22 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a false start, a smile, a special gift from God, abhor that which is evil, aspires, bad blood, being obedient, believe, born to fail, Christ's Church, christianity, conduct, denominations, despair, dissimulation, disunity, ego, errands, eternal life, evil, faith, fear, floating through the day, follower of Jesus, free gift of salvation, genuine, grow successfully, habits, harmony, hate evil, he delivers them, hope, housework, hypocrisy, inspires, looking back, LOVE, much of nothing, positive action, positivity, reconciled, resentment, saints, Saturday, selfishness, success, surrendering, sync, the belief, the hand of the wicked, the Lord preserves the souls of his saints, the new day, trusting, truth, unfeigned love, unity, volitional caring, welcome every morning, ye that love the Lord, ying and yang
Psalm 97:10. Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
So friends, what have you got planned for your Saturday eh; housework and errands, or just lazily floating through the day, doing much of nothing, trying to get your ying and yang back into some kind of sync, after a hard week at work?
To be honest, I believe the last option is the preferable one, although the first might be the smarter and wiser of the two, since you’ll most likely have to do that housework and run those errands at some later date. But not to worry, rest and relaxation are absolutely necessary to renew your energy, so that you are able to do those household tasks and run the many errands without any problems. (smile)
Anyway, since it’s Saturday, let’s see if we can’t provoke some thought in our lazy minds by turning to a few quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Listen to this beauty nuh: ‘Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.’
Oh friends, I couldn’t give any better advice than that! And the sad part is that a lot of us know that advice quite well, but we simply don’t implement it. That leads to this quote: ‘Being positive or negative, are habits of thoughts that strongly affect your actions and your life.’ More indisputable truth my brethren!
And that brings up this gem: ‘Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.’
That is the positive aspect of life speaking there again, which brings us to this last quote. ‘Positive and negative are directions that lead to different outcomes. Which direction do you choose?’
And that’s the all-important question we must ask ourselves this Saturday morning: will we spend our lives being positive or negative, looking ahead with hope and faith, or with fear and despair? Unfortunately friends, no one can answer that question for us, we have to make a conscious decision for ourselves.
And I’d just like to add my two cents worth here: choosing the positive aspect of life is much better, especially if you are a believer in, and a follower of Jesus because that’s what His whole ministry is based on; positivity!
Not fearing, not looking back, trusting and surrendering, being obedient to one’s Creator, having faith in Jesus Himself, since He sacrificed His life on the cross so that you might have the option to be reconciled with the Father and receive the free gift of salvation and eternal life. Glory Be! And all you have to do is get positive and BELIEVE!
Now let’s look at our Bit, although I’m not sure how much time and space we have to devote to it. But here goes: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’
Now that’s positivity in spades my brethren! One can’t be more positive than surrendering one’s life to the Lord and putting all one’s trust in Him, based on those words of immortal truth!
Yesterday we looked at some corroborating scripture for the first section; ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil:’ Now I have one more significant scripture to add to those, this from Bruh Paul as he talks to the Romans about the service of LOVE to all. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.’ (Rom.12:9) And that’s exactly how a true Christian ought to behave!
Hear this explanation from the scholars. ‘12:9. Without dissimulation (lit. “without hypocrisy”). The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional caring for others (making a purposeful decision to do so), LOVING faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
Hn! I wonder how much genuine and unfeigned LOVE there is in the church today eh? Definitely not as much as there ought to be, otherwise there wouldn’t be so much disunity, resentment and bad blood amongst Christ’s supposed saints.
And this statistic is going to floor you, it certainly did when I heard Sister Joyce, (Joyce Meyer) recently declare that she looked up the number of denominations in Christianity and found some 33 thousand. Yes friends, thirty three thousand, broken down in all forms and fashions, and with various doctrines too! And then we wonder why Lucifer and his evil buddies are ruling the world.
Ah mih breddren, the long and short of the story is that until supposed believers learn to live together in harmony and unity, leaving all selfishness and ego behind, Christ’s church will not be as successful as it needs to be.
So please, let’s ponder that situation this morning nuh, and let’s all make a serious and binding decision to improve it in whatever way we can. That is, if we truly desire our children’s children to have a half decent life here on earth. Much LOVE!
