05 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wonderful weekend, acknowledge God in all thy ways, and he shall bring it to pass, antidote, be not wise in thine own eyes, Bruh David, cease from anger, Christ-like, Commit thy way to the Lord, communication with Jesus, compassion, Cousin Sol, depart from evil, directed by the Lord, evil minions, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, faithful, family time, fear the Lord, fellowship, food, forgiveness, forsake wrath, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, get down to brass tacks, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God doesn't give us more than we can bear, good relationships, gospel truth, gracious, he shall direct thy paths, he shall not be utterly cast down, he will never turn you away, health to thy navel, holy spirit, jehovah god, joy, laughter, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, Lucifer, marrow to thy bones, merciful, negative situations, praise, prayer, promises, Proverbs, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, Rest in the Lord, sadness, saviour jesus christ, smile, sorrow, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the great invitation, the steps of a good man, the Word of god, though he fall, trials, tribulations, trust also in him, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, wait patiently for the Lord, weather, wisdom, worship
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
So what it is eh my people? (smile) How all yuh doing? Hope all yuh doing good! But just in case oonoo not doing so good, then I certainly hope that you all are in constant communication with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For He is the ONLY One who can truly ease and/or solve our problems.
Yes Friends, He’s even invited us with the Great Invitation to come to Him when we are heavily burdened, and He will give us rest and peace for our tired and burdened souls. (Matt.11:28-30) And that is not an invitation to be sneered at or taken lightly, for He will indeed do as promised.
Ah Friends, it’s a proven fact that when we’re doing poorly, that’s when we most need to communicate with the Saviour. For the best antidote for sadness and sorrow, or anything that discombobulates us, is prayer! Never forget that.
So having said all of that, I guess we can get down to brass tacks now. (smile) And I guess you all know that today is Friday…
And as expected, I’m greeted with a joyous shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And we going to have a wonderful weekend; good weather, good food, good LOVE, plenty laughter, joy, compassion and forgiveness…Oh Glory to God! Thank Him for the weekend!’
What wonderful sentiments my brethren! And I do hope that our weekend does turn out that way, as we get involved in praise and worship and fellowship and enriching family time, for the name of the game is good relationships; both with each other and with Jehovah God!
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant to help us stay on the straight and narrow path. As one chanter now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, that is how we ought to use the weekends, not merely for partying and our own amusement. And yuh know what? If we follow the wise advice of our Bit, we won’t have any real problems living life the way we ought to. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’
Oh Friends, there’s absolutely no doubt in that statement, for our gracious and most merciful God is indeed a faithful keeper of His promises! So whenever you come to Him, He will never turn you away.
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs, in his exhortations to obedience. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) your paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:5-8)
Oh my brethren, in all the Good Book, there is no better advice than those four verses. If we live our lives by them, we will never go wrong… Oh you know what I mean; we’ll live under the shade of the golden umbrella of our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God!
Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have trials and tribulations, but when we go through them, we’ll know, we’ll be assured that Almighty God is there with us through all the sadness and mayhem. And on top of it all, He won’t give us more than we can bear, and will bring us out of the negative situations better than before, meaning more Christ-like, for that is often the purpose of our problems.
And Bruh David offers these wonderful words of advice after our Bit. ‘And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (plans, schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:6-9)
Oh mih lovelies, why is it so difficult for us to take such simple advice and live faithfully by it eh – especially when we know that it’s all gospel truth? I don’t know the answer nuh. I can only surmise that our natural sinful nature is getting the upper hand of us in these relatively sinful and godless times.
Plus the fact that Lucifer and his evil minions are in control of the day to day world, and are making a protracted push with lots of worldly things and advice, to get us to move away from God.
But my people, we are supposed to be the best creation of our God, therefore we cannot allow the wicked and wickedness of this world to get the better of us. But we can only do so if and when we take the Word of God seriously and truly live by it. Otherwise we’ll be very susceptible to the wiles and lies of the enemy.
