16 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a servant of Christ, almost all of our unhappiness is the result of, angry, arrogant, at the hands of a just and righteous God, be discouraged, be like minded, be ye followers of me, being of one accord, believers must stop comparing themselves, bitter envying and strife in your hearts, building ourselves up in front of others, but every man also on the interests of others, celebrities, christ is the only one worth comparing ourselves to, climate change, come to know and love him like we do, comparing ourselves to each other, confusion and every evil work, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, demonic, depressed, despising the shame, do I now persuade men or God, do not boast, driving the soicety to its unfortunate end, duty bound, earthly, endured the cross, envy, even as I am also of Christ, faith, fashion ourselves after others, focus on christ, for the joy that was set before him, forgetful of our many blessings, fulfil ye my joy, glory not, good summer weather, greed, having the same love, holding on to envy, holy spirit, hurry, if i pleased men, in god's eyes, in humility, in lowliness of mind, influencers, jealous, Jesus Christ, Leaders, leading, leading people astray, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, let each esteem the other better than themselves, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, lie not against the truth, live in harmony with each other, lock stock and barrel, look not every man on his own things, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, lust, mercy, miserable, no real substance to them, not satisfied with who we are, not try to win approval from others, of one mind, only compare ourselves to Christ, P.S. I Love You, power brokers, proud, salvation, seek to please men, sensual, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, social media, stop wanting to be like those in the upper echelons, strife, suffer the same fate, telling others how to live, the author and finisher of our faith, the beloved of God, the desire for material wealth, the gospel truth, the power of the enemy, the result of comparing ourselves to others, thinking that we're better than others, this ungodly and evil society, this wisdom descendeth not from above, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, undaulterated sin, ungodly, unhappy, utter destruction, value others above yourselves, wanting to be like someone else, where envying and strife is, wisdom, worry
1 Corinthians 11:1. ‘Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of Christ.’
Oh friends, it’s another sunshiny day in mid-September! And I must say that September is treating us very nicely with lots of decent summer weather in a very un-September-like manner. (smile) Yes, usually by mid-September we’re experiencing some cold days, getting us accustomed to the winter weather that’s forthcoming. But not so this year. And are we ever glad and thankful for it, and hope it continues for a while yet. And I guess we have to thank climate change for that blessing. But let’s remember that what we gain one way, we’re likely to lose another, so let’s not go overboard, for soon we might be singing a completely different song. (smile)
And today I want to look at a quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. We haven’t looked at anything from it for a long while. And it’s simply a cardboard poster my young daughter gave me several years ago, with some living truths written on them. Quotes like this one: ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth! It surely is! For in this modern day society, it’s all about comparisons, and wanting to be like somebody else, or have what they have.
We simply are not satisfied to be who we are and grow in that character. It’s like we believe God didn’t know what He was doing when He made all of us different, even unique, so we have to fashion ourselves after others, like celebrities and other leaders and power brokers in our society, figuring that if we look and behave like them, we will become like them and acquire what they have.
What utter rot! Especially when the supposed leaders of this society, the celebrities and influencers have no real substance to them, are two-faced, and their actual lives are truly not worth living, for many of them are miserable, unhappy, depressed and ungodly. They have never even truly lived through the ups and downs of real life but are endeavouring to tell others how to live. They are just leading people, especially the young ones astray, with all the nonsense on social media and the many other platforms available for posting their foolishness.
But the power of the enemy, through strife, greed, envy, lust and the great desire for material wealth is driving the society to its unfortunate end. And unless believers stop comparing themselves to others, and stop wanting to be like those in the upper echelons of this ungodly and evil society, we too will suffer the same fate that they will eventually suffer; that’s utter destruction at the hands of a just and righteous God.
Anyway, the really sad thing about comparing ourselves is that it can either make us angry, jealous and forgetful of all our many blessings, or it can make us proud, arrogant and thinking that we’re better than others. Neither of those outcomes is satisfactory, so let’s park for a minute and check out a few of the many scriptures that dissuade us from comparing ourselves to others.
And this first scripture comes from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians, where he advises then: ‘Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the interests of others.’ (Phil. 2:2-4) And what does all of the mean? Basically to live in harmony with each other, and in humility, value others above yourselves, while paying serious attention to your own work, but also taking an interest in the work of others.
Then there’s this scripture from James, that hits right to the heart of the matter. ‘But if ye have bitter envying and strife (self-seeking) in your hearts, glory not (do not boast), and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish (demonic). For where envying and strife is (self-seeking exist), there is confusion and every evil work.’ (James 3:14-16) Yes friends, holding on to envy, and trying to build ourselves up in front of others is nothing but unadulterated sin.
And I like this verse from Bruh Paul to the Galatians: ‘For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.’ (Gal. 1:10) And that my people is the indisputable truth! If we seek to please men, then we obviously cannot please God. We must focus on Christ and not try to win the approval of others. So, therefore as this commentary tells us: ‘It does not matter what your neighbor has, is doing, or has done; it only matters that we focus on God and what He wants us to do and be.’
Now, we don’t have time for the many more scriptures on comparing ourselves to others, but we’ll close with this very important one. In the words of Bruh Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, he ardently advises and admonishes them: ‘Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of Christ.’ (1 Cor. 11:1) Oh my people, if there’s anyone, we should desire to compare ourselves to, it ought to be none other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for He is the only One worthy of such an honour.
As the author of Hebrews so confidently writes: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and 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. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 11:2-3) Yes friends, if we want to compare, that’s the kind of comparison we ought to make!
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the only comparison that interests God…is to that of Jesus Christ…in whose image He’s fashioning us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Sep 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a coat of many colours, a heat warning, binding sheaves in the field, convert the dreaming energy into action, could not speak peaceably about him, dreams come true, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, for those who work while they dream, for twenty pieces of silver., grow in favour with both God and man, hands on the plough, his father observed the saying, I must be about my Father's business, Isreal loved Joseph more than all his children, Joseph dreamed a dream and he told it to his brethren, Joseph sold to the Ishmeelites, made obeisance to my sheaf, Mary kept all these sayings in her heart, my sheaf arose and stood upright, not looking back, P.S. I Love You, parents favour one child above the others, shalt thou indeed have dominion over us, stay well hydrated in a cool place, thak God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me, they hated him yet more, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, what profit is it if we slay our brother, your sheaves stood round about
Genesis 37:5. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren, and they hated him yet more.
