11 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new heart for this Christmas, a righteous man, action, availeth much, blessed, Confess your faults, confusion, continue ticking, delight to please you, distraction, duty-packed day, effectual fervent prayer, Ethan the Ezrahite, floods, follow you more closely, forgiveness, friend of Jesus, God's giving me, grab a hold, happen to a soul, heart of hearts, hubbub, hurry, I will be pleased, incomparable joy, individual decisions, intimate communication, joyful praise, know Jesus, know the joyful sound, living room, LOVE, loved child, mercy, motivate, my friend Jesus, my tranquil heart, obedient to god, on the outside looking in, one to another, One Year Book of Bible promises, peace, praise me joyfully, right now, rightousness, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, style and fashion, talk with me intimately, the beloved of God, the Big Day, the light of thy countenance, the noise, the people, trust, trust me totally, Tuesday Mantra, walk, worry, worst thing
Psalm 89:15. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
Well friends, it’s Tuesday; the day before the big day! And you must be wondering what’s the big day eh? Well I wasn’t planning to break this news until tomorrow; the big day, but a voice of wisdom and logic interceded, saying that if I wanted something from someone it’s best to let them know early o’clock. Hn!
So here it is: The ole fella’s going into the hospital tomorrow to have a metal device implanted in his mortal body to assist his ole heart to continue ticking in style and fashion! Oh Yay! Consequently, I’m thinking that prayers are needed, much prayers, on the ole fella’s behalf that the surgery will be safe and productive. Thus, I’m asking that you, my Scrip-Bit friends and family float up plenty pleas to heaven, bombard them with requests so that they have no choice but to do what you ask. (smile)
Seriously though, as James says: ‘Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:16) And there’s absolutely no doubt that within our li’l gathering there are numerous ‘righteous people,’ whose fervent prayer will be answered if they cry out on my behalf!
Ah friends, who says that life isn’t worth living eh, and that our God isn’t a good God! They really don’t know Him. But I can vouch for Him, because for the past week I’ve been singing this tune: ‘God’s giving me a new heart for this Christmas! God’s giving me a new heart for this Christmas… In with the new, out with the old! God’s giving me a new heart for this Christmas!’ Glory Hallelujah my faithful brethren!
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin which I believe dovetails nicely with what we’ve said above. It’s titled ‘I Will Be Pleased.’ Please pray with me: ‘Lord, this fresh early morning As I sit in our quiet living room You’ve just reminded me Through David the Psalmist That there is incomparable joy For those who delight to please You – For those who are thinking about ways To follow You more closely.
Lord, the day stretches out before me. In a few brief moments I must arouse my family And face again the noise, the distraction The hubbub of confusion. But while we are still alone Just the two of us, my Lord While your peace floods my tranquil heart Please tell me what I can do This duty packed day To follow you more closely.’ And the Lord answers: ‘Dearly LOVED child Praise me joyfully Talk with me intimately Trust me totally And I will be pleased.’
Oh my people, don’t you just LOVE God’s simple but oh so moving answer? We ought to, because all He asks for is joyful praise, intimate communication and trust! Now are those three things so difficult to give a great God like the one we serve and worship? Apparently it is, since not as many of us, even sincere Christians, seem to do it as much as we ought to! It’s a strange world we live in yes Dr. Jack! We desire oodles from God, but refuse to give Him the little He desires of us.
Chuh! How much more foolish can mankind get eh? That brings us to our Bit, which is also the Bible verse for today’s poem; the immortal words of Ethan the Ezrahite, re God’s sure promises to Bruh David. ‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.’ Yes friends, if we truly know the joyful sound found in being obedient to our wonderful God, then all will be right with our world!
Hear Ethan as he continues: ‘In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps.89:16-18) And yuh know if any believer is asked about all that, they will immediately say that it’s true…Hn!
But putting it into action seems to be an entirely different story, because in the long run we don’t seem to really believe it in our heart of hearts, where it needs to be indelibly written, if we’re to act sincerely upon it! Ah mih people, all the ole fella can do is try to motivate us to be obedient to the God we claim to believe in and serve!
However, we all have to make our individual; decisions as to if and how and when we’re going to do it. But please listen, the time’s short, no one knows the day, nor the hour, but the Father, so please, let’s grab a hold RIGHT NOW…of His righteousness, LOVE, mercy, forgiveness…and all the other good things He offers us, so that we won’t get left on the outside looking in, whenever He chooses to end it all. For that’s the worst thing that can ever happen to a soul!
Now let’s go home telling the world who and whose we are by declaring our Tuesday Mantra in full voice with sincere hearts. ‘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 the world. Amen!’
And the obvious corollary to that is for us to now go out and share that AMAZING AND AWESOME LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others, as He so greatly desires! Much LOVE!