And we’ll end today with some more encouraging advice from Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps.3723-24)
Oh Friends, that’s gospel truth! And I can personally vouch for it, because though I’m not the greatest or the most godly and righteous, yet the Lord has upheld me with His mighty hand several times over the years! So you can imagine what He’ll do for the very godly and righteous.
Oh mih people, mih people, there’s only one wise and sensible path to follow in this crazy, calamitous and disaster-prone world – the straight and narrow one, which leads directly to Jesus and our heavenly Father! And we can successfully do that if we allow the Holy Spirit which indwells us to lead and guide us in all truth. That’s our ‘ponderation’ for today my people. (smile) Much LOVE!
…only as we sincerely trust…and have true faith in God…will we see Him work in our lives…
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.wordpress.com
14 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cloudless blue sky, a cry of anguish, a glorious Tuesday, a song of praise, accomplish all our desires, affliction, all that labour and are heavy laden, appreciation, brokeness, Christianity means action, come unto me, common sense, each step of the way, elevate our earthly lives, enhances growth, every experience is an opportunity to grow, fat fannies, fear the Lord, forgiveness, fulfilling, hungry, I have not refrained my lips, I have preached righteousness, I told you so, I will give you rest, in the great congregation, it's a little too late, learn from our mistakes, Limping Home, LOVE, mocked and maligned, never stop learning, O Lord thou knowest, One Year Book of Bible promises, pay my vows, praise, proclaimed the good news of righteousness, proclamation of God's Word, prodigal journey, Psalm 22, rest, Ruth Harms Calkin, seed of jacob, soiled and shabby, sprintime, stimulating, sttoped and stupid, sweep it under the rug, the cross, the end of our tether, the judgements of thy mouth, the Love Revolution of Jesus, thirsty for God, tons of bright sunshine, truth, turn to our Higher Power, unburdening of our souls, unfathomable love, variety of happenings, walking continually with God, walking with god every day, welcome, wisdom
Psalm 40:9. I have preached righteousness (proclaimed the good news of righteousness) in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained (restrained) my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
Ah Friends it’s the promising start of what hopefully will be a totally glorious Tuesday!
Yesterday wasn’t bad nuh, with the decent sunshine, warm temps and all that, but late in the afternoon the sun chose to be hidden betwixt the dark clouds and the rain. Let’s hope for a cloudless blue sky and tons of bright sunshine this spring day.
And yuh know Friends, I saw something yesterday in my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness that got me thinking I should share with you. It says that ‘Every day, every experience is an opportunity to grow.’
And isn’t that the God-awesome truth my people. Our experiences are like the springtime, which enhances growth. And we’d be rather foolish if we did not use the wide variety of happenings that we all experience to enlighten and elevate our earthly lives. It’s like the old saying, we should learn from our mistakes.
And remember too, that once we’re alive we should always be learning. We should NEVER stop learning! Learning something new every day, keeps the doctor and the funeral director away! (smile)
And as an added bonus, here’s this poem from The One Year Book of Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. I couldn’t help but include it since it portrays so many of us so vividly.
It’s titled ‘LIMPING HOME,’ and astutely declares: ‘Lord With a crooked stick for a cane I’m limping home. Mocked and maligned Stooped and stupid Soiled and shabby I limp toward You. You could say, “I told you so.” You could say, “It’s a little too late.” You could say, “Wait while I think it over.”
You could sweep me under the rug – We both know I deserve far less. But when I see the cross And the Man who died there Suddenly I know I limp Toward unfathomable LOVE And there is forgiveness Rushing toward me. I don’t ask for a banquet, Lord Nor do I need a gold ring. I’m so hungry So thirsty For You.’
More awesome truth Friends! We try to do it our way, on our own, but eventually realize that that’s impossible. And hopefully, when we’ve reached the end of our tether, we turn to our Higher Power, who is indeed the One that causes us to successfully accomplish all our desires.
And it’s interesting to note, that on our prodigal journey back to the Father, we suddenly discover the appreciation and wonderful welcome that’s waiting there for us, and the hunger and thirst for His unfathomable LOVE just overwhelms us. The sad part though, is that it often takes our brokenness to bring us to that realization.
