09 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sparkling day, a waste of time, all for nought, believe in Jesus, boundaries, Calvary, Christians, come short of the glory of God, divine provision, dry weather, enormous price, eternal life, extremes, faith, fellowship, fleshly activity, for all have sinned, forbearance of God, free gift, freed from sin, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God's standard, grace, guiltless, hot like hell, human need, in Jesus' name, just, justified freely, justifier, LOVE, made him to be sin for us, our flesh, pardoned, party time, praise, propitiation, ransom, redemption, relaxation, remisiion of sins, rest, righteous demands, salvation, shedding of blood, slave driver, Spirit of Christ, susceptible to sin, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Thank you Jesus, thanks, the righteousness of God, the workingman, walk steadfast, waste not want not, week of work, who knew no sin, work never dead
2 Corinthians 5:21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Oh friends, like another sparkler of a day is in the offing in my area! Wow! Three sparkling days in a row! We need to give the Lord plenty thanks for such wonderful weather!
I know for some of you the good weather is small potatoes, because you receive it most of the time, but we’ve had such chilly and rainy days the last couple weeks that some warm, sparkling, dry weather is greatly appreciated.
And you certainly won’t hear the workingman complain. He is even zestier in his attitude as he unabashedly declares: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The weekend is upon us… And it going to be hot like hell too! Temps in the thirties! Oh party time…party time…
Steups! Look, forget the chupid slave driver and his work yes. Work never dead yet! Just let me loose here now, so we can get the party going! Much thanks to God for Fridays and the weekends!’
Oh mih breddren, how our flesh would LOVE to participate in such interesting endeavours, (smile) but our minds and spirits are crying out for us to resist such fleshly activity. And as sincere Christians, we ought to have some boundaries to our behaviour, not allow ourselves to go to such extremes.
The Christian way is more like our Friday Chant, so let’s put the lust of the flesh behind us and chant it heartily nuh. ‘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.’
And that’s the way it ought to be my people, especially when we take our Bit into account. ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’
Yeh friends, after Jesus paid such an enormous price for us to be freed from sin, we just can’t go back and commit sin willy-nilly again. Oh, we are all still susceptible to sin, but with the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us, we ought to have a strong enough conscience to resist it.
And we have these powerful verses of scripture from Bruh Paul to the Roman church to help explain the situation and consequently uplift us. Hear him pontificate (smile): ‘For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely (without any cost) by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (a mercy seat) through faith in his blood, to declare (demonstrate) his righteousness for the remission (passing over of) sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.’ (Rom.3:23-26)
Oh friends, right within those verses lies the basis of our salvation… Glory to God! Let’s see if, with the help of the scholars we can get a good understanding of what Bruh Paul is saying there.
‘3:23. For all have sinned: The human need and the divine provision are alike applied universally. Come short of the glory of God: Man can exceed his own standards but never, left to himself, can he attain God’s standard of righteousness.’
Ah mih breddren, regardless of how good we are, we will NEVER reach God’s standards. But He is so wonderful, that knowing that sin pervades and invades all our souls, He wisely provided provision for everybody, if we’d only believe in His Son Jesus Christ, who paid for our sins by the sacrifice, the shedding of His sinless blood on Calvary.
‘3:24. Being justified (Gr. dikatoumenot) indicates being declared righteous. It signifies the believer’s judicial standing before God. Freely: There is no just cause in man to warrant justification. By his grace: Unmerited favour is bestowed through the redemption (release on payment of ransom). Christ’s death is the ransom. The sinner is released on the basis of the ransom having being paid.’
So yuh see friends, we don’t have a leg to stand on, it’s all through God’s grace and Jesus paying the ransom for our sins by the shedding of His blood at Calvary.
‘3:25-26. Through faith: Christ’s death satisfies the Father’s righteous demands. Its benefits are appropriated only through faith in His finished work. In his blood: The emphasis is not on the blood as it coursed through Christ’s veins, but as it was shed for our sins. This is how the propitiation was accomplished.
Just, and the justifier: God can remain just (true to His nature) and still declare sinners to be righteous only because Christ has paid for sin and satisfied (propitiated) His holy law. The sinner is not rendered guiltless but pardoned. Christ has taken the sin on Himself and has imputed His righteousness to the sinner.’
And all believers shouted a loud and most grateful ‘Thank You Jesus! Thank You ever so much for redeeming us from our abominable sins! We LOVE You, and give You plenty thanks and praise! Please help us to walk steadfast in Your everlasting LOVE! Amen!’
Yes friends, I hope we all understand now that it was all the doing of the Father and Jesus, no thanks to us whatsoever.
So please lets be wise and accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life that’s been offered nuh. Otherwise Jesus’ sacrifice would have been all for nought, a complete waste of time. And I’m sure we don’t want that to be the case. Much LOVE!
…remember the old adage…waste not…want not…
P.S. It’s long and late, but full of redemptive grace (smile) Much LOVE!
18 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: act with faith, be as wool, blot out thy transgressions, Charels Stanley, charles stanley, Christians, clear direction, come boldly to the throne of grace, commune with nature, courage, creativity, curse, earthly pilgrimage, easy pickings, eternal life, eternal separation, evil doings, expectant faith, faith, fat of sacrifices, favour, foundation, grace, high priest, hungry hope, in time of need, iniquities, Jesus Christ, justified, let us reason together, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Lucifer, magnanimity, magnificence, mercy, negative word, pawns, praise, pray with faith, prosper, red like crimson, Redeemer, remembrance, right mind, salvation, second guessing, succeed, success, summer-like day, sweet cane, sympathy, Thursday Blessings, wake up with faith, white as snow, wisdom, wishy-washy, without sin, worry, worship, your sins be as scarlet
Isaiah 1:18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Oh friends, thankfully, in my neck of the woods, another beautiful summer-like day is in the offing! Glory to God!