…once you truly know Jesus…then all’s right with your world…because He makes it so…
10 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a word to the wise, Advocate, all knees must bow, all tongues declare, Amen, Amos, answer, aura of love, belief, bounden duty, children of Jacob, confidence, contentment, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fellowship, friends, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, heed, holy spirit, hope, house of Israel, humble servants, humility, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, judgement, justice, King of Kings, lies, Lord of all, Lord of Lords, LOVE, meat and potatoes, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not the hour, nuff said, peace, personified by, power of prayer, prayer, problem, reality, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness, salvation, seed of Abraham, seek ye the Lord, smell the coffee, solution, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sufficient, the day, the kingdom of God, the Lord our god, the Lord's anger, the meek of the earth, trust, truth, ungodly world, wake up, waxing philosophical, wisdom, Zephaniah
Zephaniah 2:3. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgement (upheld his justice); seek righteousness, seek meekness (humility); it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.
And the revolving door revolves once more…and what does it open on …MONDAY! And the whole crowd goes wild, shouting: ‘Yay! It’s Monday once again! Time to go back out to work; to have a good time in this evil old world, witnessing for our Lord and Saviour, Leader and Field General, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, to whom all knees must bow and all tongues confess that He is indeed Lord of all, to the glory of our heavenly Father!
Wow mih breddren! What an opening on this chilly Monday morning in this Christmas season of 2018! (smile) And I know that’s not how it is with most of us, but that’s how it ought to be if we sincerely have Jesus in our lives and live those lives based on His wise advice. But since we are so imperfect, stubborn and ‘own way’ (smile) we will forever have problems getting ourselves together to go out and labour after having the short two days off on the weekend.
However, we have the solution and answer to that problem; it’s a li’l thing called prayer, in particular, one called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! And believe me, it works wonders on mornings like these, lifting our spirits and helping us get ourselves together so that we can do our bounden duty, that which we spoke about in the opening passage.
Brother! What a way the ole fella waxing philosophical this morning. (smile) But enough of that philosophical stuff yes, it not getting us anywhere nuh. Instead, let’s delve into the reality of the situation, the meat and potatoes section and declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with how much ever enthusiasm we can muster.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ And again we say… ‘AMEN!’ Yeh friends, one more ‘So let it be,’ just for good measure. (smile)
Oh, the power of prayer my people! It’s awesome! Yuh see how yuh demeanour just changed after sincerely invoking the name of Jesus, our heavenly Advocate, to the Father? A feeling of peace and contentment and joy just suddenly enveloped you as the Holy Spirit did its marvellous job on the advocacy of the Son, and the orders of the Father!
And it all comes about through hope, through faith, and through belief in the One and Only True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as personified by His most wonderful Son, Jesus Christ! And yuh know what friends? In these last days, these difficult, evil and troubling times, I believe we need to find that One True God and hold on to Him for dear life, because things are not getting better, but worse.
And in a time like ours in Israel, the prophet Zephaniah had this dire warning for his deviant and defiant people, re the scope of divine justice. ‘Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgement (upheld his justice); seek righteousness, seek meekness (humility); it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.’
My people, those are words we should heed with as much alacrity as possible, because we know neither the day nor the hour when calamity shall befall us individually, as well as the overall world. And believe me, it will because of the disgraceful, disgusting, ungodly manner in which we’re currently living.
Yeh friends, the Lord is indeed long-suffering, but that doesn’t mean we can get away with wilful disobedience for ever. At some time His patience will run out, as it did on several occasions with Israel, and we will pay a hefty price, just like they did.
The psalmist reminded Israel of the Lord’s good works on their behalf, and by extension on our behalf too. ‘Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember the marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth. O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. He is the Lord our God: his judgements are in all the earth.’ (Ps.105:4-8)
Yes my fellow believers, the Lord’s word and judgements are all over the earth, because the earth is His; He made it and still controls it, and nothing happens without His allowing it. So let’s wake up and smell the coffee nuh, be wise and write these words of Amos the prophet, spoken long ago on the Lord’s behalf, indelibly in our hearts, spirits and souls: ‘For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live.’ (Amos 5:4) Nuff said! A word to the wise is sufficient! Much LOVE!
…before anything else…seek ye first the kingdom of God…and His righteousness…
03 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a solitary place, adversaries, all flesh, almighty god, antidote, ask in prayer, aura of love, be anxious for nothing, believing, come unto thee, confidence, confidently, cry out, declare our needs, departed, direct communication, enthusiasm, ever-Loving, evil, faith, friends, give myself, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, grace, guard your hearts and minds, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, iniquities, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, merciful God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, passes all understanding, peace, prevail, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, sins, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, supplications, temptations, thanskgiving, the peace of God, the Son of God, the throne of grace, thou that hearest prayer, to heaven, transgressions, trust, truth, ungodly world, unhappy disposition, vicissitudes of life, wisdom
Psalm 65:2. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
Enough friends, enough with the steupsing and the sad, tired, unhappy disposition just because it’s Monday and you have to go to work. Like all else, and like it does every week, Monday will pass, it will morph into Tuesday and you won’t even realize it.
So I don’t see why we have to get ourselves in such a dither every week when Monday rolls around. Some of us have been working for umpteen years, and every Monday morning we have the same negative response.
Chuh man! Is time to stop that now, don’t you think? All that doing is wasting yuh time and tying you up in unnecessary knots, making yuh life more complicated than necessary. But all I can do is talk, and if that is the way you choose to live your life, then who am I to say you nay eh?
This I can do though; invite you to pray with me every Monday morning, trill up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to heaven; a sure antidote for whatever ails you.