And the rather appropriate promise for that poem come from these beautiful and welcoming words of Jesus. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt.11:28)
But for some ungodly reason, too many of us hesitate and/or refuse to accept that promise of rest and unburdening of our souls, and thus struggle more than is necessary to make it through this earthly life. That’s definitely not even common sense, much less wisdom my people!
So where then are common sense and wisdom found, you ask? Oh my brethren, those two marvellous traits are found in walking continually with God and doing what our Bit declares. ‘I have preached righteousness (proclaimed the good news of righteousness) in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained (restrained) my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.’
Yes my people, the proclamation of God’s Word to the world is a rather integral part of our earthly lives!
And we’ll continue with the stuff I had left over from yesterday, which consists of a few more verses from Psalm 22 – A cry of anguish and song of praise. Listen to Bruh David exhort us: ‘Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed (descendants) of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him (hold Him in awesome reverence), all ye the seed of Israel.
For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.’ (Ps.22: 23-25)
Oh Friends, how wonderful and productive this life, and this world would be, if we only carried out those vows and promises! But unfortunately, that’s only going to happen, if and when we get truly serious about promoting and promulgating the LOVE Revolution of Jesus Christ.
As individuals, we have to ask ourselves, how interested we really are in doing that, then get up off our fat fannies and do it. Remember Friends, that Christianity is an ACTION word, and nothing is more fulfilling and stimulating than walking with God every day, each step of the way. Much LOVE!
…with my lips…have I declared…all the judgements of thy mouth… (Ps.119:13)
22 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abused, acts of obedience, anger, become more like Jesus, born of God, Bruh Paul, Christ's redeeming presence, Christian, Cousin Sol, Creator of the universe, dynamism, encouraging, endures all things, family gatherings, fellowship of believers, fomented, friends, God demonstrates His love for us, God is LOVE, godly love, hatred stirs up strife, hopes all things, in spirit and in truth, inspirational, love believes all things, Love covers all sins, Love doesn't envy, Love doesnt boast, Love God, love is an action word, Love is kind, love is not selfish, LOVE is of God, love is the panacea for all ills, Love isn't arrogant, love isn't easily provoked, love isn't rude, Love never fails, love reigns, Love suffers long, love thinks no evil, manifest deep affection, misunderstandings, motivation, negative emotions, overused, panacea, praise, prayer, Proverbs, quiet reflection, raise our voices to heaven, redeem, redemption, resnetment, rest, reverence, rumours of war, song, step up to the plate, strife, Sunday, Thank you Father, the epitome of love, the Good Book, the Lord's Day, the shed blood of Jesus, time for peace, traits of love, trust in Christ, truth, uplifting, wars, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, wisdom, worship, worshipping Almighty God
Proverbs 10:12. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.
Well Friends, the earth has turned on its axis seven times, that means it’s Sunday once again; the Lord’s Day, a time for peace and quiet, reflection, rest, family gatherings and fellowship of believers!
So please, let’s try and get some of that good and godly stuff into our lives today nuh, especially the church going that brings together fellow believers to sing, praise and worship the Creator of the universe and all therein. For there’s nothing as moving, as inspirational, as encouraging and uplifting as a group of believers giving thanks and praise and worshipping Almighty God in spirit and in truth!
It is what our souls and spirits thrive on Friends. That’s why it is necessary for us to congregate at least once a week and raise our voices, our hearts, heads and eyes to heaven and let the Father know that we still admire, revere and LOVE Him.
Yes Friends, if we LOVE our God, then we need to let Him know, show Him, through prayer, song, worship and acts of obedience to His will. And that last part is of the utmost importance my people, because too many of us simply talk LOVE but never show it, and as I keep reminding us, LOVE is an ACTION word!
And the Lord proved this to us so famously, as Bruh Paul tells the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) His LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:8)
Oh Friends, that’s the epitome of LOVE! How many of us will do that sort of thing in real life eh? Not too many. We all want to see someone else step up to the plate, to show their hand, before we do. But our omnipotent God was sure of whom He was, and confidently set the plans in motion to redeem us, even before we knew that we needed redemption.