Yesterday’s temperature was in the high twenties! Wow! And today is expected to be around the same. We’ll take those early glimpses of summer anytime! And though the wind was a bit blustery yesterday, it wasn’t too hot and humid.
Oh, I even got to sit on my front porch for the first time this year at minutes to three this morning and quietly commune with nature and my wonderful Creator. It can be so nice and quiet and conducive to communing at that hour of the morning.
Only problem though, is that the earlier cool breeze suddenly developed into an angry wind and drove me inside after about ten minutes. But I’ll take ten minutes of peace and quiet outside at that hour any day!
Now here is a li’l something on prayer, I believe I got from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) recently. He says that we should ALWAYS ‘Pray with faith, not with sympathy. Wake up with faith, not with worry. Act with faith, not with second guessing.’
That means, as Christians, ALL our actions should have faith as their underlying foundation. That’s why the Bible strongly advises: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb.4:16)
Yes my people, our High Priest Jesus Christ knows all that we’re going through, for He went through the same temptations and troubles, but without sin. So there’s no need to be wishy-washy when we come to Him in prayer, but with hungry hope and expectant faith.
And friends, our God is so wonderful that He invites us in our Bit to come and sit and reason with Him. ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’
Now which other God is so secure in themselves to ever dream of doing such a thing eh? NONE whatsoever! That just shows the magnanimity and magnificence of the great God we serve and worship! A God who sincerely wants His most beautiful and important creation to repent of their abominable sins and come back to being one with Him.
Why do you think He went to all that trouble to send His One and Only Son Jesus to die for us eh? He didn’t have to do it, but His heart was so filled with LOVE for us that He would have been terribly unhappy to just leave us as pawns, as easy pickings for Lucifer and his evil doings.
And it’s not just once that He invited His people to come and reason with Him. Listen to this other time in Isaiah, when the prophet talks about the Lord, the ONLY Redeemer.
‘Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled (satisfied) me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve (burdened me) with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead (contend) together: declare thou (thy case), that thou mayest be justified.’ (Is.43:24-26)
Yeh friends, even though we bombard the Lord with our sins, and no sincere praise and worship, He is still open to talking and reasoning with us.
Wow! I don’t see how any man in his right mind could ever pass up such an opportunity nuh, especially when the stakes are so high; eternal life with Jehovah God, or eternal separation from Him.
Those are the options my brethren, and I can guarantee you that the last one will not be very nice, so why don’t we just be wise and sincerely accept God’s wonderful offer of salvation and eternal life through His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
That will put us right over the top! And we have to do it ASAP, meaning RIGHT NOW; for if we die, or Jesus returns before we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, we’re definitely headed for eternal separation. Nuff said.
So for those of us who are on the right track, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings; the wonderful favour that God has showered down on us.
In strong and true belief now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s go out and encourage others to walk in those godly blessings with us, as Jesus so emphatically desires. Much LOVE!
…to walk this earthly pilgrimage with Jesus…is to wisely walk the path of salvation and eternal life…
07 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer in Jesus Christ, All Creatures of our God and King, Alleluia, assurance, christianity, church, come boldly, comfort, common sense, confession, confidence, confidently, deliverance, drary spell, earth, fellowship, forgiving others, fowlers, gather, grace, heaven, help, high priest, hold fast the confession of our faith, humbleness, in time of need, infirmities, Jesus the Son of God, lift up your voice, mercy, my help comes from the Lord, negative aspects, praise, rains, sacrifice of praise, sing, Sunday, sympathize, tender heart, the snare, the throne of grace, tips of our tongues, waters, wisdom, worship, wrath
Psalm 121:2. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
Well friends, it’s Sunday, the day we gather to fellowship, praise and worship our wonderful God! Now the rains of the last two days have cast a dreary spell over our area, and they are still falling intermittently and sporadically, but that is no excuse for us not to attend church today. (smile)
Oh, I know the words, ‘it’s raining, so I can’t go to church this morning,’ are right on the tips of our tongues waiting to fall out. But let’s leave them there nuh, and go to church if we are otherwise able. I can guarantee that the blessings, comfort, courage and assurance you will get from fellowshipping in the Lord’s sanctuary will greatly outweigh the few negative aspects a li’l rain might cause. (smile)
So let’s open this morning’s praise and worship with this old but majestic hymn written by St. Francis of Assisi, who just happens to be the patron saint of my church. (smile) Let’s raise our voices to high heaven in a beautiful sacrifice of praise, as we sing: ‘All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing: alleluia, alleluia! O burning sun with golden beam, and shining moon with silver gleam, O praise him, O praise him, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
O rushing wind so wild and strong, white clouds that sail in heaven along, alleluia, alleluia! New rising dawn in praise rejoice; you lights of evening find a voice: O praise him, O praise him, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Cool flowing water, pure and clear, make music for your Lord to hear: alleluia, alleluia! Fierce fire, so masterful and bright, providing us with warmth and light. O praise him, O praise him, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Earth ever fertile, day by day bring forth your blessings on our way; alleluia, alleluia! All flowers and fruits that you grow, let there his glory also show; O praise him, O praise him, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! All you who are of tender heart, forgiving others, take your part; alleluia, alleluia! All you who pain and sorrow bear, praise God and on him cast your care; O praise him, O praise him, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Let all things their Creator bless, and worship him in humbleness, alleluia, alleluia! Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise the Spirit, Three in One: O praise him, O praise him, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!’