…no organization can grow successfully and last for any length of time…unless there is unity and harmony amongst its members…
06 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, abundance, all things must pass, almighty god, anger, at nights, blessings, breathless, broken, cast our care, clear direction, conviction, courage, creativity, curse, deliverance from death, divine protection, eclipses, endure for a night, enthusiasm, exhaustion, faith, favour, fear, fiery trial, fulfillment, give thanks, God's goodness, good friends, good health, great family, healed me, His anger endures but a moment, hold on to God's promises, hope, I cried unto thee, I will extol thee, in His own time, in Jesus' name, in the daytime, in the morning, intimate details, joy comes in the morning, kept me alive, lay our burdens down, life, lifted me up, loving kindness, my foes, my soul, neck of the woods, negative word, one truth from the Bible, One Year Book of Bible promises, positive action, prayer, promotion, prosper, resolute assurance, Ruth Harms Calkin, saints, self-control, self-discipline, Sheol, sincerity, sing unto the Lord, spoken, stomping pain, strong will, struggle, succeed, success, supernatual wisdom, supernatural strength, talent, thanksgiving, the grave, the last vestiges of hope, the precursor to Friday, the remembrance of His holiness, Thursday Blessings, to rejoice, tomorrow, tough times, triumphantly, trust, twisting pain, unalterably true, utterly spent, weeping, wisdom, work out for our good, worth more than all man's wisdom
Psalm 30:5. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy (a shout of joy) cometh in the morning.
Thursday, oh Thursday! How beautiful you are in your own right! But sadly, you are simply considered the day before, the precursor to Friday, and thus your importance and natural beauty is denied. But don’t worry, because some of us do appreciate you for what you are – Thursday, and not merely the day before Friday.
Ah friends, it’s a beautiful Thursday morning in my neck of the woods, and we do appreciate Thursday for what it is. Now please check out this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is simply titled, ‘In the Morning.’
And it says: ‘Today, Lord I have an unshakeable conviction A positive resolute assurance That what You have spoken is unalterably true. But today, Lord My sick body feels stronger And the stomping pain quietly subsides.
Tomorrow… And then tomorrow If I must struggle again With aching exhaustion With twisting pain Until I am breathless Until I am utterly spent Until fear eclipses the last vestige of hope
Then, Lord Then grant me the enabling grace To believe without feeling To know without seeing To clasp Your invisible hand And wait with invincible trust For the morning.’
Ah mih people, how often do we prayer that kind of prayer eh, especially at nights, when fear seems to overtake us much more easily than in the daytime? We’re sick or troubled, and everything just seems so difficult from one day to the next.
But at least, as believers we know exactly where to go and lay our burdens down, where to cast our care, whom we can trust with the most intimate details of our lives – Almighty God, the One who made us and still cares for us. In tough times our faith must lead us to Him and nobody else.
And quite appropriately, the Bible verse for that poem is also our Bit, which comes from Psalm 30 – Bruh David’s thanksgiving for deliverance from death.
But before we get into our Bit, I think it’s important to hear the verses before it, how Bruh David began this wonderful psalm. He begins it obviously with thanksgiving, remembering God’s goodness.
‘I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave (Sheol – the place of the dead): thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit (grave).
Sing unto the Lord, O Ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness (holy name).For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy (a shout of joy) cometh in the morning.’ (Ps.30:1-5)
Yes my brethren, life does seem to hold much more sorrow in the nighttime, when it feels that our God has forsaken us. But as Bruh David says, the Lord’s anger doesn’t last very long, He always eschews life instead of death, and thus when the morning comes everything seems brighter.
Something about the daylight raises our faith to a higher level than at nights. I guess in the darkness it’s much harder to see, and thus more difficult to grasp the hand of God. But friends, we need to remember that all things must pass.
They might not pass as quickly or as smoothly as we desire, but if we hold on to that unbreakable faith and trust in our omnipotent God, then at some stage of the game, He will work it all out for our good.
Oh, I know that waiting on God’s timing under such difficult and painful circumstances is not easy, but what else are we going to do eh? No other supposed God has a better plan for our lives, so in wisdom, please, let’s hold on to the promises of our Creator, knowing that at the right time He will indeed come through for us.