Wow! And all God’s redeemed children gave out a loud and appreciative: ‘Thank You Father! Thank You for redeeming us through the shed blood of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour! We LOVE You, though we don’t always show it. Please help us to become more like Jesus, so that we can manifest the deep affection and reverence we have for You; manifest it not only in words, but even more in action. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen’
Oh my people, LOVE is truly the panacea for all ills!
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in in our Bit from Proverbs. ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ And isn’t that indisputable, gospel truth, as we all can attest to from our personal lives!
Where negative emotions rule the day, strife is easily fomented. But where true LOVE reigns…. Oh Friends, strife indeed has a difficult time showing its ugly face.
Hear how Bruh Paul characterizes that in the LOVE Chapter of the Good Book. ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (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 account of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (LOVE) NEVER FAILETH…’ (1 Cor.13:4-8a)
And that last highlighted line my brethren, brings it all together – LOVE NEVER FAILS! No matter what the situation, once sincere LOVE is involved, it will be successfully rectified, or at least rectified without a whole lot of strife, anger, hatred and resentment. And unfortunately, our world today is very lacking in true LOVE, that’s why there is so much hatred and resentment, wars and rumours of wars.
And all of that despite the fact that we use the word so often, more often than it’s ever been used before. The problem though is that we use it carelessly, without fully considering or understanding its true and beautiful meaning.
Sadly, the word LOVE has fallen into the group of words like ‘nice’ which have been overused and abused, and now don’t convey any real dynamism, just a simple, generalized understanding, which often lead to misunderstandings. (smile)
And John, in his first epistle, puts it as clearly as it can be put. ‘BELOVED, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:7-8)
Now Friends, as the scholars’ so rightly tell us: ‘4:7. In context, John is not saying that everyone who LOVES is somehow a Christian, whether they trust in Christ or not. He makes it clear elsewhere that true knowledge of God entails right belief about Christ, as well as right response to God, including LOVE for others. Mere human LOVE apart from Christ’s redeeming presence and motivation falls short of LOVE in its fullest dimension as a human response to God’s perfect and infinite compassion (cf.1 Cor.13).’
And we have already seen above, the true traits of LOVE in that reference. So Friends, it’s obvious that as believers we can’t use the world’s understanding of LOVE to be our umbrella, but rather God’s definition, which obviously includes acceptance of Christ and His redemptive qualities.
Therefore my people, as we go out today, to church or even at home with our friends and families, please allow that godly kind of caring and affection to show forth in our words and actions, because if we aren’t showing godly LOVE, then we are not true believers in God.
My Friends, the logic’s simple, but the wisdom is indeed heavenly! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE HIM…
20 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a treasured part, actions, aongs, Ark of the Covenant, automatically, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, bring an offering, Bruh David, choir of joyful praise, crying out for mercy, encouraged, exhorted, face whatever comes our way, fear the Lord, fellowship, filling our hearts with food and gladness, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glorify, glory and honour, glory hallelujah, God of Abraham, God of our salvation, goodness, heritage, his mercy endureth for ever, hope and pray, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord, idols, in Jesus' name, Israel, Israel's wonder-working God, let the earth rejoice, let the fields rejoice, let the heavens be gald, let the sea roar, LOVE, loving kindness, Make God our number 1 priority, no-brainers, O Give thanks unto the Lord, our faith, petition, praise, promise, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, rough winter, sing praises unto God, sing the Lord's praises, speak of the Lord's greatness, spring, strength, subservient, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, TGIS! Thank God it's spring, thanks, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Lord made the heavens, the Lord reigneth, the wherewithal, the wonderful God we serve, this earthly life, triumph, turn to God, week of work, wisdom, with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness, words, worship the Lord, worthless things, young generation
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, but it’s also the first day of spring. And lots of people, especially those in the northern climes are going to be shouting ‘TGIS! Thank God it’s spring at last!’ As well as ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’
After the exceedingly rough winter we’ve had, the words will come naturally: ‘Glory Hallelujah, spring at last, spring at last! Lord please don’t let winter return. Just let it keep getting warmer and greener.’