Ah mih people, our great God is certainly deserving of all the praise and alleluias that that hymn declares! And I know that delicious sacrifice of praise just put you in the mood to listen now to God’s encouraging and reassuring words found in the Good Book. (smile) So let’s get on with our Bit. ‘My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.’
Wow friends! What a bold but totally true declaration! If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, then that’s where ALL your help will come from! Some of it may be siphoned through other people, places and things, but the source, the fountainhead, WILL ALWAYS be God Almighty, the Creator and Controller of both heaven and earth!
And why is that you ask? Because ALL things, both in heaven and on earth belong to Him, and NOTHING happens in either place without His allowing it. Now let’s hear some words of scripture that corroborate our contention. Listen to Bruh David from Psalm 124 – Praise for deliverance from enemies – as he eschews God’s goodness and greatness.
‘If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say; If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick (alive), when their wrath was kindled against us: Then the waters had (would have) overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over (swept over) our soul.
Then the proud waters had gone over (would have swept over) our soul. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers (bird trappers): the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.’ (Ps.124:1-8)
Oh friends, please let’s always remember that nuh; our help is in God! Now let’s close with these memorable words of assurance and comfort from the author of Hebrews. ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (confession of faith).
For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb.4:14-16)
What powerful words of comfort and confidence my people! And the scholars tell us: ‘4:16. Only Christianity provides such boldness for sinful men before a holy God, and that boldness is possible only because of our High Priest. The figure of a throne suggests a place of authority and provision. It is the place to obtain God’s grace when it is especially needed.’
What more can I say to encourage us to embrace Jesus eh my brethren? It’s all up to you now. So please use wisdom and common sense to make the proper decision. Much LOVE!
…the wisdom of Christianity speaks for itself…since no other faith can offer what it does…
11 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a child of God, accursed, Achan, Ai, Babylonian, beloved of God, cancer, chemo, consequences, covenant, covetousness, darkness, deceived, destroy, disobey God, friend of Jesus, give glory unto God, glory, God's Word, gone but not forgotten, greed, heavenly Father, honour, inconvenience, Israel, Joshua, judgement, light, look for light, magnificent and magnanimous God, our number will be called, pain, partied up a storm, pay serious attention, praise, preparedness, reared its ugly head, remission, rest in peace, scourge, seen the light, share, share it with the world, sinned, stolen, stumbling, thanksgiving, the great beyond, the grim reaper, the light that's Jesus, the shadow of death, the spoils, this is the day the Lord has made, transgressed, Tuesday Mantra, victim, we will rejoice and be glad in it, your feet stumble
Jeremiah 13:16. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
Oh friends, welcome to a cloudy spring day in my neck of the woods. I was planning to rev us up with all sorts of good things, like it’s not the physical aspect of the day that really counts, but what we do with the day in Jesus’ name. And to invoke that well-known verse of Psalm 118 – ‘This is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’
However, when I opened my e-mail I was greeted by some sad and bad, but also in a sense good and comforting news. My priest, Father Jeff, had written to inform me that one of my friends and fellow parishioners, Jacqueline Kitson had passed away this morning.
And she fell victim to none other than our current scourge, the death-maker called cancer. What hurts some is that she was hospitalized a few days ago and I had promised to go and see her, but everyday I was either too busy, or not feeling up to scratch myself. But I spoke to her on the phone yesterday and promised faithfully to come today.
Ah Lord eh! The good news scenario though is that she is now home with her heavenly Father and not suffering the pain and inconvenience that she’s been enduring over the past couple of years. She might have been small in stature, but had a big and strong heart, fighting the dreaded scourge every inch of the way.
I remember the Sunday mornings during this last winter when I would pick her up and take her to church, she was always bright and positive in spite of her illness, bravely enduring the long trips to Toronto for the chemo and other treatments.
And for a while there during the latter part of the year she seemed to have been in a stage of remission; eating fairly well, putting on some weight and looking better than she’d done for a few months. She even got out to the church’s annual dinner and dance last fall and partied up a storm. Everybody was glad to see her dancing and enjoying herself.
But the cancer reared its ugly head again a couple of months ago and this time she was not able to fight it off. Rest in peace Jackie my friend. You are gone but not forgotten. You will always remain in our hearts and thoughts until we meet again in the Great Beyond!
That’s why my brethren it’s ever so important to heed the admonition of our Bit: ‘Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.’
Yes friends, we need to pay serious attention to God’s word at all times, for we know not when our number will be called up yonder. And it would be very unfortunate and damaging to our eternal situation if the grim reaper were to appear before we’re quite ready.
We need to be always in a state of preparedness my people, looking continually to the light that’s Jesus, and giving our magnificent and magnanimous God all the glory and honour, the praise and thanksgiving that He so rightfully deserves.
Walking in continual darkness does not become a child of God, for children of God have seen the light and gloriously acknowledge it!