Now let’s look at a couple of scripture verses from Isaiah, which reinforces the words of Bruh David. They deal with the Lord’s everlasting LOVE for Israel.
‘For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting (LOVING) kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.’ (Is.54:7-8)
Oh friends, though our God may occasionally get angry with us, His anger will not last forever, because He is basically a God of mercy and LOVING-kindness.
So please don’t be upset and give up, if it seems that He’s taking too long to come to your rescue. Just believe that He is walking by your side through the fiery trial, and in His own time, He will bring you safely through it. That’s what faith is all about.
Now let’s go home triumphantly declaring our Thursday Blessings…And who says Thursday is not important eh? It’s full of blessings. (smile)
And remember too that a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over some one. So as one now, with plenty enthusiasm and sincerity, faith and trust in Almighty God, let’s bless ourselves.
‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s go and put all those blessings into positive action, as Jesus desires of us, displaying heavenly wisdom. Much LOVE!
…one truth from the Bible…is worth more than all the wisdom of man…
12 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive attitude, a reserve of scriptures, Abraham, ambassadors for Christ, an anchor, antidote, aura of love, be strong and of a good courage, be strong in the power of God, blessed be the Lord, Christian behaviour, confidence, conquerors, dispositions, enthusiasm, evil, evil tide, faith, fear not, fellowship, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, I am helped, I will praise him with my song, invincible, Jesus Christ, Joshua, joy, lies, LOVE, make a difference, meditation, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my heart trusted in him, my supplications, nor be dismayed, peace, positive action, promise of God, reading God's Word, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, reward, salvation, Sarah's womb, spiritual armour, stand strong and steadfast, steadfast faith, taunts, TGIM! Thank God it's Monday!, The Lord is my strength, the sun stand still, truth, ungodly world, Venice, we reap what we sow, wiles, wisdom
Joshua 1:6a. Be strong and of a good courage…
And then it was Monday – the day that we all dread! However, a few hardy and smart souls were heard to declare ‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday and the new workweek begins! Thank God for Mondays yes!’
Ah friends, the numbers are only a few now, but every week they are growing, and sometime in the future the revolution will be accomplished. (smile)
Now here is an interesting quote from Renier Giustina Michiel (1755-1832), a Venetian noblewoman, who held one of the most vigorous literary salons in Venice. Her interests included literature, science, and local history and culture. And why I find it interesting is because it’s so apropos to what we’re talking about.
She says, ‘The world improves people according to the dispositions they bring into it.’ And that’s gospel truth my brethren. Those of us who are happy to see Monday come around, obviously do better, especially on a Monday, than those who are sour and displeased about it.
As the renowned principle declares: we only reap what we sow. So if we sow complaining and dissatisfaction, that is what we’ll get on the other side. Meanwhile an agreeable and positive attitude will bring an agreeable and positive reward.
Anyway, we have the antidote for our negative Monday morning attitude, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s sing it without further ado, putting our all into it, so that Jesus, our choirmaster will be pleased.
As one 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!’
Now that wasn’t bad at all friends! A beautiful smile lit up Jesus’ handsome face, which means He was obviously pleased with today’s rendition.
So, having our engines revving and running smoothly, please lets get out and show the world what true Christian behaviour ought to be like, be good, worthwhile ambassadors for our wonderful Lord and Saviour.
And it all jives with out Bit: ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’
Yes my people, in these turbulent and unsettled times, believers need to stand strong and steadfast in their faith, otherwise the enemy will just beat us down without remorse. And the best way to do that is to have a reserve of appropriate scriptures lined up to declare when the going gets rough.
Let’s check out some of them nuh, starting with Joshua, when he addressed the Israelites after they defeated the Amorites, that time the Lord made the sun stand still so that they could complete their victory. (Josh.10:12-14)
‘And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of a good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.’ (Josh.10:25)
Oh friends, that same scripture applies to us today! The Lord our great and mighty God will fight for us against our enemies, once we stand strong and steadfast in our faith.
Now hear Bruh David from Psalm 28 – A prayer for God’s help. ‘Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ (Ps.28:6-7)
Yes mih people, Jehovah God is indeed our protector! There’s none like Him: neither in might, power nor grace! And we’d be foolish to place our trust anywhere else.