And although I wasn’t here for the real bad parts, I certainly can understand those sentiments, for what I experienced was bad enough to have me crying out for mercy. (smile)
Anyway Friends, let’s just hope and pray that the days do keep getting warmer, the trees start budding, and more birds join the early morning choir of joyful praise to their Creator, for that will mean that it’s truly spring.
But meanwhile, to try and alleviate all the confusion and anxiety over Friday and Spring, let’s chant out Friday Chant with plenty feeling. ‘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, let’s relax and turn to our wonderful and sovereign God to show us the way and give us the wherewithal to face whatever comes our way. So with all of that in mind, let’s move on to our Bit: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
And my brethren, as true believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that is exactly what we are called upon to do! For we cannot appreciate the Lord’s goodness and LOVING-kindness without expressing it in words, actions and songs, and more importantly, letting the young generation know about the wonderful God we serve and worship. That’s the only way that our faith will keep on being a treasured part of this earthly life.
Now yesterday we heard the first half of Bruh David’s psalm of thanksgiving when the Ark of the Covenant was brought up to Jerusalem. Today we’ll listen to the other half. ‘For all the gods of the people are idols (worthless things): but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.
Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Fear (tremble) before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth. Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr.16:26-35)
Ah Friends, what beautiful sentiments from Bruh David! Even nature, the inanimate objects, like the trees and fields are expected to sing praises unto God, so why wouldn’t we eh, His most marvellous creation?
Now here are some interesting explanations from the scholars. ’16:7. This psalm (with slight variations) is woven into several of the psalms in the Hebrew Psalter (cf. vv.8-22 with Ps.105:1; vv.23-33 with Ps.96; vv.34-36 with Ps.106:1, 47-48). It is learned here that those later liturgical adaptations originated with David. The psalm was especially suited for this auspicious occasion, (moving the ark to Jerusalem).
This particular psalm exhorts the people to praise Israel’s wonder-working God (vv.8-11), and encourages its hearers to remember God’s deeds (vv.12-14) and His unfailing covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (vv.15-22). David then directs all nations to join Israel in its praise of the holy God to whom all the universe is subservient (vv.23-33), and closes the song with a section of thanks, petition, and praise (vv.34-36).’
Oh Friends, likewise, in these exceedingly rough and trying times, we are also being exhorted to praise our wonder-working God, the same One that Israel worshipped!
And we are also being encouraged to remember God’s great deeds on our behalf, as well as His unfailing covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for that too, is all a part of our heritage and our promise!
If we don’t make those things our priority, then we’re being hypocritical, and failing in service and worship to the God we claim to treasure and appreciate so much.
Therefore my brethren, let’s try and sincerely make the Lord God THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY in all aspects of our lives nuh, by living a life that glorifies Him, which means singing His praises, and telling others of His marvellous works, for then an only then will we become true believers. That’s the zenith of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to sing the Lord’s praises….and to speak of His greatness…should be no-brainers to His true people…should come automatically to them…
18 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a call to praise God, a great King above all Gods, a lose-lose situation, a psalm of praise, appreciate each day, appreciative, bless His name, blessings to brighten our way, build up thy throne to all generations, burst out in song, come before his presence with thanksgiving, covenant, Each day is a gift from God, Ethan the Ezrahite, faith, faithfulness, flowers, followers of Jesus, forgiveness, Friday, fulfilled, glorify His holy name, god's great mercies and loving-kindness, gospel truth, green beer, hands of our dear ones, his mercy is everlasting, his truth endureth to all generations, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord, it is meet and right, jehovah god, joyfully singing, laughter to share, lighten our hearts, LOVE, loving kindness, magnificent and magnanimous God, make a joyful noise, mercy, natural reaction, O come let us sing unto the lord, passed down, praise, prayer, preamble, promises, Psalm 100, Psalm 95, rainbows, rightful due of thanks and praise, Selah, serve the Lord with gladness, shortchange ourselves and God, shout joyfully, singing, song, spirits and souls, St. Paddy's Day, sworn unto David, take for granted, thankful, thanksgiving, the beauty of nature, the blessings of God, the gift of another new day, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the joy of God, the Lord he is God, the Lord is a great God, The Lord is good, the middle day of the workweek, the Most High God, the rock of our salvation, the sheep of his pasture, the weekend, thy seed will I establish for ever, to all generations, troubled, troublesome hour, true believer, trust, we are his people, Wednesday, wisdom, with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness, wreak havoc
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, please sing this ode to Wednesday with me. ‘Wednesday, oh Wednesday, the middle day of the workweek. Wednesday, oh Wednesday, you make me forget Monday and Tuesday.