And we have a good example of God’s judgement when the men of Ai defeated the forces of Israel, and Joshua bewailed the Lord for the defeat. (Josh.7:1-9)
‘And the Lord said unto Joshua, get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing (things devoted to the Lord), and have also stolen, and dissembled (deceived) also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed (devoted to destruction): neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.’ (Josh.7:10-12)
Yeh friends, contrary to popular opinion, our God is not a joking God, as Israel found out when they disobeyed His commands. So the long and short of the story is that Joshua searched all the people, until he came to one man named Achan.
‘And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment, and two hundred shekels of silver; and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted (desired) them, and took them; and behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.’ (Josh.7:19-21)
Yuh see friends, all of Israel suffered because of one man’s greed and covetousness. And what became of Achan and his family? ‘And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.’ (Josh.7:25b)
It’s not easy my friends, but it’s very worthwhile to remember that disobedience to God’s commands always have consequences, very serious ones too.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, with much enthusiasm, faithfully believing what we say.
‘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 now it’s time to go out and put it all into action my brethren! Much LOVE!
…only the light of Jesus…can prevent us from stumbling in the darkness of this world…
02 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Amorites, carnal, choose you this day, comeuppance, damnation, dear Lord, destruction, Egypt, el numero uno, end of the rainbow, eternal life, eternal separation, exalt Him in song, eye candy, falter, fear the Lord, fellowship, guide me, hitched to Jesus, I am weak, intercessor, Jesus, Jesus defeated him, Jesus' Second Coming, Just a closer walk, keep me from all wrong, King of Kings, let it be, light, Lord of Lords, LOVE, Lucifer, lustful, Mighty Counsellor, mighty god, my burden, my feeble life, my plea, none but thee, our Lord and Saviour, overthrow Jehovah, possessions, pot of gold, praise, praise his holy name, prince of darkness, prince of peace, second in command, serve him, shares, sincere feeling, sincerity, sing, snares, Sunday, the other side of the flood, thou art strong, thy kingdom shore, time, top dog, truth, walk close to thee, walking to and fro the earth, wealth, who cares, whom you will serve, wisdom, world of toil, worship
Joshua 24:15(a). …choose you this day whom ye will serve…
Awright friends, it’s that great day, Sunday, when we get together to fellowship, praise, sing, worship and hear the awesome words of our most wonderful and Mighty God! Glory to Him in the highest! Praise His Holy Name! Let the people exalt Him in song!
And that’s exactly what we’ll do now; exalt and glorify our heavenly Father by offering up sacrificial praise from our lips by singing the old, but ever so encouraging and assuring hymn, ‘Just a Closer Walk with Thee.’
So with great gusto, and sincere feeling, let’s sing: ‘I am weak, but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.)
Through this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. (Refrain) When my feeble life is o’er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o’er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.)’
Oh my fellow believers, there’s nothing greater in this world, this earthly journey, than a close walk with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counsellor, Faithful Intercessor, etc. etc.! Yes friends, there are many more authoritative names we can mention, but we’ll let those few suffice for now.
But the long and short of the story is that Christ is the most powerful Being in the universe, and as such, it only makes sense to attach our frail human cart to His powerful spiritual horse. (smile) And it’s very disappointing that so many of us are refusing to do it, because that’s a fool’s wisdom.
And we have no better example than that of Lucifer, who was like second in command, but through greed and innate stupidity was not satisfied. He wanted to be the top dog, El Numero Uno, and thus tried to overthrow the Most High God Jehovah. Obviously he was unsuccessful, for how can you defeat the Creator of the universe eh? And now he’s set to walking to and fro the earth, until the Lord’s ready to deal with him.
Technically speaking, he is the prince of darkness, trying to get God’s people to turn away from Him. But he has no real power, for Jesus has defeated him, left, right and centre! He can only operate on the strength of lies, deceit and subtle trickery. Consequently, he tries to capture us through worldly and fleshly things, what they call eye candy, things that have no lasting value, but do appeal to our lustful and carnal side.
Sadly though, a lot of us are choosing to go over to Lucifer’s side, enamoured by the promise of earth’s wealth and pretty possessions. But what’s going to happen when we give up the ghost eh? Will we be carrying any of that with us? No! Not one iota!
And if your cart isn’t hitched to Jesus’ horse, what’s going to happen to you then eh? Nothing but eternal separation from the One who died to save you, who paid your sin debt in full! Eternal darkness with Lucifer will be your comeuppance, instead of eternal life, light and LOVE with Jesus.
That’s why Joshua in his farewell address asked the Israelites our Bit: ‘…choose you this day whom ye will serve…’
After reminding them of all the wonderful things the Lord had done for them, he admonished them. ‘Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (Euphrates river), and in Egypt; and serve the Lord.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh.24:14-15)
Yes my brethren, it’s a decision, a conscious and serious one that all of us have to make at some time or another, and the sooner the better! Why? Because there are two important time related points that can cause eternal separation from Jesus; His Second Coming, without you accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour, and your dying without doing the same.
Now if any of those things happen without you walking sincerely with Jesus, then there are no other options, but eternal separation. And the truth of the matter is that either of those two things can happen at ANY time without ANY notice! That’s why it’s of the utmost importance that you make a decision RIGHT NOW, so that you won’t get left in the lurch when the end time comes.