Just think about this nuh: yesterday the day dawned cold and rainy, but by lunchtime the skies were blue and the sun shining. That same change, from sad and blue, to bright and sunny, can take place in your system if you join with us to cry out to heaven. So altogether now, let’s come confidently before the throne of grace, and declare our needs, to an ever-LOVING, kind and merciful God.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Glory be mih people! I can see the light in your eyes, the confidence in your body language, all saying that you’re ready now to go out and do battle for and with our Field General, Jesus Christ! Wow! Isn’t it great what prayer can do for us? And it should make a difference, because it’s the most powerful tool cum weapon in the universe! It’s God’s explosive answer to the pretensions of the enemy!
And today we just going to look at some scriptures that deal with or simply show the importance of prayer, starting with our Bit, the treasured words of Bruh David. ‘O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.’ What wisdom my people! And that is what we just finished doing, which means we wise.
And why do we come to the Lord in prayer? Partly as Bruh David says in the next verse: ‘Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.’ (Ps.65:3) Yeh friends, when temptations, sins and all the vicissitudes of life come against us, our ONLY hope is Almighty God! Please NEVER forget that!
And as Bruh David says later on: ‘For my (in return for my) LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ (Ps.109:5) Prayer should always be our first response to ANY and ALL situations my fellow believers!
Now listen to Jesus’ advice on the subject: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:11) Yeh friends, you can’t just pray willy nilly, or without conviction, but your prayers must rise up with strong belief that they will be favourable answered.
And just to show that Jesus, the awesome and august Son of God, practiced what he preached, listen to these words of Mark. ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he (Jesus) went out, and departed in a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Now that verse shows two things; (1) Jesus prayed earnestly and persistently before making important decisions, (2) He began each day with prayer. Now if the Son of God thought those things were ever so important, who are we mere mortals, to think otherwise eh?
And we going to make the Bit short today (smile), so we’ll end with these wise, encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:6-7)
So there you have it friends; prayer, our greatest tool in this life, but it must be accompanied by belief, and also with thanksgiving to have the utmost power. So let’s get powerful today by praying thus nuh! Much LOVE!
…prayer…direct communication with Almighty God…what could be better eh…NOTHING…
21 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a true believer, abolished in his flesh, afflictions, all things are possible, all's right with His people, amazing, Antioch, awesome, B.S. baffles brains, be of good cheer, broken down the middle wall, by the cross, cannot be separated from God's love, charity, Christian Church, circumstances, close relationship with God, commandments, completely lost, depth, difficult, division, doctrine, evil men, faith, flash floods, focusing ahead, for my name's sake, Gentiles, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, gospel truth, halfway home, hands on the plough, hate, hated of all men, heart-rending, heavenly rewards, height, him that loved us, hope, i have overcome the world, I have spoken to you, imposters, in me, in the world, in your favour, Jesus is in the house, Jews, landslides, lighten up, live godly, long-suffering, LOVE, Lystra, made nigh, manner of life, more than conquerors, mud slides, not looking back, One Body, one new man, outcasts, partition, patience, peace, people in California, persecutions, preached peace, purpose, put to death, reconcile, seducers, stupendous, the blood of Christ, the breath of life, the enmity, the law, the Lord delivered me, these things, tribulation, turn things around, Wednesday Wail, were afar off, wildfires, with Jesus in your corner, ye might have peace
John 16:33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Well it looks like it’s Wednesday, the middle of the work week…but don’t quote me on that nuh, because I’m not completely sure. (smile) I’m just assuming that because I was so busy on the first two days, that this next one is indeed Wednesday, since Wednesday is supposed to be the third one in the troika! And that’s why they say B.S baffles brains!
Lighten up mih people, the Lord Jesus Christ is in the house, and all’s right with His people, because He says so: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’
Yeh friends, I know that’s a very big, broad and difficult statement to handle, especially with all the stuff that’s going on in the world today. And I’m sure if you are one of those people in California who have lost everything through those terrible wild fires, and are now being threatened by flash floods, mudslides and landslides, it might be near impossible to accept that. But being a true believer means that you ought to accept whatever Jesus says as gospel truth, even though your circumstances are crying out in a much different manner.
Ah mih people, it’s only faith, buoyed by hope that will take us through the terrible times. Without faith and hope in Jesus Christ, you’re just completely lost, because He is the ONLY ONE who can really turn things around in your favour. And yes, it is hard, and difficult and heart-rending, but with Him in your corner, please remember that ALL things are possible. End of Sermon! (smile)
Now let’s try and break down our Bit into its salient parts and find passages of scripture that agree with it. Let’s begin with ‘in me ye might have peace.’ Listen to Bruh Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians. ‘But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes (once) were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he (he himself) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (division) between us.
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make (create) in himself of twain (the two) one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain (put to death) the enmity thereby. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.’ (Eph.2:13-17)
And what that’s basically saying is that Jesus came and broke down the walls of enmity between Jews and Gentiles and made them into one body, the Christian Church. The Jews felt that they were better than the Gentiles because they had a close relationship with God, and they considered the Gentiles outcasts.