Wednesday, oh Wednesday, you show me that there’s no going backward, only forward. Wednesday, oh Wednesday, you bring me ever closer to Friday and the weekend. Oh how I LOVE you Wednesday!’
Yes mih people, just a little fun to stir up our souls on this chilly Wednesday winter’s morn, after a hectic St. Paddy’s Day. Hope the green beer and other strange coloured beverages didn’t or don’t wreak too much havoc on you all. (smile) Thankfully I stayed away from it all, but not from the late night, hence my late awakening.
Now what shall we preamble about today eh? And I just saw the perfect preamble for today! It’s a poem on a birthday card I received last year. It was just sitting at the edge of my desk, and I was wondering why it was there. But after reading the words that covered the outside, I realized why.
Listen to these beautiful words and sentiments. I don’t know if I’ve shared them before, but I must have, because they’re so beautiful and appropriate for our time. But like most beautiful words and sentiments, they are definitely worth sharing again. The poem’s titled: ‘Each Day Is a Gift from God.’
Please say with me: ‘He has given us morning, brightness, and sun, Laughter to share, and work to be done. He has given us rainbows, flowers, and song, And the hands of our dear ones to help us along. He has given us prayer, with its wonderful power To lighten our hearts in a troublesome hour. He has given us blessings to brighten our way, And always – the gift of another new day.’
Wow mih people! It’s all so wonderful and true! But do we really appreciate it all? I don’t think so nuh, otherwise our spirits and souls would not be as troubled as they are. And many of us unfortunately just take the beautiful things of nature and blessings of God for granted.
However Friends, we shouldn’t be doing that, because then we foolishly shortchange ourselves of the joy of God, and also shortchange the Lord in giving Him His rightful due of thanks and praise, so it just turns into a lose – lose situation.
Instead, we ought to be doing as our Bit so wisely declares: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
What wisdom Friends! And why should we do that? Ethan the Ezrahite, author of the psalm tells us why, as he continues: ‘For I have said, Mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.’ (Ps.89:2-4)
Yes my people, for all those wonderful promises, which have been fulfilled and passed down to us, we too should be joyfully singing of God’s great mercies and LOVING-kindness!
Now let’s check out a couple of other scriptures that encourage us to sing praises and thanks unto the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
In Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God – the psalmist joyfully proclaims: ‘O come let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all Gods.’ (Ps.95:1-3)
Oh Friends, there’s nothing but gospel truth in those statements, statements to which we should all be adhering to!
Then in Psalm 100 – A call to praise God – the psalmist also proclaims with great wisdom: ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (the entire 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. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps.100:1-5)
Oh my people, with all the good things we have coming from our magnificent and magnanimous God, how can we not be thankful and appreciative eh, and make us just want to burst out in song, to sing His wonderful praises, and glorify His holy name!
It ought to be the natural reaction of a true believer, one who has put their sincere faith and trust in Jehovah God, and is enjoying His blessings, mercies, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness!
Oh my fellow believers, please, oh please, let’s try and rectify that situation nuh, by increasing our appreciation of God’s goodness, and thus being ever more willing to break out in song, giving thanks and praises to the Most High God, for all He’s done, is doing, and has promised to do for us.
That is certainly the wisdom of the truly wise! Much LOVE!