Please don’t do like so many have done, put it off until it’s too late. The wisdom of God dictates that we act on the matter ASAP…and that means RIGHT NOW! Please don’t put your eternal life with Jesus in jeopardy through the lies and deceits of Lucifer, who has nothing good whatsoever to offer you, but is just looking for company in his eternal damnation and destruction. Much LOVE!
…Only in Jesus…will you find light, life, LOVE and the pot of gold…at the end of the rainbow…
16 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, abundance, adore, affection, all that glitters is not gold, blessings, boredom, cold and cough, Colossians, compassionate heart, corrupt, curse, details, exalt, forgiveness, friends, glamorous, glitzy, glory to God, grace, heaven, illnesses, intensity, it is well with my soul, Jehovah, LOVE, lusts, mea culpas, mercy, moody, moth and rust, negative word, opinions, patience, praise, prayer, promotion, prosper, rewards, risen with Christ, ruin, saint, senior citizens, success, talent, talkative, the right hand of God, thieves, things above, things of the world, thoughtful, treasures, vices, wisdom, work of the devil
Matthew 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.
Aye mih friends, as the old people would say, if it’s not one thing, it’s something else yes! (smile) So let’s make our mea culpas right up front nuh.
Over the last few days I’ve been dogged by a stubborn and lousy cold and cough, which unfortunately has led to even more erratic hours of waking and sleeping than before. I didn’t think that was possible. (smile)
And having to be out and about some in the beastly cold weather didn’t help matters either. Oh friends, the sun’s been shining as brightly as ever in a blue sky, but it’s been beastly cold, with the wind and the ice from the earlier snowstorm making it even worse.
And this Thursday morning is no different. But the amazing thing is that though my physical self is been battered somewhat by a host of illnesses, as our God would have it said, it is well with my soul. Glory to God my precious people!
That is what comes from worshipping and serving the mighty God Jehovah, whom we praise, adore and exalt. That’s the wonderful benefit we derive from His magnanimous grace, mercy, forgiveness and LOVE! Oh give Him the great praise and thanks that He so rightfully deserves!
And this morning I want to share something called ‘A Prayer for Later Years,’ which apparently comes from a Blog called ‘Mary’s Musings.’
Now I don’t remember where, when or how I came by it, but I found it amongst some other papers on my desk yesterday, and it seemed so appropriate for some of us senior citizens, that I just had to share it. (smile)
So please pray with me. ‘Lord, thou knowest that I am growing older. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and particularly keep me from falling into the tiresome habit of expressing an opinion on every subject. Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details. Give me wings to get to the point. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to listen to others describe their aches and pains.
Help me to endure the boredom with patience and keep my lips sealed, for my own aches and pains are increasing in number and intensity, and the pleasure of discussing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.
Teach me the glorious lesson that, occasionally, I might be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not wish to be a saint (saints are so hard to live with), but a sour old person is the work of the devil.
Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not pushy; independent; yet able to accept with graciousness favours that others wish to bestow on me. Free me of the notion that simply because I have a lived a long time, I am wiser that those who have not lived so long.
If I do not approve of some of the changes that have taken place in recent years, give me the wisdom to keep my mouth shut. Lord knows that when the end comes, I would like to have a friend or two left. Amen.’
Isn’t that wonderful my brethren! It describes many of us to a ‘T’!
And the paper continues. ‘The author is unknown but I wish I had written it. I think it is appropriate for those of us of a “certain age.” And is it ever! (smile)
Now let’s continue with our Bit, some powerful and wise words of admonition from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.’
Ah my people, we all know that is somewhat difficult to accomplish, especially when we are constantly bombarded with the glitzy and supposedly worthwhile and glamorous things of the world. But please remember that all that glitters is not gold. So though the world’s treasures may look wonderful, and entice us to accumulate them, that’s a fool’s wisdom.
Listen to how Bruh Paul puts it to the Colossians. ‘If then ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.’ (Col.3:1-3)
Yes friends, that means our life is tied up with Christ, through His death and resurrection, consequently we ought to concern our selves with spiritual and heavenly things, not the vices and lusts of the world.
And sadly, we’ve run out of time and space, so let’s go home now declaring our Thursday Blessings. And remember that a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
So altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And having declared those awesome blessings over ourselves, let’s go out now and declare them over others, as Jesus would have us do. Much LOVE!
…why store up earth’s worthless wealth eh…when we can accumulate heaven’s much more worthwhile rewards…
12 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, amicably, anger, behold how good and pleasant it is, churches, communities, confidence, conquer strife, crucified, died to save us all, dissatisfaction, disunity, divide and conquer, enthusiasm, faiths, families, for brethren to dwell together in unity, glorify, God's Word, good enough, goodness, grazing grounds, hell, hospitality, hung and suffered there, Jesus, left hand, Lot, LOVE, Lucifer, mosque, Muslim community, pains, politicians, powers of evil, praise, Praise the Lord, Quebec, reciprocate, redeeming blood, resentment, rewards, right hand, sabotaged, sacrificially, selflessly, sinful souls, strengthen, strife, Sunday, the Lord's House, There is a green hill far away, to pay the price of sin, to the children of men, trust, try his works to do., unified, unlock the gate of heaven, walk a mile in my shoes, warmed the cockles of my heart, without a city wall, without complaining, worship
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Well friends, it’s that most wonderful day of Sunday again, where we gather in the Lord’s house to sing and praise and worship and glorify His holy name, to listen to His word, and receive His strength, confidence and enthusiasm to face the upcoming week!