But Jesus came and removed the dividing wall, the Mosaic Law, which had been instituted to protect the Jews from pagan corruption, and which the Jews were abusing anyway. So that now, through Jesus’ coming and sacrifice, both Jews and Gentiles are now one; Christians in Christ! Glory to God!
And as pertaining to: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer;’ hear Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘But thou hast fully known (followed) my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity (LOVE), patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers (imposters) shall wax (grow) worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.’ (2 Tim.3:10-13)
Yes friends, even Jesus, when speaking of the signs for the world’s end, said it in so many words: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:17-19) Ah mih people, we simply have to keep the faith and believe in the promises of Jesus!
And finally, as per ‘I have overcome the world,’ listen to Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life; nor angels, nor principalities nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom.8:37-39) Now that’s surely a most powerful statement my fellow believers…and a very true one at that!
Hear the scholars: ‘8:38-39. We cannot be separated from God’s LOVE, because it is set forth in a person who is God Himself, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. God’s desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated, because He is infinitely greater than any potential enemy. His plan will be realized because it is His purpose (v.28).’
Glory to God my believing brethren! Nothing can harm us because our heavenly Father is the most omnipotent power in His universe! Wow!
Now let’s go home telling this evil world our position in that omnipotent force, Jesus Christ, through our Wednesday Wail! In loud, proud 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 will that future ever be glorious my people! Much LOVE!
…believing in Jesus here on earth might be rough…but brother…are the heavenly rewards ever awesome and amazing…simply stupendous…
05 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful messenger, allowing you, almighty god, are gathered, aura of love, blessings, Christians, cold, confidence, construction sites, difficult, disgruntled remarks, enthusiasm, every day, evil, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, glory to God, go to work, gospel truth, grace, harvest, he refresheth, heavenly Father, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, inroads, invincible, irascible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lay your cares, lies, LOVE, messenger, miserable, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, on his strong, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, salvation, Scrip-Bit family, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that send him, the cold of snow, the soul of his masters, the time of harvest, tired, to God, to see another day, traffic jams, trust, unfair, ungodly world, warm the cockles of God's heart, where two or three, wisdom, your first priority
Proverbs 25:13. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
Well a good Monday morning to you my Scrip-Bit family in all and sundry parts of God’s great universe! And I hear numerous sighs, steups’ and disgruntled remarks, like: ‘What’s so good about it eh? It’s cold and miserable and I have to get up and go to work; plus face the endless traffic jams and construction sites, only to get there tired and irascible!’
And I smile and reply: ‘The first order of the day is talk to our heavenly Father. Thank Him for allowing you to see another day, then lay your cares on His strong and caring soul. And then you can join us here as we sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, petitioning Him together for strength and guidance to face the day and the evil world.’
Remember what Jesus said? ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) And we are gathered together in His name, in the world of digital and wireless communication, so He is in our midst. And it’s time to sing that awesome prayer, that antidote for all our Monday ills. Altogether now, with as much enthusiasm as you can manage.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes friends, prayer and praise are two of the most powerful tools in the Christian arsenal, but unfortunately we don’t use them as much as we ought to, that’s why our lives are often so dry, miserable and lacking true joy. Serious, sincere and continual communication with our Godhead is the oil that makes our lives run smoothly.
So now that we have all been uplifted, and the adrenaline is flowing freely, let’s get a move on and do Christ’s work with diligence and excellence nuh; be good ambassadors on His behalf, for that’s our calling. And all it really entails is to be a good example to those we come into contact with. Tell them about Christ, by sharing the good news of His gospel, and live as best and faithfully as we can by the tenets it espouses.
And the wise words of Cousin Sol in our Bit state it simply enough. ‘As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.’ Yeh friends, being an ambassador for Christ is basically being a faithful messenger, taking His message to whomever, wherever you can.
And when we do that, we warm the cockles of God’s heart; bring joy to His soul, because He wants every living being to hear the message of Christ, and for ALL to be saved: not even one soul being lost to the evil enemy Satan.
And we are indeed the hands and feet, mouth and ears of Christ, blessedly entrusted to faithfully ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…’ (Matt.28:19-20a)
As representatives of Christ my brethren, that’s our earthly mandate; what we sometimes call the ‘Great Commission.’ And the wonderful thing about working for and representing Jesus down here on earth is His awesome and faithful promise at the end of the Commission: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:20b)
How can you beat that eh friends? Our exciting, generous, strong, powerful and courageous Lord and Saviour saw it fit to inform us that He would always be with us as we go about doing His work and will…even to the end of the world! Glory be my people! That’s why we should have no qualms, fears, doubts or anxieties about working for such a wonderful boss!
And remember too, that even on our daily jobs, the jobs that cause us to live and survive, we’re essentially doing them for Jesus, that means we have to do them well, with diligence and excellence.
Yeh, I know some of you are complaining that too much is expected of us believers, but just consider what Jesus suffered for us nuh, and then see if what we have to do can ever come close to the ‘sufferation’ that He endured, the load of sin that was placed on His shoulders, so that we could be saved. Then come back and tell me if He’s asking too much of us. Not one bit! Much LOVE!