Glory be! Another beautiful bright and sunshiny summer’s day in the first week of September! But unfortunately, it too comes with a heat warning. So please be careful when going out in the sun, make sure you have on your sunscreen, your hat and umbrella, if necessary. Stay well hydrated and in a cool place. That’s the price we pay for another hot summer’s day at this time of year. (smile)
And right now, I want to offer a li’l tidbit from a ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster my young daughter gave me some years back. It simply, but quite rightly says: ‘Dreams come true for those who work while they dream.’ And there’s no denying that my friends! You can dream all you want, but if you don’t convert some of that dreaming energy into action towards the dream, it will never come to pass. That’s because dreams are only mental, while the actuality of them call for physical action and reaction.
I don’t think we can find a better example of dreams working out in action than the story of Bruh Joseph way back in olden times. And his problems began early in life, around the age of seventeen, through no fault of his own. The scripture says: ‘Now Israel LOVED Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat (tunic) of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father LOVED him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably about him.’ (Gen. 37:3-4)
Now that’s the unfortunate kind of thing that happens when parents favour one child above the others very overtly. The story continues thus: ‘And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren, and they hated him yet more.’ (Gen. 37:5) That’s another pitfall we often fall into; telling our dreams to people who don’t have our best interests at heart, and sometimes it’s best to just keep our dreams to ourselves and work quietly on them. Especially highfalutin dreams like Bruh Joseph had.
‘And he said unto them (his brothers), Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance (bowed down) to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.’ (Gen. 37:6-8) Obviously Bruh Joseph didn’t realize how much his brothers hated him, or he was just so full of and cock-sure of himself that he didn’t care.
And as the luck of the draw would have it; ‘He dreamed another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance (bowed down) to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee in the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.’ (Gen . 37:9-11)
Now Bruh Joseph had the whole family against him. But please note that last verse. Israel ‘observed the matter,’ or kept it in his mind. He obviously didn’t relegate it right away to the rubbish heap. It reminds us of Mary, Jesus’ mother’s behaviour, when she heard all the fine things that were said about Jesus both at his at his eight-day presentation in the temple, and also when he was lost, and they found him arguing with the teachers in the temple at twelve years old and He told them:
‘How is it ye sought me? wist (knew) ye not that I must be about my father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these saying in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with god and man.’ (Luke 2:40-52)
It’s strange how our parents, though they may not fully believe our spiritual dreams and plans, many of them yet never put them aside completely, knowing, possibly from their own experience the way in which Almighty God operates. And both Jacob and Mary did have significant encounters with God in the spiritual realm, so neither totally wrote of the dreams of their children. The only difference between Bruh Joseph and Jesus, is that the latter did not grow did not grow in favour with both God and man.
Bruh Joseph’s brothers had other ideas about his dreams. And one day when his father sent him to check on them in the fields, ‘they conspired to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer (master of dreams) cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, some evil (wild) beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid (deliver) him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father.’ (Gen. 37:18-22)
But we know that did not happen, for after the brothers stripped Joseph of his robe of many colours and threw him into a pit, they sat down to eat, and just then they saw a group of Ishmeelites (traders) going down to Egypt with their wares to sell. ‘And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him: for he is our brother, and our flesh. And his brethren were content (agreed).’ (Gen. 37:26-27)
So they drew Bruh Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. That certainly didn’t seem like Bruh Joseph was having favour with God and man. But unbeknownst to them all, that was only the beginning of the drama. And if God spares life, tomorrow, we’ll continue looking at Bruh Joseph’s story; a most significant one in the annals of the Jewish people, and consequently in our own Chrisitan faith.
Now let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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!’
And friends, we’ve been further promised that if we stick with Jesus right to the very end, then that promise will be even more glorious than we could ever ask or imagine. Wow! So please, let’s make a date to meet right at the very end with Jesus nuh! Much LOVE!
…the Lord puts dreams in our hearts…so that we can serve His glorious purposes…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
13 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a battlefield, a compassionate heart, all things are possible with Jesus, behind the eight ball, but the flesh is weak, change your attitude, Christian, clear direction, comparing ourselves to others, curse, divine protection, down to brass tacks, evil desires, faith, favour, fleshly, good health, I am carnal, lest ye enter into temptation, LOVE, magnanimous god, mea culpa, negative attitudes, negative word, over who we become, P.S. I Love You, promotion, prosper, sin, sin that dwells in me, sinful pursuits, succeed, the battle with sin, the battlefield of life, the chicken or the egg story, the evil I don't want to do, the flesh thwarts the Spirit, the good I want to do, the law is spiritual, the spirit frustrates the flesh, the spirit truly is ready, the struggle of two natures, Thursday Blessings, to change everything, total control, ungodly society, unhappiness, watch ye and pray, wisdom
Mark 14:38. Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
And then it was Thursday… a beautiful Thursday by the way! And we way way behind the eight ball because of my late bedding down and thus late rising, but also due to a couple of chores I had to do before getting down to brass tacks. And that’s my mea-culpa. (smile)
Today I have a couple of gems for us from our ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. Long time I haven’t shared anything from that. Some of you might not even know about. It’s just a cardboard poster with that title my young daughter gave me some years ago with some useful life quotes on it. And the first gem says: ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’ Quite true that! And the second tells us: ‘We can’t do much about our appearance, but we have total control over the kind of person we become.’
In these modern times of advanced medicine and technology, the first part is not so true anymore, because through those avenues we can now change our appearance a whole lot, but the second half is still and will always be true! Changing our appearance doesn’t mean a blooming thing if the kind of person we are doesn’t improve with it. In the long run, who we are, not what we look like, will always be the deciding factor in the outcome of our lives. And since I’m so sweet and generous, here’s a langniappe, a brawtha, something extra thrown in for good measure. (smile)
‘To change everything, simply change your attitude.’ Wow! What wisdom and truth my bredrin! And do a whole lot of us ever need to change our surly, stupid, selfish, greedy, angry, resentful, hateful, gossipy, unforgiving, jealous, envious, ungodly, unkind, UNLOVING attitudes! Yes friends, all those negative attitudes are taking a severe toll on our individual lives and consequently are then flowing into our society, making it the negative, ungodly society it’s become.