And all God’s people gave out a delirious shout of ‘Praise the Lord for His goodness to the children of men!’ And that we most certainly ought to do at every opportunity we get my brethren. But right now, let’s begin with some sacrifice of our lips, singing the old hymn, ‘There is a Green Hill far away.’
As a young boy growing up in Tobago it was always one of my favourites. So let’s raise our voices on high and give the Lamb of God the praise He so assuredly deserves. ‘There is a green Hill far away, Without a city wall, Where the dear Lord was crucified, Who died to save us all. We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains he had to bear, But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there.
There was no other good enough To pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gate Of heav’n and let us in. Oh, dearly, dearly has he LOVED! And we must LOVE him too, And trust in his redeeming blood, And try his works to do.’
Oh friends, there is so much truth in those few simple words. No one else was good enough to pay the price necessary to wash away our sins, but Jesus. And He did it so selflessly and sacrificially without complaining, because He LOVED us so much and could not stand seeing our sinful souls going to waste in Hell with Lucifer.
And you know, all He asks in return is that we LOVE Him and each other the way He first LOVED us. Now that should not be too hard to do, but in this evil and ungodly world, for whatever reason, it is very difficult for many of us to reciprocate that awesome LOVE of God. But it’s something we have to do, if we desire to see His wonderful face come the time we leave this earth.
Now here is some interesting and mysterious doings of our great and wonderful God. Yesterday afternoon, just before I left home for my church for an occasion we called ‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes,’ I heard about a family that had been reunited and it warmed the cockles of my heart.
This family had been living with resentment and anger towards each other for a while, and as I was driving to church and thinking about the goodness of God, our Bit just flashed in to my mind as being rather appropriate. ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’
Then at the church, our Pastor, Father Jeff also made reference to it, because the occasion was a show of solidarity with the Muslim community, regarding the attack on the mosque in Quebec a few weeks ago. All the politicians were there, politicking as usual (smile) as well as people from other faiths and churches.
Our Bit was certainly appropriate in both situations. First for the individual family that had gotten back together, as well as for the different families of faith who all live in the same community, and who all desire to live in LOVE and peace.
But unfortunately these days, in both families and communities, that desire is being sabotaged by a few diehards, a few fools, who are following a different agenda; one of anger, hate, disunity and dissatisfaction. Consequently more families are falling apart, and more communities are now living in fear of these ignoramuses nicely called terrorists, when they are just out and out murderers.
But that seems to be the fare of the day. However we don’t have to let it keep us cowed my people. We have the great God Jehovah as our leader, and with Him in control of our destiny, there’s no need to fear what man can do to us. We’ve got to stand up strong and fight back against these powers of evil that want to destroy our peaceful and LOVING way of life.
And we can only do that if and when we become unified, both as families and communities and fight the enemy together, not allow them to divide and thus conquer us. Strife is the number one weapon of the enemy, but we must conquer it with LOVE!
Now here’s a good example of how to dissipate strife. It comes from way back in the Old Testament, when Abraham and Lot’s herdmen got into strife about grazing grounds for their cattle. ‘And Abraham said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.’ (Gen.13:8-9)
Now friends, there isn’t always such an easy way to fix strife, especially in these rather tumultuous times, but if all parties are willing and able, then they can find a way to live amicably together.
And we’ll close with these poignant words from Hebrews. ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb.13:1-2)
So friends, let us never forget to show hospitality to all and sundry, for it will benefit them down here on earth, put away rewards for us in heaven, and above all, glorify our great God. Much LOVE!
…only LOVE…can truly conquer strife…
26 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dream dies, a thousand ages, arrogant, before the hills in order stood, blood, brags not, compassion, dwelt secure, earth received her frame, eternal home, exalt, faith, fellowship, first begotten, for God so loved the world, from everlasting you are god, gathering in God's sanctuary, glorify, grooving, he gave his only begotten son, hoe for years to come, I was glad, iniquity, kindness, life-giving words, LOVE, Love thy neighbour as thyself, mercy, move mountains, moving, O God our help in ages past, our defense is sure, praise, prophecy, sacrifice of praise, saints, shadow of your throne, shelter from the stormy blast, should not perish, speak with tongues, sufficient is your arm alone, Sunday, that whosoever believes in him, the greatest of these is love, the house of the Lord, the Lord's Day, the rising sun, the watch, washed us from our sins, what the world needs now, worship
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Ah my fellow believers, that wonderful day, Sunday – the Lord’s Day, is here again! And you know what that means? Gathering together in His sanctuary to fellowship with each other, to worship, praise, exalt and glorify Him, as well as receive strength and direction to do His will in the upcoming week. And I do hope we are all declaring like Bruh David did: ‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps.122:1)
Yeh friends, we can’t be true believers unless we are happy to go into God’s house. I know many of us just go because we think we should go to church since we claim to be Christians, but we’re not really joyful about going. We don’t expect, or look forward to good vibes or joyful feelings or even good relationships happening there.
But that’s not the right attitude my brethren. How can you be a true believer if you are not happy in the Lord’s sanctuary eh? But we won’t belabour the point, we’ll just open the celebrations with the singing of this old but glorious hymn: ‘O God our help in Ages Past.’ So, offering up the sacrifice of praise from our lips, let’s belt it out like there was no tomorrow.
‘O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home: Under the shadow of your throne, your saints have dwelt secure; sufficient is your arm alone, and our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood or earth received its frame, from everlasting you are God, to endless years the same.