…it is meet and right…for followers of Jesus…to break out in praiseful song…every time they consider His goodness…
17 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable sins, be filled with the Spirit, beloeved son, bounden duty, breathtaking knowledge, Calvary, calypso on the radio, Catholicism, Christ's Church, Christians, communing with Jesus, Cousin Sol, demonstrate undying love, dissipation, doubt, driving the snakes out of Ireland, drunk with wine, encourages, epitome of wisdom, eternal declarations, Ethan the Ezrahite, evil times. Beelzebub, faithfulness, fellow believers, followers of Jesus, foolish and fleshly lusts, forgiveness, giving thanks always, glorious green colours, God's sure promises to David, grace, grateful, gratitude, heavenly Father, hell-bent for destruction, hope, hymns, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord, inferiority complex, Ireland's patron saint, it's a good thing to give thanks, It's Good, it's good to be loved by you, Jesus Christ, joy, kaiso, lazy, Lent, lethargic attitudes, life-giving love, LOVE, majestic life symphony, make them known to our children, making melody in your heart to god, mercies, miserable, misery, mortal lives, nothing compares to god's love for us, One Year Book of Bible promises, playing both ends against the middle, praise, protective umbrella of Christ, psalms, pseudo followers, reconciliation, reverence, rings chimes in my tremulous heart, sacrificed on the cross, Saint Patrick, scripture, sentiments, shouting the Lord's goodness from the rooftops, sing about them, sing and make merry to God, sinners, sitting on the fence, sour, St.Patrick's Day, thankfulness, Thanks be to God, thanksgiving, the assembly of saints, the fear of God, the heavens shall praise thy wonders, the Lord's loving-kindness, the Love Revolution, the new generation, things that flow from God, this wicked world, triumph in the work of thy hands, true believers, trust, unconditional, understanding, unsettled questions, we're alive and kicking, wisdom, wishy-washy, with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Well Friends, Thanks be to God, we’re alive and kicking this Tuesday morning; especially on this 2015 St.Patrick’s Day! A Happy St. Paddy’s Day to all and sundry!
And remember to come out bedecked in your glorious green colours today, drink your green beer and other beverages, celebrating the life and death of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick, the man credited with driving all the snakes out of Ireland. (smile)
And I always remember St. Patrick’s Day fondly, for growing up in T&T that was the only day that you heard a calypso on the radio during Lent. Such was the staunch Catholicism and the inferiority complex that our local music wasn’t good enough to be played during Lent.
That however has now come full circle, with kaiso been played everyday of the year, even some of those that should not be played at all. But that’s the new generation, and you either like it or leave it.
Now here is a little ditty from the One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that suitably acknowledges and gives thanks to our wonderful heavenly Father. It’s simply titled ‘It’s Good.’
Please say with me: ‘Oh God, it’s good to be LOVED by You! The breathtaking knowledge of Your life-giving LOVE rings chimes in my tremulous heart. It fashions eternal declarations Out of unsettled questions. It creates a majestic life symphony From a solitary note. God, it’s good to be LOVED BY You!’
And is it ever my fellow believers! There is NOTHING in this world that even comes close in comparison to the LOVE that our heavenly Father has for us! It’s unconditional, it’s pure and true…it’s everything we can ask!
But unfortunately too many of us don’t seem to recognize and/or appreciate it. Neither do we return that LOVE, opting instead to rush and grab for the foolish and fleshly lusts of this wicked world. That’s why there’s so much doubt and misery in our souls in these trying times.
Oh Friends, if we’d only consider the great LOVE that God has for us, and it’s not only talk, for He showed it by sending His only BELOVED Son, Jesus Christ to be sacrificed on the cross of Calvary for our abominable sins, so that we could find hope and reconciliation through Him.
And that while we were yet sinners, hell-bent for destruction. So if that doesn’t demonstrate His great and undying LOVE for us, then I don’t know what does!
And our Bit for today is the promise to which our poem is devoted. ‘I will sing of the mercies (the LOVE) of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
Wow! What wonderful sentiments my brethren! They are the opening words of Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David – the contemplation by Ethan the Ezrahite; one of the wise men and great songwriters of Bruh David’s time.