…ambassadors of Jesus…should be walking tall and proud…and be happy to do His work…
03 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a journey, a plan of God, a ray of sunshine, a waste down, a wet morning, action them, against such, an extra day, Anselm, aspires to inspire, attributes of God, be wise, beat us down, biggest adventure, carnal, Christ's sacrifice, Christ's teaching, Christian believer, conceited, consideration, control one's passions, courtesy, death, desirous of vain glory, empathy, envying one another, eternal life, faith, faithfulness, fleshly matters, focus on the positive, forgiveness, friend, from one realm to another, fruitful lives, gentleness, gladness of heart, goodness, grow good fruit, have it more abundantly, hope, I am come, joy, kindness, leading and guiding, live in the Spirit, live life to the fullest, live obediently for Christ, live the life, long-suffering, LOVE, meekness, mercy, motto, negative aspects of the world, of your dreams, patience, peace, provoking one another, self-control, sow good seed, spiritual life, temperance, the ability to harness, the fruit of the spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the greatest loss, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit's direction, there is no law, they might have life, this is the day the Lord has made, unreasonable dreams, ups and downs, vie-kie-vie, virtues, walk in the Spirit, we will rejoice and be glad in it, what dies inside us, while we live
Galatians 5:22-23. But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.
Another wet morning, without even a hopeful ray of sunshine! Steups! But thankfully, there’s no precipitation currently descending from on high! (smile) Ah friends, the gloom persists, but as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we have all we need to handle it. And to boot, we can also truthfully declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24)
And we would indeed be foolish if we did not enjoy this extra day the Lord has granted us on His great earth. And yes, every day we’re here is an extra day, so be wise and enjoy it and live obediently for Christ, do the work God has entrusted to you!
For we each have a purpose and a plan of God for this earthly life. Our God doesn’t move vie-ke-vie; in a careless, unplanned manner, so each day we’re down here means we still have work to do under His awesome, gracious, merciful and LOVING plan. So let’s get to it nuh!
And it being Saturday, we will take a look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first quote says: ‘The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.’
And that’s oh so true! But unfortunately very few of us ever get to truly live the life of our dreams, because life is such a series of ups and downs, and none of us ever experience any downs in our dream life. (smile)
The fact is that most of us have unreasonable dreams, and even with the reasonable ones, we’re not willing to work towards them. Now dreams are important in this life, but until we’re willing to action them, they will always remain dreams.
And the next quote tells us: ‘Live life to the fullest, and focus on the positive.’ Now that ought to be motto of the Christian believer! Christ said: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10b) What’s the point of having abundant life and not enjoying it to the fullest eh? It would only make Christ’s sacrifice a waste down.
But to enjoy our lives, we also have to focus on the positive aspects, especially of Christ’s teaching, because the negative aspects of the world only beat and break us down.
And the last quote says: ‘Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.’ Now that is gospel truth my brethren! In fact, death is not a loss of life at all, for believers it’s only a journey from one realm to the other, and even more importantly it’s from a short, finite and rough earthly life, to a long and glorious infinite eternal life. So we don’t suffer a loss of life at all, but move up to a higher, spiritual one.
The problem is the stuff that dies inside of us while we’re living this earthly life. We’re talking about stuff like, hope, faith, joy, LOVE, mercy, forgiveness, empathy, self-control and self-discipline; the attributes of God we need to live a faithful and fruitful life; things we call the fruit of the Spirit.
Thus our Bit: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’
Yes my believing brethren, those are the things we want alive and well in all of us, so that we can live the life Jesus died for us to have, and to do His work. Unless those things are reigning in our lives we’ll be unable to live good, Christian, fruitful lives like Jesus desires of us.
The Holy Spirit of God dwells in each believer, and is there for the express purpose of leading and guiding us in God-filled lives. That means we have to follow the Spirit’s direction if we want to live successful Christian lives.
As Bruh Paul so astutely continues: ‘And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (its passions). If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.’ (Gal.5:24-25)
Now here are a few explanations from the scholars: ‘5:22-23. The word fruit is significant for three reasons (1) It means the result, 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 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 virtues in the believer’s life overnight.
LOVE is the willing, sacrificial giving of oneself for the benefit of another without thought of return. Joy is gladness of heart. Peace is tranquility of mind, freeing one from worry and fear. Long-suffering is patience with others, the opposite of a short temper, a disposition quietly bearing injury.
Gentleness is kindness. Goodness is generosity. Faith here is dependability. Meekness is gentleness, that is, courtesy and consideration in one’s relations with others. Temperance is self-control, that is, the ability to harness and control one’s passions and lusts.’
And there you have it friends, ‘the Fruit of the Spirit Lecture 101!’ (smile) Yes, I know it’s not easy to cultivate all those wonderful attributes, especially with the world on our back to do differently, but with the help of the Holy Spirit we can certainly work towards them and be fairly successful if we set our minds to it.
Remember, as believers in Christ, we are done with carnal fleshly matters, and are supposed to live by the Spirit of Christ imbued in us. So let’s do that nuh, and consequently fulfill Bruh Paul’s desire: ‘Let us not be desirous of vain glory (conceited), provoking one another, envying one another.’ (Gal.5:26). Much LOVE!