Some of you might choose to argue that the society itself first had the negative attitudes and we as individuals then adopted them. But that’s like the chicken and the egg story, about which came first. It doesn’t matter who or what infected the other, it just matters that we’ve been infected, and must first begin with individual change if we want to right the situation. And how do we accomplish those changes? I just came upon some very interesting words of Jesus, that memorable night in the Garden of Gethsemane.
When the disciples couldn’t stay awake, He said to Peter. ‘Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:37-38) And is that ever so true friends! The Spirit of God that dwells within us is ever ready to help us set our lives aright, but the weak flesh that we naturally possess, that desires the ungodly things of the world puts up a pretty good fight against it. And if we aren’t careful, and prayerful, it’s so easy to fall into temptation and thus destroy the godly character we’re trying to build.
Bruh Paul calls it the struggle of two natures. As he explains in Romans 7: ‘For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal (fleshly), sold under sin. For that which I do I allow (understand) not: for what I would (want to do), that I do not; but what I hate, that I do. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto (agree with) the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would (want to do) I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.’ (Rom. 7:14-19)
Yeh friends, even the great Bruh Paul struggled with his flesh; the desire to do good, but doing evil instead. And because of that, he’s also a great example, showing us ‘the problems that all believers experience in their battle with sin.’ Yes my people, our flesh; our minds, bodies and souls through the ongoing efforts of the enemy, are often dominated by sin and sinful pursuits. And Bruh Paul said it this way to the Galatians. ‘For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.’ (Gal. 5:17) And that’s the gospel truth fellow saints!
As the scholars explain. ‘ 5:17. One’s sinful human nature (flesh) and the Holy Spirit lusteth against one another, that is, they have desires and yearnings that are contrary to one another. The Christian, then, is a battlefield, having desires to do good and evil. The outcome is that ye cannot do the things that ye would: the flesh seeks to thwart the Spirit, who, in turn, attempts to frustrate the flesh’s evil desires.’
Oh, it’s definitely not easy my people! But let’s remember that with Jesus running our lives, we can do anything, for ALL things are possible with Him! We just need to bear down, to watch and pray, to stand steadfast and strong in our faith and belief in His crowning glory, and remember that through His death on the cross, and His resurrection, the victory’s already been won, we just have to walk it out now. And we do that by diligently and efficiently using the generous blessings bestowed on us to do Christ’s work. We call them our Thursday Blessings.
And since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken, let’s declare (yeahhh!) them right now over ourselves nuh. 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!’
Wow! What a magnanimous God we serve! It blows my mind every time I consider how generous and LOVING He is! So to show our sincere appreciation, let’s go out and share those blessings just as generously with others nuh, as we are meant to. Much LOVE!
…the mind…the battlefield of life…
07 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a glorious world, a new creature, all things are new, dampens our spirits, died on the cross, eternal life, faithful brethren, glad to be alive, glory to God, gospel truth, grace, Hades, halfway home, hell, hostility, if any man be in Christ, imputing trespasses, inconsistent weather, Jesus redemptive work, joy, justice, life just gives us time and space, LOVE, Lucifer, made him to be sin for us, maturing fellowship, meaning, mired in unhappiness, No one is guaranteed happiness, old things are passed away, P.S. I Love You, possessions, reconciled us to himself, reconciliation, redemption, righteousness, shining brightly, sin, sinless, soul-winning, spiritual vocabulary, sternity, the basis of christ's death, the breath of life, the cross, the LOVE of Jesus christ, the ministry of reconciliation, the righteousness of God, the Sun and the Son, the things of the world, took our sin, wealth, Wednesday Wail, who knew no sin, wisdom
2 Corinthians 5:21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
And then it was a bright, sunshiny Wednesday morning… Glory to God! And though it is still a bit cool, the temperature is expected to rise to at least twenty by mid afternoon. That we can handle.
Unlike yesterday where it was rainy and sunny, rainy and sunny all day long. Chuh! That kind of inconsistent weather only dampens our spirits. But when both the Sun and the Son are shining, it’s a glorious world. (smile)
Now here is a li’l something from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster, which informs us that:’No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’
And that’s gospel truth! Unfortunately though some of us don’t realize it and expect life to guarantee us happiness. But nothing could be further from the truth friends. If life had its way, we’d all be mired in unhappiness. So it’s left to us to fill our lives with pleasant and joyful stuff.
And where can we best find that joy and happiness? Not in the things of the world; it’s false wealth and possessions. But in the strength and LOVE of Jesus Christ; the One who selflessly died on the cross for our redemption; took our sins upon His broad and able shoulders and gave us His righteousness instead.
Hence our Bit: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’
Oh friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! No other supposed deity has ever, or can ever do that for us. Take our sins and put them on another, so that they can be forgiven.
Listen to these powerful, exciting and heart-warming verses before our Bit nuh. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
To wit (that is), that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor.5:17-19)
Oh my brethren, we have to acknowledge it again: what a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship! He has reconciled us to Himself! Glory to the Most High God Jehovah!
And if you don’t understand what reconciliation is all about, listen to the scholars’ explanation. ‘5:19. Reconciliation is the act whereby God on the basis of Christ’s death, has eliminated the cause of hostility between Himself and humanity, making possible a complete and maturing fellowship. (The hostility was caused by sin, and was eliminated by the Cross).
Illustration: When David prepared to fight for the Philistines, they feared he might betray them in battle in order to become reconciled with Saul. They answered that such an act would greatly please King Saul and be sufficient to restore a decayed relationship between Saul and David.
Application: Those who have become reconciled to God have also been given the ministry of reconciliation, which is fulfilled when they engage in soul-winning (v.19). (First Ref. Lev.6:30; Primary ref, 2 cor.5:19; cf. Rom.3:29).’