And we’ll end with these words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, re God’s promise to Abraham of a multitude of descendants from his own loins. ‘And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:
He staggered (wavered) not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.’ (Rom.4:19-21)
Oh friends, that is the kind of faith we need in these last days! We need to be totally convinced that whatever our great God promises, He is able to deliver, regardless of the circumstances! Otherwise we’re without an anchor to keep us steady, and can be easily washed away by the evil tide that’s currently controlling our world.
So please, let’s develop that faith nuh, by reading God’s Word, meditating on it, praying for His strength and guidance, and doing our best to put it all into positive action, so that we can make a positive and meaningful difference in our world. Much LOVE!
…be strong in the power of God…our Creator…our Provider…and our strong fortress…
02 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of righteousness, a didived house cannot stand, a positive approach to life, Anselm, belief, blessed are the undefiled, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it, blessed is he that readeth, blessed is the womb that bare thee, Christians, earthly pilgrimage, eyes fixed on the prize, faith, for the time is at hand, forgiveness, giving thanks, Glory be, glory hallelujah, glory to God, hope, hope-building people, I am halfway home, I want to be in that number, I'm not turning back, I'ms so glad to be alive, Im not looking back at the past, it's a brand new day, keep those things which are written therein, life-changing content, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, oh when the saints go marching in, perseverance, positive, positive action, positive vision, read our names in the obits, read the Good Book, rejoicing, rewards in heaven, running our race of glory, seeing Jesus in heaven, spreading God's Word, the BIBLE, the breath of life, thepaps which thou hast sucked, they that hear the words of this prophecy, this is the day the Lord has made, to a glorious future with Jesus, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, welcome thou good and faithful servant, who walk in the law of the Lord, witness, witness to unbelievers
Revelation 1:3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Oh my people it’s a brand new day! Glory be! That means there are things for us to do, plans for us to accomplish in the Lord’s name, otherwise we would have read our names in the obits this morning. (smile) Oh glory to God for being such a wonderful Saviour and Provider!
So let’s proclaim, as the psalmist did: ‘This is the day the Lord has made. We WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
Yes friends, every day that we’re alive should be one of rejoicing and giving thanks and praise for all that we enjoy. But to do that we have to do one thing in particular; develop a positive approach to life and dwell therein.
And we have a two for one offer today on the subject from our Friend Anselm, who always tries to inspire us to have a better tomorrow. The first quote says: ‘In order to carry a positive action we must develop a positive vision.’ That’s oh so true my people, we can’t do positive stuff unless we have a positive outlook.
And the second quote gives us some insight into how to accomplish the ‘positivity’ in our lives. ‘You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by reading and listening to positive, life-changing content, and by associating with encouraging and hope-building people.’
What glorious truth my brethren! We can only become positive and stay positive by reading positive stuff and associating with positive, hope-filled people on a regular basis. And the most positive book in the world is the Bible! And the most positive people ought to be Christians!
So what does that tell us eh? That we ought to read the Bible regularly and associate with Christians to a great extent.
Now we can’t only associate with Christians, otherwise we’d lose opportunities to witness to the unbelievers, both by word and deed, and personal witnessing is one of our great tools for spreading God’s Word.
And to help us stay in a positive mode and frame of mind, let’s do what we do on Wednesdays nuh; that is proclaim our Wednesday Wail. Altogether 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!’
Oh my people, my people, what a wise and wonderful way to look at life! We’re not looking back, but ahead, running our race of glory with our eyes fixed on the prize of one day seeing Jesus in heaven, having Him place a crown of righteousness on our heads and enthusiastically saying: ‘Welcome thou good and faithful servant!’
Nothing can be sweeter or more worthwhile than that my fellow believers! But to have that wonderful encounter in heaven, we need to do certain things down here on earth. And our Bit says it all: ‘Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.’
Yes friends, we desperately need to follow that dictate. Remember the scholars told us yesterday that our Bit has a three-part condition to it: we need to READ the Good Book, then HEAR or UNDERSTAND it, and finally KEEP or OBEY it! Yes my brethren, that’s the magic formula for piling up rewards in heaven and being welcomed by a beaming Christ at the end of our earthly pilgrimage!
