of, and believers in Jesus Christ!
Oh my people, what we truly ought to be doing as sons and daughters of Almighty God, is what the psalmist lays out as he continues: ‘Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.’ (Ps.100:2)
That is what the elders in heaven are doing; around God’s throne: singing a new song to Christ: ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.’(Rev.4:11)
So Friends, if the heavenly hosts can sing praise and thanks to the Lord, why can’t we earthly beings do it to eh? No good reason whatsoever my people!
And it’s not like we don’t know what we’re to do, but we’re just lazy and uninterested in the things of God, paying more attention to the earthly circumstances of our lives and the unprofitable sleek and shining things of this world.
And though this will make the bit longer than I desired, I believe it’s necessary for us to hear the rest of the psalm. ‘Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps.100:3-5)
Please my people, let’s allow that scripture to be written indelibly into our souls nuh, for it is the gospel truth! And as we ponder upon it today, let’s ask our heavenly Father, who refuses us nothing that’s within His will, to help us put it all into worthwhile action. That my Friends, is the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…praise Him, praise Him…Glory Hallelujah…for He is LOVE…He is LOVE…
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