Ah mih people, yuh see how important that word ‘reconciliation’ is in our spiritual vocabulary. Out of God’s everlasting grace and LOVE, He decided to become reconciled to us, and in the process forgive us, not impute our sins to us.
But just forgiving us out of hand would stain His sense of justice and righteousness, so someone or something had to eventually pay for our sins. The crux of the matter though was that the sacrifice had to be sinless.
Hn! And lo, and behold ONLY His ONLY Son Jesus Christ fit the bill. I’m sure the Lord agonized over it some, but eventually His immense LOVE for us won the day, and He decided to sacrifice His Son, despite the great heartache it would cost Him.
And here we are now friends, with so many of us ignoring and not appreciating the miraculous work that the Lord did on our behalf. How foolish and ungrateful eh!
Without Jesus work on the cross we’d be left high and dry, to spend eternity in Hades with the evil one Lucifer. But with Jesus redemptive work, we have the option to believe in Him, surrender our all to Him and spend eternity with Him in heaven.
Now which option makes more sense eh; Hades with Lucifer, or Heaven with Christ? My people, I humbly submit that the latter choice is the wiser one. So I’m advising us to please, please choose Christ as your Lord and Saviour, otherwise your eternal life will certainly be hell.
Now for those of us who vote for Jesus, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, which let’s the whole world know in which camp we permanently stand.
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!’
Now that is what’s called wisdom of exceedingly great proportions! (smile) Much, much LOVE, my faithful brethren in Christ!
…as for me and mine…without a doubt…we will follow Jesus…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit. It was just one of those nights, and consequently one of those mornings. (smile) Much LOVE!
15 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful garden, a branch, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, abide in Jesus' love, abundance, answered prayer, ask what ye will, be fruitful, bear much fruit, blessings, broken, cast forth, cast into the fire, Christmas Season, consideration, courage, courtesy, creativity, curse, diligence, disciples, energy, exceptional, faith, faithfulness, family, favour, fertilizing friendships, friends, fulfillment, gentleness, glorify the Father, good relationships, goodness, grow, guiding light, he that abideth in me, human strength, I am the vine, in Jesus' name, indisputable truth, it shall be done for you, joy, judgement, judgement seat of Christ, kindness, lines of communication, long-suffering, LOVE, LOVE each other, mature, meekness, morning rush hour, my words abide in you, negative word, overnight, P.S. I Love You, Paul's immortal words, peace, purists, relationship with Jesus, relationships, rewards, self-control, self-discipline, snow, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, takes time, talent, temperance, the agent of Jesus, the Father glorified, the fruit of the spirit, the same bringeth forth much fruit, Thursday's Blessings, truth, unique, vine, weed filled jungle, weeds, white christmas, withered, without me ye can do nothing, ye are the branches
John 15:5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Ah friends, like this snow business seems to be rather serious yes, because it visited us again last night. Chuh! Not as much as over the weekend, but enough to make life somewhat difficult in the early morning rush hour.
Some people might be happy with that, since it might mean that we’ll finally have a traditional white Christmas ten days hence.
Over the last few years, that hasn’t been as regular an occurrence as in days gone by, and some of the purists have been disappointed. But what to do eh? If it’s winter, then there’s a very real probability of snow. (smile)
Now here’s a timely reminder from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster, which says: ‘Friends are like a beautiful garden. They require regular care.’
And is that ever true my people! Unless we spend time fertilizing those friendships that we treasure, they’ll eventually grow weeds and disintegrate into what resembles a dilapidated and forgotten garden. We need to keep those lines of communication open with our friends, just like we need to keep them open to God.
So, especially at this festive and friendly Christmas season, let’s remember to reach out to our friends and family with whom we haven’t had any recent communication, so the beautiful garden we have blossoming with them, won’t be changed into a weed filled jungle.
Remember, without good relationships an important part of us goes missing and makes us less than whole. And talking about relationships, the most important one in our life is that which we have with Jesus.
Listen to Him explain it in our Bit. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’
And that is indisputable truth my people! For without Jesus as the leading and guiding light of our lives, we are able to do precious little in our own human strength.
Hear Him continue His discourse. ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath LOVED me, so have I LOVED you: continue ye (abide) in my LOVE.’ (John 15:6-9)
Oh friends, what a wonderful promise! If we abide in Jesus and He in us, then we’ll be His disciples, be fruitful and glorify the Father, and the Father will grant us our requests. How awesome is that eh!
But we need to remember that last proviso: to abide in Jesus’ LOVE! Just like the Father LOVED Him, and He LOVED us, we need to continue LOVING Him and each other. Without that LOVE shining forth my fellow believers, all that we claim to do for Jesus is of no account.
Now here are a couple of explanations from the scholars re those verses above. ’15:6. This refers to the judgement of the believers at the judgement seat of Christ (2 Cor.5:10).’
15:7. The promise of answered prayer is based on the disciple acting as the agent of Jesus’ will (cf. 16:23-26). The promise is for unlimited resources to do the works of God.’
And as we’re talking about bringing forth fruit for Christ, let’s just share Bruh Paul’s immortal words on the subject. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness (courtesy, consideration), temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal.5:22-23)
Yeh mih people that’s what is expected of us in terms of bearing fruit for Christ. And the scholars add. ‘5:22. The word fruit is significant for three reasons. (1) It means the result, the product, outcome, or effect produced by the Spirit in the believer’s life.
(2) Unlike “the gifts of the Spirit” (plural), only some of which are given to a Christian, each believer is expected to have all nine virtues composing “the fruit of the Spirit” (singular). (3) As fruit on a tree takes time to grow and mature, so the Spirit does not cultivate these values in the believer’s life overnight.’
Yeh, I know we’re complaining that that’s a lot of fruit to bear, but as the scholars say, it doesn’t grow overnight, or all at once, but like real fruit takes time, diligence and energy.
And as Jesus promised, if we abide in Him, and He in us, we will have the help of all heaven and earth to produce the fruit He desires of us. So there’s no need to worry; just stay close to Jesus, and all will be well.