Well, in truth, there is nothing magical to it, but more a lot of things like hope and faith and belief, forgiveness, LOVE and perseverance. Those are the essentials for obtaining our eventual goal, of one day being welcomed by Christ in heaven.
Now let us look at some scriptures that corroborate our Bit. And there’s no better way to begin than with the words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. One day, while explaining to His listeners that a divided house cannot stand, the Good Book tells us.
‘And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company (crowd) lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked (the breasts which nursed thee). But he said, Yea, rather (more than that) blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.’ (Luke 11:27-28)
And the scholars have an interesting explanation on those verses.’11:27-28. These verses are unique to Luke. They show that spiritual relationship with Jesus is more important than family ties, and that blessedness is a matter of both hearing and doing God’s word.’
Oh friends, we can never overstate the importance of reading, hearing and doing God’s Word!
Now let’s end with the opening passage from Psalm 119 – ALEPH – The Lord’s judgements are righteous. ‘Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.’ (Ps.119:1-3)
Yes my precious people, that’s gospel truth! So today, and everyday henceforth, let’s show our wisdom by doing what it says nuh. That way we can be assured of a great welcome in heaven by Jesus and all the saints. Much LOVE!
…oh when the saints…go marching in…oh when the saints go marching in…oh Lord…I want to be in that number…when the saints go marching in…
30 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pilot light, a spark of fire, absolute truth, act wisely, all praise and glory to God, all those things will pass, allergies, at the revelation of Jesus Christ, balmy shores, Baltimore, breathe easier, burst into flame, calamitous, Chile, Christian, complaining, dedication, disastrous state of our world, disciple, earthquake, elixir of sleep, Ethel Barrymore, Europe, first lady, frustrating, gird up the loins of your mind, glory to God, God will work everything out for good, good future, grin and bear it, grinning like a Cheshire cat, he that took me out of the womb, heartache, hope, hope to the end for grace, I will hope continually, imagery, internal muse, it takes fewer muscles to laugh than to cry, Jesus way, last day of April, laugh at yourself, laughter, lends hope and meaning to life, marvellous Saviour Jesus, Mediterranean ocean, mental and spiritual intoxication, migrants, Nepal, never to give up, old-timers, outward conduct, pain, perspective, positive action, practicing what I preach, proclaiming god's righteousness, righteousness., riots, sadness, salvation, Second Advent, spring into action, tempestuous, thou didst make me hope, Thursday, torment, truth, turbulent, volcano eruption, wars and rumours of war, when I was upon my mother's breast, while there's life there's hope, wisdom of heaven, you grow up
Psalm 22:9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.
Aye Friends welcome to this turbulent, tempestuous Thursday morning, the last day of April! It was just one of those nights. I don’t understand it myself. I went to bed a few minutes later than usual, but also got up several times during the night and couldn’t go back to sleep, couldn’t find a comfortable spot to set my aching body so that that beautiful elixir sleep could overtake it.
I guess many of you old-timers experience that at one time or the other. But it’s definitely frustrating, especially when you fall asleep at the time to get up. But you know what Friends?
It’s all a part of living this earthly life. And when you have that marvelous Saviour of ours, Jesus, walking with you, you can afford to grin and bear it, because you know that He knows what you’re going through, since He went through some serious pain and torment Himself, and that eventually He will work everything out for your good.
Glory to God, my people!
And as an adjunct to that, listen to this quote attributed to Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959), the screen and theatre actress, member of the prominent American Barrymore family of actors, whose distinctive style made her the ‘first lady’ of the American theatre. Ethel is reputed to have said: ‘You grow up the day you have the first real laugh – at yourself.’
And isn’t that the truth my brethren! Until we learn to laugh at ourselves, our mistakes, our troubles and our good times, we’ll never conquer the internal muse that tends to lead us to sadness and heartache and complaining whenever things don’t go our way.
As my One Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness reminds us: ‘It takes fewer muscles to laugh than to cry. We’ll breathe easier and deeper, and we’ll be much more content when we laugh… for laughter helps us to put things into perspective. It lends HOPE and meaning to life.’
And that’s the absolute truth Friends! But there are some things that we just can’t laugh at, like the destructive and disastrous state of our world. In the past couple weeks we’ve had hundreds of migrants drowning in the Mediterranean ocean, heading for the perceived balmy shores of Europe, in search of a better life than the calamitous one they had left behind.