…to grow good fruit…we have to sow good seed…
24 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a grain of faith, a mustard seed, a reprieve, adversity, blessings, Christ-like, Christians, coexist, comfortable position, confirm, confirmed by Christ, covenant partners, diaspora, do our part, establish, eyes fixed straight ahead, faithfulness, fall short, fellowship, flood, from glory to glory, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God is faithful, good to me, goodness, grateful, hands on the plough, in everything, infinite wisdom, knowledge, LOVE Revolution, loving kindness, mature us, more than we can handle, not looking back, peace, picked up the baton, praise his holy name, reassuring words, recuperate, settle, sickness, spiritual gift, spread His Word, strengthen, suffered a while, suffering, testify, testimony of Christ, thank my God, the breath of life, the God of all grace.grace, throne on high, through the fire, utterance, Wednesday Wail, ye are enriched
1 Peter 5:10. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm) strengthen, settle you.
Oh friends, oh friends, a reprieve, a reprieve! Yes the ole fella’s been granted a reprieve! He’s not going home today as originally planned! Glory be! The good Lord looked down from His throne on high and apparently saw that I was not doing, recuperating as well or as fast as expected, and in His infinite wisdom and abundant goodness and LOVING-kindness granted me a few more days in this paradise called Jamdown (Jamaica)!
Wow! Praise His holy name my people because He is such a wonderful deity who comes through for you when you least expect it. Ah friends, it’s like Jesus said, all you need is a grain of faith as small as a mustard seed and you’ll be able to move mighty mountains. (Matt.17:20)
And it was indeed a small seed that was planted. A few days ago the idea of extending our stay suddenly flitted into my thoughts and I shared it with the duchess. Then unbeknownst to me, she picked up the baton and ran with it. Between her and our two daughters they made it a reality.
Oh my people, the Lord’s been so good to me, how can I not LOVE Him with all my heart, mind and body, be eternally grateful, testify to His amazing faithfulness, help spread His Word and seek to maximize His LOVE Revolution? I would be exceedingly ungrateful if I did anything less, and He would be quite right to cut me off.
And if you’re wondering why and how come the Bit is so early today, as always, with the ole fella the answers are invariably simple. (smile) I got up around five to go to the bathroom, then went back to bed. However, after an unsuccessful half an hour of trying to find a comfortable position for back, knees and elbows to coexist so I could fall asleep again, I just decided to get up and begin the day earlier than expected.
Ah Lord eh friends! The things we are asked to go through in our later years! (smile) But I’ll gladly put up with them in return for the many blessings I’m currently enjoying.
And my faithful brethren, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate Bit for today than these most reassuring words of Peter to the scattered diaspora of Christians in the early days of our faith. ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm) strengthen, settle you.’
What a wonderful God we serve my fellow believers! After allowing us to go through the fire, the flood and whatever adversity He might deem appropriate to move us from glory to glory, to mature us and make us more Christlike, He will eventually settle us down, strengthen and establish us.
Mama Mia! Let’s hope that’s what He is doing with me right now yes, because I really don’t feel up to any more sickness and suffering at the present time. I need a break from it, so I can recuperate properly and thus be able to handle the next round with a good attitude. But I’m not really worried because I know the Lord doesn’t give us more than we can handle, so whatever He allows to come against me, He will help me to overcome.
Remember friends, we are covenant partners with the Lord, and whatever we can’t handle, He’ll step in and control. That’s the awesome benefit of partnering; what one can’t do the other will. But remember too that we first have to do OUR part, or the Lord will not step in to help.
Now listen to these majestic and most reassuring words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians on the subject of grace and being called and confirmed by Christ. ‘Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your behalf (concerning you), for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind (short) in no (spiritual) gift; waiting for the coming (revelation) of our Lord Jesus Christ; Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.13-9)
Oh my people, we are like those Corinthians; granted grace and peace through Christ, brought into and everlasting union with Him and strong communion with each other. So let us enjoy it all and work diligently and excellently to preserve and spread it nuh, so that at Jesus’ return we might be found blameless. For whatever God has promised to those who believe in His Son, He will fulfill.
Now let’s go home declaring (Steups! Spelt it wrong again!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our exact position in Christ Jesus. In true sincerity and strong sense of purpose: ‘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 that’s a future we can’t even begin to imagine! Much LOVE!
…and am I ever glad…in fact ecstatic…to be alive…on this bright and sunny day…hope you are too…
08 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a formidable task, a land that flows with milk and honey, all Christians hands on deck, aura of love, blessings, brought us into this place, Canadian, Christ's love Revolution, confidence, drunk or sober, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fellowship, fomenting, forgiveness, friends, generous help, given us this land, glorious kingdom, glory to God, Granny's warning, hope, Jesus Christ, joy, keep God first place, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, mind yuh business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, offering succour to the stranger, peace, pushed God out, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, righteousness., salvation, sending portions to the poor, society runs 24/7, spiritual armour, staying on the straight and narrow path, sunk as deep in the mire, thanksgiving, the fruits of our labour, the fruits of our prosperity, the Holy Spirit, The Israelites, the Worker Bee, this is the day the Lord has made, trust, truth, ungodly world, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wide and destructive path, wisdom
Deuteronomy 26:9. And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
Yes my people, it’s Thanksgiving Day in Canada! Glory to God! As the psalmist says: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) In fact, all weekend we’ve been celebrating and doubly rejoicing. Why? Because we have been obeying the Lord’s ordinance, as delivered to the Israelites by Moses, bringing the fruits of our prosperity to offer it before the Lord, sending portions to the poor and offering succour to the stranger!