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. Remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
In unison friends: ‘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!’
Wow! It couldn’t get any better than that my brethren! So let’s take it all to heart nuh, and put it into solid action. Much LOVE!
…the bearing of fruit for Jesus…it’s such a wonderful process…and the rewards are so unique and exceptional…
25 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a purpose, a two way street, alive and kicking, almighty god, assurance, born of God, bounden duty, character, confess, conquerors, defeat, dominate, dreams come true, enjoy the fruits of our labour, enthusiasm, faith, fall into our laps, friend of Jesus, God is LOVE, God's character, God's flock, God's people, harm, heavenly Father, hope, hurry, hypocrites, impart the will, in all these things, Jesus is the Son of God, John the apostle, joyful, judgement, LOVE, LOVE is of God, love is perfected, LOVE one another, nay, need not fear, no man hath seen God, obituaries, one more day, P.S. I Love You, partnership, perfected, Pharisees, pseudo-religious, rest on our fannies, share His love, song of thanks, testify, thankful words, thankfulness, the beloved of God, the capacity to love, the greatest of these is love, the Saviour of the world, the Spirit of God, the supremacy of love, this is the day the Lord has made, through him that loved us, triumphant blessing, trust in Christ, trust Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, we are more than conquerors, we will rejoice and be glad in it, what a joy, work while they dream, worry
Romans 8:37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.
One more day; one more day to be alive and kicking and enjoy God’s expansive favour! Oh what a joy that ought to be my people! Just to know that our names will not be read in today’s obituaries should bring forth a glorious song of thanks and praise to our heavenly Father.
Consequently, our mouths should be uttering joyful and thankful words like the psalmist did: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24)
Yes friends, the Lord has kept us alive for a purpose; to continue the good work He has planned for our lives, and also to enjoy the fruits of our labour.
Now here’s a wise li’l secret from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster: ‘Dreams come true for those who work while they dream.’
Yes my brethren, in this life we ought not to just sit and wait for things to happen, for God to just bring them to pass, but we must also do our part in the wonderful partnership we share with Almighty God.
Remember it’s a two way street; we do what we can, and wait patiently, enthusiastically and expectantly for God to do His part. We don’t just rest on our fannies and expect it to fall into our laps.
Now let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincere enthusiasm and thankfulness because the reality of the situation is exactly what it deserves.
As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Oh my people, my people, what a glorious truth! We aren’t what the world says or thinks about us, but we are God’s beloved, and Jesus’ friend! Wow! That means the world cannot beat or defeat or do us any real harm, because we are God’s people!
Oh what a triumphant blessing! But please remember the last part of that declaration; we need to share the LOVE of Jesus with the rest of the world. That’s our bounden duty.
And it all rolls right into sync with our wonderful Bit: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’
Ah friends, how much more favoured can we be eh? Not much more really. We are God’s flock, and He LOVED us so much that He sent His only son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary so that we could be reconciled unto Him. How wonderful is that eh!
And today we’re going to continue looking at the portion of our Bit that deals with LOVE. And John the apostle deals with it wonderfully in His first epistle. Let’s listen some to him.
‘No man hath seen God at any time. If we LOVE one another, God dwelleth in us, and his LOVE is perfected in us. Hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.’ (1 John 4:12-15)
Now here are some thoughts from the scholars. ‘4:11-13. God’s character, through His Spirit, is to shape and progressively dominate the character of the believer. The Spirit of God imparts the will to LOVE.’
Yuh see that friends? If we don’t have the Spirit of God within us, then we won’t have the capacity to truly embrace the emotion of LOVE.
‘4:15. This helps provide the context for rightly understanding verse 7. Trust in Christ as the incarnate Son of God makes genuine, God-wrought LOVE possible.’
And if we don’t remember what verse 7 says, let’s refresh our memories. ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7)
That means friends, that only those who truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, can possess the LOVE of God. Now let’s continue with John’s theorizing.
‘And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. God IS LOVE; and he that dwelleth (abides) in LOVE dwelleth (abides) in God, and God in him.’ (1 John 4:16)
And hear the scholars explain that. ‘4:16. John, like Paul (1 Cor.13:13), stresses the supremacy of LOVE as a characteristic of God and therefore as a dominant characteristic of the true believer.’
Is LOVE a dominant characteristic of our lives my people? I surely do hope so, otherwise we’re just being hypocrites like the pseudo-religious Pharisees of old.
And we’ll end with this very important verse. ‘Herein is our LOVE made perfect (LOVE made perfect among us), that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world.’ (1 John 4:17)
Yes friends, when true LOVE exists among us, then our confidence rises to its zenith!
The scholars explain that verse thus. ‘4:17. Herein points back to verse 16. By dwelling in LOVE, and thus having God dwelling in him, the believer gains the priceless assurance that he need not fear the coming judgement. This is our assurance, if we LOVE in this world as He does.’
Oh friends, the importance of LOVE, within each individual believer, and consequently between all believers can never be overstated, for it’s the supreme characteristic by which the true believers in Almighty God and true followers of Christ are known.
Please, let’s critically examine ourselves today, and see how our own characteristic of LOVE shapes up, and then, ask God to help us do better, for we can all do better. Much LOVE!
…and now abideth…faith, hope, LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
14 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive direction, anger, asthma, awesome God, be able to stand before thee, be strong and of a good courage, bless your Holy Name, boomerang, buckler, comforts us, courage, difficult times, enthusiasm, ever-faithful, exceeding abundantly, fail, faithful, fight the enemy, followers of Jesus, forskae, frail fragile bodies, get back what we give out, girds me with strength, glorious feeling, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God of his forefathers, God's children, gospel, gospel truth, halfway home, hands are on the plough, holding hands, horn, I will love thee, I will trust, incontestable, indisputable, irrefutable, Jesus Christ, looking straight ahead, my fortress, negative options, not looking back, obedient, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, our best days are still ahead of us, our Lord and Saviour, P.S. I Love You, passion, people on our planet, positive vibrations, praise, promises, salvation, single file, standing in a circle, strength, strife, strong, Thank you Jesus, thanks, the breath of life, The Lord is my rock, the Most High, time of sickness, to a glorious future with Jesus, to the death, trust, truth, turbulent, undeniable, unequivocal, uplifting words, walk of faith, Wednesday Wail, who is God
Joshua 1:6a. Be strong and of a good courage…
Oh friends, ‘I’m getting better! I’m getting better!’ All thanks and praise and glory be to our most awesome and wonderful God!