Then there was the sudden eruption of a dormant volcano in Chile, combined with riots in Baltimore and a devastating earthquake in Nepal. Hn! And that doesn’t take into account the numerous wars and rumours of war, the seemingly never-ending strife that’s going on all over God’s beautiful planet.
Ah Lord eh! What a mess we’ve made of this wonderful Earth! But Friends, as we keep saying, while there is life, there is always HOPE!
That’s because our Creator has instilled that wonderful emotion in us from day one, as declared by Bruh David in our Bit. ‘But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.’
Yes my people, our great God knew the plans, the good future He had in store for us, so He made us with that little something termed HOPE, which causes us never to give up, never to simply lie down and die when times get rough, but to always have a spark of fire, like a pilot light going in our souls.
Now that’s a very good description of HOPE there my Friends, never thought of it before. But a pilot light never goes out, it just keeps burning quietly in the background; always ready to burst into flame when it’s needed. That’s the way HOPE operates in our souls; always there ready to burst into positive action, even though the surrounding circumstances might indicate differently.
So Friends, I’m here grinning like a Cheshire cat, because to muddy the waters even more, my allergies seem to have chosen this particular time to act up. There’s been a steady stream of sneezing and blowing for the last few minutes. But I’m practicing what I preach; I’m just grinning and bearing it all, because I know that all those things will eventually pass, fade away! All praise and glory to God!
Now let’s see what the scriptures have in store for us today, re that invigorating and renewing feeling called HOPE. And what better way to start than with these encouraging words of the psalmist, as he prays for help in old age.
‘But I will HOPE continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. My mouth shall show forth (proclaim) thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers (limits) thereof.’ (Ps.71:14-15)
Yes Friends, that’s exactly how believers are expected to behave; always HOPING, and always proclaiming God’s righteousness!
Now listen to Peter, the rock, in his call to Christian dedication. ‘Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind (prepare your mind for action), be sober, and HOPE to the end for the grace (rest your HOPE fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ (1 Pet.1:13)
What marvellous advice my people!
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘1:13. The exhortation to set one’s HOPE involves an inward resolution. Gird up the loins of your mind: The imagery is that of personal discipline and outward conduct. Be sober (Gr. nephontes): Be free of every sort of mental and spiritual intoxication. The revelation of Jesus Christ is the Second Advent when Jesus returns to earth to set up his kingdom.’
Now Friends, it’s time for us to ponder all that we’ve heard this morning, to digest it, then act wisely on it all. That’s the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…gird up the loins of your mind…then spring into action…it’s the Jesus way…
24 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abednego, abide in me and I in you, affections, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, anxiety, basking in hot temperatures, bring forth fruit, Bruh Paul, bundling up in winter coats, circumspection, cling to Jesus, come unto me, crucified the flesh, Daniel, deceitful, difficult and distressing times, envying one another, faithfulness, fear, fellowship, Friday chant, friends, generous help, get relief from your pain, God is a good god, God is ever-faithful, God won't burden us with more than we can bear, goodness, gospel truth, grace, help, I am meek and lowly in heart, I am the vine, I can do all things through Christ, I will give you rest, in Jesus' name, indisputable truth, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the answer, joy, kindness, lay them at the feet of Jesus, learn from me, like super glue, live in the Spirit, long-sufferng, LOVE, lusts, meekness, men plan while God laughs, Meshach, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, no threat of snow, our sufficency is of God, passions, peace, positive action, provoking one another, rejoice, relaxation, rest, running around half naked, self-control, sensible thing, shadrach, succour, sufficent of ourselves, summer accoutrements, take my yoke upon you, temperance, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the best laid plans of men and mice, the fruit of the spirit, the great invitation, the lion's den., times of need, truth, vain glory, walk in the Spirit, what a bam bam, which strengtheneth me, wisdom, wise, wishful thinking, without me you can do nothing, worry, ye are the branches, ye shall find rest unto your souls
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Aye Friends, as the old people would say, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray, and also, men plan while God laughs. I wanted to get up early, write the Bit and do some other stuff before the morning was finished. Hn! But obviously that was only wishful thinking. (smile)
And remember too, how a couple weeks ago when we were basking in temperatures in the upper teens and low twenties, when people were running around half naked, and all the summer accoutrements were being rolled out to enjoy it? Well that has all been reversed, without any warning either.