And why wouldn’t we eh my brethren when ‘He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.’ And does this great land of Canada ever flow with milk and honey? It surely does, because we are living so much better than most of the world. Oh, like everyone else, we have our problems, but thankfully we have not sunk as deep in the mire as some of the other countries around.
We have not pushed God out of our society as much as they have. But if we continue on the wide and destructive path we’re currently on, we will eventually get like them. And the only thing that will stop us is by concentrating on staying on the straight and narrow path of Jesus; fomenting His LOVE Revolution, and thus keeping God first place in our society. And to do that successfully, we need all Christian hands on deck because it’s a formidable task, and no one else can do it, or is even interested in doing so.
Hn! Looks like I’ve preached the Sermon before the preamble. (smile) Anyway, the Holy Spirit knows where it’s leading me. And let’s not forget that today is Monday; the day so many of us LOVE to hate. And Glory be! It’s a holiday in this great land, therefore many of us won’t be going out to labour today…
And I hear a great groan from those who have to go to work because our modern society runs 24/7. But as always, we do have the cure for your Monday Blues. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! And it does work. So let’s get to it nuh…with whatever enthusiasm you can muster.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And all God’s people continued with a loud, hearty and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’ as they feel their spirits miraculously lifted and their minds and bodies become more alert. Oh friends, that’s the power of the Holy Spirit; the worker bee of the Holy Trinity! And if we’re wise, we’ll pay more attention to Him as He tries to guide us in godly fashion, moment by moment.
And as always, the loudest and most raucous voices belong to those not going to work and have been deeply involved in the celebrations. And before I forget, for all you celebrators, Granny’s warning is a must this weekend. Don’t care if yuh tired hearing it, but it will protect your soul! Sonny Boy; drunk or sober, please mind your business!
Now getting back to the Thanksgiving story, here is some interesting scripture the Israelites were told by Moses to say and do after they had presented their offering of first fruits. ‘And now, behold I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.’ (Deut.26:10-11)
Yes friends, it’s our God-given right to enjoy the fruits of our labour with the poor and the stranger in our midst, but only after we have given the Lord His share first. Remember, EVERYTHING belongs to the Lord, and it’s only through His grace and LOVING-kindness that we are able to get wealth and become prosperous. So for those of us not going to work today, let’s rejoice and celebrate in the gifts God has blessed us with, but also remember to share our blessings with the less fortunate. Much LOVE!
…give thanks to the Lord…for His goodness endures forever…
24 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a happy camper, above the heavens, aura of love, blessings, communicating, confidence, crowded sidewalks, dislikes change, dominion, enthusiasm, essence of our universe, eternal life, evil, faith, fire, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's help, grace, grin and bear it, hail, holy spirit, hope that with time, how excellent is thy name, human animal, in all the earth, Jesus Christ, joy, let me count the ways, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, most powerful force, mother's li'l helper, new beginnings, new possibilities, no job security, O Lord our Lord, oh how I love thee, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, same old, set thy glory, simple prayer, slaving, snow, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Creator of the universe, the weekend, to make ends meet, traffic jams, trust, turned topsy-turvy, ungodly world, uprooted, upset the status quo, weary souls, wisdom, work drudgery
Psalm 8:1. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
‘Monday, Monday! Oh how I LOVE thee! Let me count the ways!’ Ah friends, the ole fella’s not crazy, just somewhat eccentric. (smile) There’s just something I like about Mondays – it hints at new beginnings, new possibilities. Like you’ve wrapped up one section over the weekend, and another is about to start on Monday’s.
Hn! The problem with some of us is that we don’t like new beginnings or possibilities, because they upset the status quo, and the human animal dislikes change, doesn’t want his or her life to be uprooted or turned topsy-turvy too often.
On the other hand, Monday reminds some of us of the same old, same old; the same old work drudgery, endless traffic jams, crowded sidewalks and elevators, and slaving for never enough money to make ends meet, with little or no job security, and sometimes at more than one job too.
That obviously will not make you a happy camper, but you don’t have much choice, so you’ll just have to grin and bear it and hope that with time, and God’s help, it will improve…and substantially too.
And that brings us to our mother, or father’s li’l helper (smile) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Ah friends, it’s only simple prayer; but remember that prayer is the most powerful force in the universe, and it’s also our main method of communicating with the Creator of that universe. So if we pray the right way, for the right things, under the right circumstances, we’re guaranteed that our prayers will be answered.
And our Monday Morning Battle Hymn meets all of those conditions, that’s why it works…every time! So let’s get down to brass tacks here now nuh, and declare it in unison, with heartfelt sincerity. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And I can see by the brightening of your countenance and the new spring in your step that our antidote for all Monday ills worked! Glory to our great God! That’s why Bruh David could shout out our Bit from Psalm 8: ‘O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who has set thy glory above the heavens.’