Yeh mih people, the cough and cold and consequent asthma that’s been bothering me for the past week is easing up…Glory to God! I can now breathe a lot easier… All thanks and praise be to the Most High who heals and comforts us in our time of sickness!
Now here is something interesting and uplifting from my P.S. I LOVE YOU Poster, which I’ve probably shared before, but it’s so nice, we just had to do it twice. (smile) .
It tells us that ‘The people on our planet are not standing in a line single file. Look closely. Everyone is really standing in a circle, holding hands. Whatever you give to the person standing next to you, it eventually comes back to you.’
And it would certainly be wonderful if we were all really in a circle holding hands, then there wouldn’t be as much anger, strife and all the other negative options that are currently flooding our world. But the last part is gospel truth though my friends; whatever we give out, is what we’ll get back, like a boomerang…and more than we gave out too.
So if we sow negative stuff, we will reap more negative stuff than we sowed. However if we sow positive vibrations, then our reaping will be more positive vibrations…exceeding abundantly. So please, let’s concentrate on sowing positive vibes as our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ desires of us nuh, not the many negative ones that we’re currently sowing.
And to show the positivity, the passion and enthusiasm that we have for life this Wednesday morning, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail passionately and exuberantly, with hungry hope and expectant faith.
Wailing: ‘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 that’s such a glorious feeling my people; feeling God’s astounding breath of life flowing through our frail and fragile bodies, making us strong and able to fight the enemy to the death!
Yes my brethren, we definitely can’t afford to look back at all the stuff that’s already happened in our lives, because our best days are still ahead of us, through that amazing future which Jesus has planned for His people.
And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful, ‘Thank you Jesus! We praise and bless your Holy Name and give You sincere thanks for all that’s You’ve done, are doing right now, and has promised to do for us later on! Amen!’
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’
And I LOVE how it’s so short, but yet so powerful… ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’ When you declare it, it just seems to lift you up and move you in a positive direction. And do we ever need much strength and courage in these turbulent and difficult times!
Now let’s look at some scripture that enables us to stand strong and be of good courage. The verse right before our Bit says it all. God says to Joshua: ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh.1:5)
What a wonderful promise that is friends! And the great thing about that promise is that it’s also meant for us in these desperate times. We don’t need to fear or fret because our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God has promised never to leave nor forsake us, and we know that He’s ever faithful to ALL of His promises.
Now hear Bruh David tell it like it is from Psalm 18 – Thanksgiving for deliverance. ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:1-3)
Ah friends, what hope, faith and trust Bruh David showed in the God of his forefathers! And we all know it was not misplaced, because the Lord indeed saved him from his enemies and supplied all his wants and needs. In the same manner my fellow followers of Jesus, the Lord wants to bless and keep us, but we need to be obedient and faithful to Him and his word.
And we’ll end with some more powerful and uplifting words from Psalm 18. ‘As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried (proven): he is a buckler (shield) to all those that trust in him. For who is God save (except) the Lord? Or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.’ (Ps.18:30-32)
Indisputable, incontestable, irrefutable, undeniable, unequivocal, gospel truth my brethren! So let’s write it indelibly in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies nuh, so that we can be strong and courageous in our walk of faith! Much LOVE!
…the Lord gives strength and courage…to those who seek Him sincerely…
19 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's game, a negative wedge, abundance, abundantly, adversity, another week of work, balance, be abased, believers, Belzeebub, care of, circumspection, circumstances, commuting, comparing ourselves to others, concern for, confusion, contentment, debt, different, discipline oneself, dissuade us, envious, fellowship, financial aid, fishbowls, flourished, frail human shoulders, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, go without, greedy, have life, hurrah for the weekend, I have learned, I speak in respect of want, in Jesus' name, in whatsoever state I am, jealousy, Jesus Christ, keeping up the Joneses, learned in a classroom, level of power, lies, life lessons, live in prosperity, mama yo, material possessions, miserly, need, opportunity, overnight, P.S. I Love You, peace of jesus, perspective, practical life experiences, pretensions, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, sacrificed, show off society, social standing, sold their souls, strain, stress, stringently, suffer need, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the weekend, to abound, to be content, traffic jams, trials, tribulations, unhappiness, want, wisdom, work
Philippians 4:11. Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Aye mih people, another bright, sunshiny day is in the offing… And it’s Friday to boot! So you can imagine the raucous shouts worldwide of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Hurrah for the weekend! Get yourselves together to party! No more slaving for two, whole big days! Mama yo! We going to mash up the place! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah friends, you can’t help but voice those sentiments after facing the endless traffic jams, both morning and evening, that result from everybody commuting to work these days and working in the li’l fishbowls that so many of us toil in, five days a week.
But we have a better perspective on the usage of the weekend. It’s called our Friday Chant. So let’s chant it and raise the stakes to a higher level nuh. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, that is a much better way to spend the weekend. It provides some semblance of balance and circumspection, along with some godly intentions, not merely a free for all of worldly lusts and pleasures.
Now here is an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. It says, quite straightforwardly; ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’
And there is indeed a lot of truth in that statement friends! Comparing ourselves to others is one of the big problems in our current society. Keeping up with the Joneses causes more confusion, debt and jealousy than we can ever imagine.
The world’s wrong definition of who and what we are, which depends on our material possessions, social standing and level of power, drives too many of us to levels of debt, work, lies and pretensions that we cannot safely manage.
I thank the Lord everyday, that though I may desire some of the things and standards of living that others have, I’m not envious, neither do I try my level best to become like them. And the sad part is that oftimes we don’t know what others have sacrificed to get what they have and where they are.