We’re lucky if we can get up into the high single digits now in the day time, and we’re back to bundling up in our winter coats. What a bam bam eh?
But Friends, let’s at least be thankful for one mercy; the sun is shining brightly this Friday morning and there’s no threat of snow in the offing.
So let’s rejoice, as we are wont to do, by declaring: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes! The weekend’s here and labouring soon finish for another week! Our God is a good God, and He won’t give us more than we can handle! Let’s say it again: Thank God it’s Friday yes!’
Oh Friends, our God is indeed a wonderful Deity and He won’t burden us with more than we can bear, for that just doesn’t make any sense. Instead He helps us to bear our heavy loads, and invites us in His Great Invitation to come to Him for help and succour in times of need.
‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, what a magnificent offer and invitation! And since we know that God is ever-faithful, and keeps all His promises, this morning I implore all who are bearing heavy burdens, to come and lay them at the feet of Jesus and get relief from your pain, your worry, your fear and your anxiety.
That’s the wise and sensible thing to do, especially in these difficult and distressing times. No one else can even promise such things, much less keep the promise: ONLY JESUS CAN!
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant to get us in the right mood, the right perspective to handle the short but oh so volatile weekend. 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 people, we do have to handle the weekend with some circumspection, else we’ll be no good to God, or ourselves come Monday morning. And it all begins and ends with the faithful promise of our Bit. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’
Glory be, my people! With God’s help we can walk through fire like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and come out without even smelling of smoke. (Dan.3:20-30) And like Daniel, we can rest in the lion’s den without even one hair being plucked from our heads. (Dan. 6:14-23)
No wonder Bruh Paul made this bold and factual statement to the Corinthians in his second missive to them. ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor.3:5) And that is the gospel, gospel truth my brethren!
Now hear Jesus tell it to the disciples, and ultimately to us. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 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.’ (John 15:4-5)
And that Friends, is the indisputable truth! Without Christ we can do little or nothing at all! That’s why it is ever so important for us to believe in Him and cleave, cling to Him like super glue (smile) if we want to do good and useful stuff in this godless and evil world.
And we’ll end today with a reminder of the kinds of stuff Jesus is talking about when He refers to us bearing fruit. Listen to Bruh Paul expatiate on the subject to the Galatians. (smile)
‘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. 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. Let us not be desirous of vain glory (be deceitful), provoking one another, envying one another.’ (Gal.5:22-26)
Oh Friends, what a wonderful way to end today’s message! Please, let’s take it all to heart and go out and put it into positive action, in Jesus’ name.
And all God’s people declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’ Much LOVE my brethren!
…remember …for whatever ails us…whatever we need…whatever we desire…whatever the problem…Jesus IS the indisputable answer…
18 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ambassadors, autumn colours, behaviour, Christians, depravity, destruction, dictates of Lucifer, different, don't give up, don't quit, drink water, exception than the rule, external circumstances, faithful believers, faithful promises of God, famine, flood, flurry of excitement, forgiveness, free offerings, George Elliston, give you an earful, gospel truth, greeted with a smile, harvest, heaven, How beautiful a day can be, hunger, Israel, Jesus, kindness, leaven, LOVE, magnanimous god, mercy, negative response, Noah, perverseness, positive action, return to the God of our fathers, rip off your head, sacrifice of thanksgiving, sad commentary, sad state of affairs, satisfied, selfish society, strife, the ark, the Good Book, tithes, too late, touched by kindness, want, war, when kindness tuches it, wisdom bounden duty, withholden the rain, yet you have not returned to me
Amos 4:6B. …yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
Oh Friends, I don’t know what the weather will be like this Saturday morning nuh, it’s been somewhat miserable, rainy and cloudy, the last few days. But I can assure you that the autumn colours of the dying leaves are very beautiful and varied as they always are.
What an anomaly eh? The leaves are dying, but in their death, they are even more colourful than in life. Likewise my people, regardless of the external circumstances surrounding us, we also have the ability to improve them by our behaviour.