Ah friends, the Creator of our universe is indeed a mighty Deity, but also one overflowing with tender LOVE! Listen to Bruh David later on in Psalm 8: ‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest (pay attention to, or care for) him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.’ (Ps.8:3-6)
And right in those few words my brethren, we have the basic essence of our universe: the great spiritual Being we call God created it for His pleasure, spoke it into being through the power of His words. Then He created us from the dust of the ground and His breath of life so that we could have sincere communion with Him.
Note how important we are to Him, that He made us just a little lower than His heavenly host, but way above and in charge of all His other creations. And all He has done, is doing, and will do on our behalf stems from His great and wonderful, unconditional and never-ending LOVE for us!
Consequently, the psalmist could declare that all creation ought to praise the Lord. ‘Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons (sea creatures), and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word. Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent (exalted); his glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn (strength or dominion) of his people, the praise of all his saints; even the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!)’ (Ps.148:7-14)
Yes friends, the entire universe ought to praise and exalt our gracious, merciful, mighty and LOVING God! Unfortunately my brethren, that’s not the way it is in our depraved world, so let’s go out and do our best to make it so nuh, because if we don’t, who else will eh? Much LOVE!
…O Lord our Lord…how excellent is thy name…in all the earth… (Ps.8:9)
23 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afflictions, amazing benefits, assurance, autobiography, boundless faith, Charles H Gabriel, Civilla D Martin, clouds arise, confidence, cripple, deepest recesses, Doolittle, doubts, draw closer to Jesus, Ethel Waters, fall to the ground, fear ye not, fears, first day of autumn, God's house, gospel hymn, gospel truth, Grammy Hall of fame, He watches me, His eye is on the sparrow, hurting heart, I sing, I was gald, I'm free, I'm happy, inspiration, into the house of the Lord, joy, Kirk Franklin, let us go, LOVE, Mahalia Jackson, more value, not one of them, peace, Praise the Lord, reassurance, rejoice, saints of God, sets me free, sold for a farthing, tempted, the eyes of heaven, the hairs of your head, the Lord reigns supreme, the Lord's sanctuary, the totem pole, two cents worth, two sparrows, without your Father, ye righteous
Matthew 10:29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father.
‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps.122:1) Oh what a wonderful idea that is this Sunday morning my brethren, the first day of autumn in the abnormal year of 2018! Bruh David was ever so glad for that invitation to go to the Lord’s sanctuary because he knew the amazing benefits it produced.
And going to God’s house still produces wonderful benefits to this day my people! Where else can you get the peace and joy, confidence and reassurance that come from a session of praise and thanksgiving, and hearing the Lord’s word being read and feeling it seeping into the deepest recesses of your hurting heart? Nowhere else friends, but in a place where the Lord reigns supreme!
And today we’re going to open with a Gospel Hymn written in 1905 by Civilla D. Martin and composer Charles H. Gabriel. ‘It is most associated with actress singer Ethel Waters who used the title for her autobiography. Mahalia Jackson’s recording of the song was honoured with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2010.’ Most of us though, might be more familiar with the Kirk Franklin version of a few years ago. And the name of that revered and moving song is ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow.’
So without further ado, let’s reach deep down into our souls and produce a real soulful version that will bring tears to the eyes of heaven. As one now: ‘Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me
(Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.) “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, and resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. (Refrain: I sing…)
Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise, When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw closer to Him, from care he sets me free; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. (Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.’ (Repeat).
What a marvellous song my fellow believers! And it’s also filled with God-awesome truth! Everything it says is true! Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is constantly looking out for us, just like He’s doing for the sparrows of this world. And when life gets rough and tough we can simply go to Him and ask for comfort and reassurance…and we’ll get it. Glory to God!
The song was obviously inspired by words from the scriptures. Hear these reassuring words of Jesus in our Bit: ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.’ (Matt.10:29-31) That’s the gospel truth friends!
We are indeed more important than the birds of the air, as Jesus says earlier on: ‘Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?’ (Matt.6:26) Ah mih people, we are indeed higher up the totem pole that the birds and other animals, which the Lord looks after so faithfully, so why won’t He look after us in the same, or even better manner eh? No reason whatsoever! We just have to have faith, trust in and surrender our lives to Him.
Now listen to this testimony and let it uplift our lives, because only a few of us can, or will ever personally know this level of suffering. Civilla Martin, who wrote the lyrics, claimed this story as her inspiration. ‘Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle – true saints of God.
Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for night twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittle’s, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it.
Mrs. Doolittle’s reply was simple: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” was the outcome of that experience.’
And all God’s people declared a loud and proud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’ Yes friends, that is indeed what you call boundless faith! Not too many of us would go through such difficulties today with such aplomb, even though we now have many more amenities to alleviate that kind of suffering.
And Bruh David adds his two cents worth (smile) Of the Lord he says: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way in which thou shalt go: I will guide the with mine eye… Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps.32:8, 11)Yes friends, we couldn’t get any better advice on this the Lord’s Day, so let’s be wise and take it nuh. Much LOVE!
…man is God’s greatest creation…and He certainly treats us like such…
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