A thousand ages in your sight are like an evening gone, short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, soon bears us all away; we fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day. O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, still be our guard while troubles last, and our eternal home!’
Yes friends, that was most excellent! And it brings us to our Bit; possibly the most important verse of scripture in God’s Word, that pertains to us, for from it, everything else flows. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Ah mih people, such awesome, exciting and life-giving words! And today I’m just going to continue sharing scripture passages that talk about LOVE and reveal its true nature. Now let’s begin with Jesus as He sets the stage for all that follows.
Listen to Jesus’ response to a tempting question from a lawyer -they haven’t changed, still tempters: (smile) ‘Master (Teacher), which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt.22:36-40)
It’s so simple friends. That’s the beauty of Jesus’ teachings; they are very simple and straightforward! And I won’t theorize on why so many of us DON’T LOVE the Lord, but I will do so on why we DON’T LOVE our neighbours? Because we simply DON’T LOVE ourselves. If we did, it would not be so difficult to show kindness and mercy, compassion and understanding to others. And you’ll understand why I say that when you read some of Bruh Paul’s exhortation on ‘The way of LOVE’ to the Corinthians.
‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not LOVE, I am become as sounding brass, or tinkling (clanging) cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not LOVE, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not LOVE, it profiteth me nothing. LOVE suffereth long, and is kind;
LOVE envieth not; LOVE vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no recounts of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things. LOVE never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail (cease); whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away… And now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.’ (1 Cor.13:1-8; 13)
Ah mih Christian breddren, what else can we say about LOVE and its awesome power eh? Nothing really, except hope and pray that we will all embrace it even a li’l more in our lives, because it’s such a big substance and emotion, that even a li’l bit goes a long way. (smile)
And we’ll conclude today with this passage from Revelation, where John greets the seven churches. ‘And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten (born) of the dead, and the prince of (ruler over) the kings of the earth. Unto him that LOVED us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Rev.1:5-6)
Now please, let’s ponder all that we’ve said today my people, because it’s ever so important for us to get the spirit of LOVE joyfully moving and grooving in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, if we are to achieve any success for Jesus. Much LOVE!
…what the world needs now is…LOVE, LOVE, LOVE…not just for some…but for everyone…
19 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sacrifice of praise, adhered to my hands, any blot, atone, awesome, celebrations, cleft for me, count all my steps, death, deceit, downfall, exalt, eyes, faith, falsehood, fleeting breath, from thy wounded side, glorify, glory hallelujah, grace, gratefulness, guidance, helpless, if there be any wicked way in me, innocence, integrity, judgement, jump, know my heart, know my thoughts, labour of my hands, lead me in the way everlasting, let me hide my self in thee, loving, magnificent and magnanimous God, make me pure, mercy, my heart walked after my eyes, naked, passes all understanding, peace, praise, prayed for his friends, refill our souls with His Holy Spirit, rock of ages, sacrifice, save from wrath, saviour, search me O God, shout for joy, sin, soar, sovereign sway, sow, strengthen our faith, Sunday, tears forever flow, the double cure, the Good Book, the greatest, the Lamb that was slain, the Lord's Day, the water and the blood, throne, thy laws demands, to the cross I cling, to the fountain fly, trusted implicitly, try me, twice as much, undeserving grace, vanity, wash me, weigh in an even balance, worlds unknown, worship, zeal
Psalm 139:23-24. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
It ‘s Sunday friends, what we consider the Lord’s Day! That means it’s time to get ready and join other believers in the sanctuary to praise and worship, glorify and exalt our magnificent and magnanimous God!
Wow! How excellent it is to have the chance every week to offer up our thanks and praise, our gratefulness for His awesome and undeserving grace and mercy, and have Him strengthen our faith and refill, renew our souls with His Holy Spirit, so that we have the wherewithal to face another trying but joy-filled week!
And to begin the celebrations, let’s offer up a sacrifice of praise with our lips, through the singing of this old but wonderful hymn – Rock of Ages.
In full voice and sincerity of heart, let’s sing: ‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure; Save from wrath and make me pure. Not the labor of my hands, Can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, When mine eyes shall close in death, When I soar to worlds unknown, See Thee on Thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.’
Oh my precious people of God, there’s no better place to run for help and succour than to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for He has already paid the exceedingly great price for our sins by His selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary! Glory to God! And by His stripes we are healed!
So if we don’t run to Him, and cling to Him, and find security and comfort, rest and LOVE with Him, then His most awesome sacrifice would have been a complete waste of time. Remember He offered up His Holy and precious life so that we could be saved from sin, be made righteous in the eyes of our heavenly father and receive eternal life.
Ah friends, every time I think about how great Jesus is, I just want to jump and shout for joy – Glory Hallelujah! All praise and glory to the Lamb that was slain for us! He is indeed the Greatest!’
But let me curb my enthusiasm a tad and get to our Bit, (smile) otherwise I can take up all the time and space by just adding adoration upon adoration. That’s the kind of space I’m in right now. Not that that’s wrong, but it’s not our avowed purpose at the present time.
So hear these heartfelt words of Bruh David to his God. ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’
Yes my fellow believers, I’ve expanded the Bit today, because the first part just didn’t seem right without the second. For why are we asking the Lord to search our hearts, but to see if there’s anything wrong or wicked therein, and then to correct it through His LOVING and merciful guidance?