And here is a quote that enlightens us on that subject and certainly brightens up, enlarges and expands our day with little effort on our part – well sometimes with plenty. (smile) It comes from the American journalist George Elliston (1883-1946), and says: ‘How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it.’
And that my people is gospel, gospel truth! Our lives do light up when we are either touched by the kindness of others, or we touch others with our kindness! Unfortunately though, in our busy and selfish society nowadays, kindness is more the exception rather than the rule it’s supposed to be, and once was. And that is definitely a sad commentary on the type of society we have morphed into.
Oh Friends, most of us who are getting up there in age will certainly remember the good old days, when people were generally kind and friendly, when you could go almost anywhere and be assured of a fairly decent reception, of being greeted with a smile or a kind word. Not so nowadays, they’re more likely to rip off your head and give you an earful.
The world we currently live in is all about first person singular; me, myself and I. But as faithful believers, ambassadors for Christ, we’re called to be different, just like Jesus was different! Remember, we’re supposed to be only IN the world, not OF it. (John 17:15-16) That means we’re supposed to show kindness, LOVE, mercy and forgiveness, the way our magnanimous God showers them on us.
And I’m truly amazed at the negative response some people have to kindness. As I keep telling my family, how you feel towards me is not as important as how you treat me. I want to see positive action, not positive words and negative actions. Anyway Friends, the times we’re living in right now, certainly do resemble the days of depravity and perverseness back in old Israel, and the Lord ended up punishing them.
Listen to the Good Book. ‘Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after (every) three years (or days): And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish (announce) the free offerings: for this liketh you (you love), O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God. And I also have given you cleanness of teeth (hunger) in all your cities, and want (lack) of bread in all your places: yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord.’ (Amos 4:4-6)
Oh my brethren, does that sound like us these days? It certainly does! God’s punishment didn’t reform Israel back then, and doesn’t seem to be doing it for us now either. What a sad state of affairs! Nor was that all of the punishment.
The Good Book continues: ‘And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one (another) city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.’ (Amos 4:7-8)
Oh Friends, we are seeing that same sad state of affairs all over our present world with flood and famine and war and strife tearing nations and families apart. But yet we are still following the evil and foolish dictates of Lucifer, rather than the good and positive ones of Almighty God. What is it going to take to turn us around eh; complete destruction. But then it will be too late.
Remember Noah and the flood? When He began to build the ark, everybody laughed and thought he’d gone crazy. However, when the rains came pouring down, they all clamoured for a spot in it. But then it was too late. Likewise, my people, if we ignore His warnings, if we wait too long to return to the God of our fathers, then it just might be too late for us too.
However, as followers of Jesus, there is one option we do NOT have; that of quitting, of giving up, of stop trying! Just remember that my people. As workers for Christ, we are expected to keep on keeping on, even when it is extremely difficult, confidently bolstered by the faithful promises of our ever-faithful, ever-LOVING God!
So though today might look somewhat bleak, both emotionally and weather-wise, let’s put on our spiritual armour, strengthen ourselves with God’s Word, and go out into the evil, godless world and spread kindness, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness in Jesus’ Name! That’s not only true wisdom, but also our bounden duty as Christians! Much LOVE!
…even one small deed of kindness here on earth…produces a flurry of excitement and joy in heaven…
SCRIP-BITS 
Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 October 2014 Amos 4:6B
18 Oct 2014 Leave a comment
by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: ambassadors, autumn colours, behaviour, Christians, depravity, destruction, dictates of Lucifer, different, don't give up, don't quit, drink water, exception than the rule, external circumstances, faithful believers, faithful promises of God, famine, flood, flurry of excitement, forgiveness, free offerings, George Elliston, give you an earful, gospel truth, greeted with a smile, harvest, heaven, How beautiful a day can be, hunger, Israel, Jesus, kindness, leaven, LOVE, magnanimous god, mercy, negative response, Noah, perverseness, positive action, return to the God of our fathers, rip off your head, sacrifice of thanksgiving, sad commentary, sad state of affairs, satisfied, selfish society, strife, the ark, the Good Book, tithes, too late, touched by kindness, want, war, when kindness tuches it, wisdom bounden duty, withholden the rain, yet you have not returned to me
Amos 4:6B. …yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.