And if we knew, we wouldn’t be so quick to want to be like them, because many have sold their souls to Beelzebub for their power, social standing and material possessions. So friends, let me strongly dissuade us this Friday morning from comparing ourselves to others, because it’s just a fool’s game.
The Lord in His absolute wisdom made us each different for a purpose. If He wanted us to be all the same, He would have done so. And trying desperately to be like others only drives a negative wedge in our lives. So please stop it! End of sermon. (smile)
That brings us to our rather appropriate Bit. ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’
Oh my brethren, learning that, takes so much stress and strain off of our frail human shoulders, especially in this show-off society of ours.
Hear the scholars take on our Bit nuh. ‘4:11. Not that I speak in respect (because) of want: Paul’s ability to be content despite the circumstances assures the readers that his joy of verse 10 is not solely over his “need” being met at their expense. He implies that he could have done without their financial aid. For justifies this implication.
I have learned …to be content: The Greek here suggests that contentment is a lesson learned neither in a classroom nor overnight, but through many practical experiences in life.’
And indeed so it is my people! Contentment is a learned way of life, through many trials and tribulations. Bruh Paul was here acknowledging the financial aid he’d received from the members of the Philippian church.
‘But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of (concern for) me hath flourished (revived) again; wherein ye were also careful (though you surely did care), ye lacked opportunity.’ (Phil.4:10) They were concerned about him, but lacked the opportunity to minister to him.
That leads Bruh Paul to continue after our Bit. ‘I both know how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’ (Phil.4:12)
And we’ll end with some interesting explanations from the scholars. ‘4:12. By listing some specific examples, this verse elaborates upon the very general and broad “in whatsoever state I am” of verse 11. Be abased means literally to discipline oneself, that is, to tighten the belt in lean times.
To abound means to live in prosperity. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed (or, “in all circumstances I have learned the secret of how”) to be full, that is, “well fed.” To abound means to have plenty. To suffer need means to go without.
Paul has acquired the skill required for successful living with little and with much, the latter being harder. “For one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.” (Thomas Carlyle).’
Yeh friends, for many of us, living in prosperity is indeed harder than living in adversity. When we have plenty, we often don’t know what to do with it. However, when we only have a little, we just have to make do.
Now please don’t get the idea that we’re supposed to live miserly or stringently, because Christ said He came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly, but by the same token, we also need to know how to live when we don’t have abundance, and not be greedy or envious of those who have.
So let’s go out there today and begin learning the life lessons we need to live as we ought nuh. (smile) Much LOVE!
…contentment can only be had through the peace of Jesus…
20 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, a LOVING Father, alive, almighty god, Amen, anarchy, breath of God, brethren, Carrying a grudge, chastening, complaining, discipline, do our best, errors, exercised, expectant faith, faith, forgiveness, friends, fruit, geeks, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God loves us, God's children, gospel truth, grace, grateful, grievous, grudge, halfway home, hates his son, hope, horrors, human, hungry hope, I'm not loking back, Jesus, joy, joyous, Laodicea, looking ahead, LOVE, mercies, Microsoft, mistakes, my hands are on the plough, obedience, obedience to god, P.S. I Love You, peaceable fruit, plough, promises, rebuke, repent, righteousness., selfishness, sense of purpose, simpleminded, spare the rod, steal my joy, summer's day, take it to heart, the answer, the breath of life, the present, trained, trials, tribulations, troubles, truth, undisciplined, walk the straight and narrow path, Wednesday Wail, whining, wisdom, zealous
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.
Oh friends, another glorious summer’s day seems to be in the offing! Let’s give thanks and praise for it and ask for guidance to do our best, as we walk the straight and narrow path that leads to Jesus!
Sometimes though, the road just gets frustrating and annoying, especially when you are just an innocent victim, as I was yesterday with all the new changes in Outlook.
Yuh know, as I told some of you last night, after finally figuring out how to do my thing, I then went to send out the Bit, but I got all sorts of horrors in trying to do that. They kept telling me that there was an error message and the Bit couldn’t be sent, to try later.
Well the later trying didn’t do anything and I eventually had to send them out in smaller groups. Now all they had to tell me was the groups were two large. Steups! But that was too simple for the simple-minded geeks who run the show.
Chuh! So last night I spent a whole lot of time making my groups small enough to fit their new scheme. And they didn’t even make that easy to do.
However, it’s a new day, with new mercies and promises and grace and forgiveness, and all the other good things our wonderful God has planned for us, so I won’t let Microsoft Outlook steal my joy, as I allowed them to do yesterday! (smile)
And I have the perfect antidote for that in a quote from my ‘I LOVE YOU’ Poster, which says: ‘Carrying a grudge is like a run in a stocking – it can only get worse. Forgiveness is the answer.’ Gospel truth friends, gospel truth!
So, regardless of the troubles they cause me, I’ll just forgive Microsoft Outlook (smile) and continue to enjoy this glorious day the Lord has blessed me to see. And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
And since today is Wednesday, it’s only appropriate that we declare our Wednesday Wail. So with expectant faith, hungry hope and a strong sense of purpose, let’s wail. ‘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!’
Ah mih people, there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for that beautiful breath of God that courses through my ole bod! I surely hope that you feel the same way, because in truth, that’s the ONLY way for God’s redeemed and sanctified children to feel! Glory to God!
It’s so great to be alive, despite the numerous trials and tribulations that come against us! And we can say that with the utmost confidence and truth because our hands are securely on the plough and we’re looking forward to the glorious future that Jesus has planned for us! Oh what a future that will be my believing brethren!
But at the same time, since we’re only human and thus liable to make serious errors and mistakes, we also need to be able to accept God’s discipline without too much whining and complaining. Our God LOVES us, there’s no doubt about that, but like a LOVING Father, He also disciplines us when we go astray.
Unfortunately though, as our Bit so rightly points out, discipline makes us unhappy in the short term, but in the long run, it works significantly on our behalf. ‘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.’ Yeh friends, chastening has never been a well-liked human characteristic.
And most of us old fogies can remember those days of some serious chastening when we re growing up. Plenty of us ran and hid when we knew that it was in the offing, but oftimes that made no difference. We still got it whenever we showed up.