Now let’s put some flesh on the bones of our Bit with other scripture that corroborate it. Listen to Job, when he speaks to his supposed friends of his integrity. ‘Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps? If I have walked with vanity (falsehood), or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; Let me be weighed (let him weigh me) in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.
If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved (any spot adheres) to mine hands: Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring (harvest) be rooted out (uprooted). (Job 31:4-8)
Ah friends, Job knew that he had not committed any great sin or sins, which had caused his sudden, dramatic downfall. Now a lot of us end up being blamed for things we haven’t done, and nothing we can say to our accusers will change their minds. But once we are sure of our innocence, let us take heart that our Lord, the righteous judge, will in His time recompense us for all that we’ve lost and suffered.
And Job is also a very good example of that, as the Good Book informs us. ‘And the Lord turned (restored) the captivity (losses) of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.’ (Job 42:10)
Please note a couple of things here though my people. The Lord restored Job’s wealth and family and friends, after he prayed for his friends. And as the scholars explain: ‘The point to be garnered from the book is not that God intends to deal with every servant as abundantly as He did with Job; rather that God holds sovereign and LOVING sway over every human life. Therefore, He can be trusted implicitly in all things (cf. Rom.8:28).’
Yes friends, if our God is as great and good as we claim, the Creator of the universe and all therein, then we have to acknowledge His sovereignty and trust Him to do the best on our behalf, otherwise our claims are spurious and useless.
Unfortunately time and space have run out, so until tomorrow, the Lord in favour, please sincerely ponder all that we’ve talked about. And may He bless and keep us safe, shine His regal presence upon us and give us His peace which passes all understanding. Much LOVE!
…if we can’t trust our Maker…then whom can we trust eh…
13 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abnormal hour, adrenaline, almighty god, aura of love, be thankful unto him, bless His name, blessings, call upon the name of the Lord, choirmaster, come before his presence with singing, confidence, conquerors, early morning foray, enter into his gates with thanksgiving, enthusiasm, evil, exaltation, faith, friends, glorious kingdom, glory, glory hallelujah, God's greatness, he made us, heartfelt thanks, holy spirit, honour god, humble servants, I am thy servant, I'm getting better, I've come a long way, into his courts with praise, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, Joyce Meyer, lead and guide, lies, loosed my bonds, LOVE, make a joyful noise, medical problems, no sweet Tobago, pay my vows, praise, puny lives, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, resigned myself, rest, salvation, secret, seek God, servant, serve the Lord with gladness, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, thanks, the living truth, the Lord he is God, the mindset, the sacrifice of thanksgiving, the sheep of his pasture, the son of thy handmaid, truth, undesrving, ungodly world, useful purpose, we are his people, wiles, wisdom, with a right heart
Psalm 100:4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Oh, friends, I’m getting better! Yes I’m getting better! Yeh mih breddren that’s the living truth! The ole fella is getting better; the only problem is that I’m still a long way from being better. (smile)
But as sister Joyce, (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, I haven’t arrived as yet, but I’ve surely come a long way from where I was. Glory Hallelujah!
Sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but I had another early morning foray into the big city for more doctor’s visits and tests.
Chuh! I had to be up at an abnormal hour to get in the city for seven a.m on a Monday morning. But the good news is that everything seems to be progressing as it should – just a little too slowly for my liking though.
Now for the bad news – I can’t travel anywhere until my heart problems are resolved. Ah Lord eh! That means no sweet Tobago for this winter season!
Steups! But from the time all these medical problems began, I’d resigned myself to that possibility, so it comes as no great surprise, though it is somewhat disappointing.
Anyway, enough about me, it’s time to sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with all the chutzpah we 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!’
Now that wasn’t bad at all my people, Jesus, our choirmaster was smiling, but I guess that’s because we’ve been up and about for quite some time now. (smile) The important thing though is that at whatever time we sing it, it raises our faith level, gets the adrenaline pumping for Jesus! And that’s what we’re all about!
Consequently, these verses of Psalm 100, which come before our Bit, are therefore very much in line with our general purpose of exalting our most wonderful God!
Listen to the psalmist as he delightedly gushes: ‘Make joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves, we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.’ (Ps.100:1-3)
Wow friends! What a stirring acknowledgement of our God’s greatness and the central part we play in His entire operation! Hence our Bit: ‘Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.’
Yes my fellow believers, that is exactly how we ought to come into the presence of our magnificent and magnanimous God; with much praise and thanks and glory and exaltation – for He is most worthy to be praised!
Just think about all that He’s done for us down through the ages nuh, undeserving though we are, and is still doing, though we are still undeserving! And in our finite, comparatively puny lives, how else can we truly honour Him eh, but with exceedingly abundant thanks and praise?
Now hear the psalmist from Psalm 116 – Praise for deliverance from death – as he exudes his heartfelt thanks and praise. ‘O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid (maid servant): thou hast loosed my bonds.
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. In the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!).(Ps.116:16-19)
Oh friends, oh friends, those are the very words and emotions we ought also to exude! Note how the psalmist says twice, that he is the Lord’s servant? Can we sincerely say that even once and mean it? I certainly hope so for all our sakes.
In conclusion, I want to implore us to work towards acquiring the mindset of the psalmist, for there, and only therein lies the true wisdom of Almighty God and the true secret of finding Him. Much LOVE!
…seek me with a right heart…and you shall find me…says the Lord our God…
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