But you know what friends, that chastening, that sense of discipline, usually benefited us in the long run. It made us the fine, godly people we are today. Sadly though, too many of us, as parents refused to administer any chastening and discipline to our children, that’s why they are the undisciplined way they are today.
Now we didn’t need to go to some of the lengths that our parents did, but by going to the other extreme, we did them a great disservice. Because, if there’s one thing a society needs to grow peacefully it’s discipline, otherwise anarchy, a free for all and total selfishness is what we get, something like what we have today.
Enough preaching though, let’s look at some scriptures that corroborate our sentiments. First up are these words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov.3:12)
More Cousin Sol: ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly).’ (Prov.13:24)
And we’ll end with this one from Jesus in the Revelation of John. It’s contained in the message to the church at Laodicea. ‘As many as I LOVE, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.’ (Rev.3:19)
Yes friends, it’s all there in black and white in the Good Book! Please let’s take it to heart and do our best not to complain too much when we are rightfully chastened of anybody, especially Almighty God. That’s wisdom of the highest heights! Much LOVE!
…obedience to God…is the highest form of discipline…
15 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A to Zee, all things, balance, begrudge, boomerang, building, comes back to you, common sense, cruel, demanding world, destruction, do unto men what you want them to do to you, do unto others, epitome, evil lifestyles, for dear life, Friday chant, friends, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's plan for man, God's Word, greed, harmony, heartless massa, hell on earth, higher than the animals, holding hands, in a line, in Jesus' name, injunction, Jesus Christ, life experience, lower than the angels, Moses, negative emotions, no more work, P.S. I Love You, perpetrate, pilgrimage, pleasure, power, reaping, relaxation, rest, rocket science, rumours of war, self-aggrandizement, selfishness, single file, slaving, sowing, spiritual matters, standing in a circle, stressful, strife, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the golden rule, the law, the lust of the flesh, the prophets, the Ten Commandments, the weekend, topsy turvy world, under the gun, ungodly, unity, vicious cycle, want, wars, wisdom, you reap what you sow
Matthew 7:12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
And then it was Friday…
No wonder the workers united to sing this song of emancipation: ‘TGIF! Thank God it is Friday! No more work, no more slaving for a cruel, heartless massa! The weekend is upon us and we will enjoy all the pleasures it offers – from A to Zee! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah friends, you really can’t begrudge people some pleasure when they’ve been under the gun all week, just working and doing little else in this supposedly modern but very stressful and demanding world.
However, we can’t afford to only seek the lust of the flesh in the next two days either; spiritual matters must also be of great concern, otherwise we’ll lose the something in our souls that makes us higher than the animals and just a little lower than the angels.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective on the matter. 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.’
Now that is a much better way to handle the couple days off we have over the weekend; it keeps our soul and spirit in balance, which is something we desperately need to survive and be successful in our current topsy-turvy world.
And here’s an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. I don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but if I haven’t, I ought to have, and if I’ve shared it before, then it’s nice enough for us to do it twice. (smile)
And it says: ‘The people on our planet are not standing in a line single file. Look closely. Everyone is really standing in a circle, holding hands. Whatever you give to the person standing next to you, it eventually comes back to you.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth friends? It certainly is! It’s basically God’s plan for man; whatever you sow, you shall reap. Life is like a boomerang; whatever you throw out to it, it will eventually come right back to you.
So if you throw out bad, that’s what you’ll eventually receive, the same thing goes for good. The trouble is that we don’t think sufficiently along those lines, so we sow whatever our flesh wants, then when we get back something negative in return we wonder why.
But life is not rocket science my people, it’s a simple do unto others as you’d want them doing unto you. And Jesus’ words on that subject is our Bit for today. ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.’
Yes my people, that’s what we call the ‘Golden Rule!’ And it’s really the only sensible way to live, if what we said above, about sowing and reaping, is true.
And the scholars explain it thus: ‘Hence, rather than judging others, we are to treat them as we would like to be treated. Therefore all things…do ye even so to them, is the biblical injunction often called the “Golden Rule.” This is the law and the prophets indicates that the statement made here by Jesus is not intended to be novel, but rather a summarization of the second table of the law.’
Yes friends, it’s not new, it’s just what has been required of us ever since Moses got those Ten Commandments. (smile) Unfortunately though, not enough of us are following it in these crucial and critical times, thus the ungodly and evil lifestyles we’re seeing so prevalent over God’s great world.
But it shouldn’t be like that. If we’d use our common sense and life experience we’d realize it. However we tend to live by the lusts of the flesh and the emotions of greed, selfishness etc. which only tear us down. There’s no building of harmony and unity in those negative emotions my people, just breaking down and destroying.
And that’s exactly what’s happening in our world. I don’t know if we’ve ever gone through a more destructive period in a supposed time of peace. Steups!
Everyday we’re becoming better at destruction, for a lot of our manufacturing consists of finding and building better ways to destroy. It’s taken us sometimes hundreds of years to build the great monuments of our world, but we destroy them in mere seconds!
Hn! And not only that, no longer do we have to be up close to destroy, we can stay thousands of miles away and perpetrate hell on earth to our enemies. And then we wonder why our world is going to hell in a bucket!
Look at all the wars and rumours of wars that are currently causing such woeful strife in our world. Friends, it doesn’t take a fool to realize that if we keep destroying, instead of building, we’ll soon have nothing left to destroy.
Our leaders seem to be more inept and inefficient than ever, corruption has never been so pervasive, far-reaching and blatant. It just seems that all they are interested in is self-aggrandizement and holding on to immense power for dear life.
But what they don’t seem to understand is that the more you have, the more you control, the more you have to lose and the more carefully you have to guard it all, which only leads to more problems, in all areas of life.
Please friends, let’s not be caught up in that vicious cycle of want, of greed and selfishness that is so easy to climb on to, but ever so difficult to get off. Let’s use common sense and God’s Word to direct our earthly pilgrimage nuh. It’s the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…the Golden Rule…do unto others…as you want them to do unto you…is still the most sensible and godly way to live in this mish-mash world…
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