He was even used as a comparison for Cousin Sol’s wisdom. ‘For he was wiser than all men; Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol:’ (1 Kin.4:31)
And yuh know what Friends? If we are indeed grateful for the unconditional LOVE, the mercies, forgiveness, grace and all the other good and wonderful things that flow from our great God, then we ought to sing about them constantly and make them known to our children and grandchildren!
But we obviously don’t do that as much as we ought. Is it because we don’t truly appreciate the Lord’s LOVING-kindness, or do we just take it for granted? Either way, we’re wrong. My fellow believers, we ought to be shouting out the Lord’s goodness from the rooftops, each and every day of our mortal lives!
Now let’s look at some scripture that encourages us to do just that. Ethan himself, later on in Psalm 89, wisely declares: ‘And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him.’ (Ps.89:5-7)
Yes Friends, there’s none as mighty and as faithful in this universe as our Lord and Creator! Therefore we ought to acknowledge Him with much praise and thanksgiving!
Now listen to the words of the psalmist from Psalm 92 – Praises for the Lord’s goodness. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: To show forth (declare) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.
Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute or lyre); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound. For thou, Lord hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps.92:1-4)
Oh what a joy to be living under the protective umbrella of our most faithful God! And my people we need to make that known much more than we currently do. Most of the time we just sing and make merry to God when we go to church, but we ought to be doing it all the time, every day.
As Bruh Paul so wisely put it to the Ephesians, when talking about the ways of the believer. Hear him: ‘Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation), but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21)
Yuh see Friends, if we consider ourselves a part of God’s flock, then we ought to be always singing and making merry in His name, not going about sour and miserable like so many of us supposed Christians do.
We have been granted a great and wonderful life through Jesus Christ, so let’s be thankful and show that thankfulness and gratitude nuh, so that the unbelievers can see the joy and faithfulness that communing with Jesus truly brings!
If we’re not joyful and thankful for the great mercies and blessings being daily bestowed on us by God, then we’re not true believers or sheep in His flock, just pseudo followers, sitting on the fence, trying to play both ends against the middle.
Ah Friends, at no time in the life of Christ’s church has the necessity for our sincere display of joy and trust in the Lord’s goodness been more important.
Sadly, in these evil times, Beelzebub’s power is on the rise and we desperately need to counteract it with the singing of songs of praise and thankfulness to Almighty God, if we ever hope to regain the running of our world and the success of Christ’s LOVE Revolution.
So please, my brethren, let’s wake up and smell whatever we need to, and do whatever we need to, so that we can rise above the lazy, wishy-washy and lethargic attitudes we currently display. That my people, is the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…if we’re truly glad to be followers of Jesus…then we need to show it outwardly…so that others will come to Him…and find the joy that we have…that’s our bounden duty…
08 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, belief system, belief systems, blind, chief cornerstone, christianity, corner stone, Daylight Saving Time, dr robert h schuller, faith, Father forgive them, fellowship, for other foundation can no man lay, for they know not what they do, foundation stone, freedom, good works, grace, guilt, half-hearted believers, have need of nothing, he that hath an ear let him hear, I am rich, I lay in Zion for a foundation stone, I will spew thee out of my mouth, is become the head corner stone, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, joyful hearts, mental hopscotch, mercy. a religion based on mercy, miserable, naked, Nirvana, no strings attached, philosophically, poor, praise, psychologically, rooted in forgiveness, run of the mill man, shame, spiritually, Sunday, thanksgiving, the church at Laodicea, the gift of salvation is free, the source of salvation, the stone which the builders refused, this is the day the Lord has made, thou art lukewarm, thou art neither hot nor cold, trust, truth, victims, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wealthy, what the Spirit says to the churches, which is Christ Jesus, worship, wretched
1 Corinthians 3:11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Well Friends, we’ve jumped forward an hour this Sunday morning to what we call Daylight Saving Time, having lost an hour a few months ago. Hn! If that jumping back and forth benefits anyone, is open to argument, but it does seem to have some negative effects on people’s sleep and their metabolism. And I don’t think that the countries who don’t follow this eccentric behaviour (smile) suffer any setbacks either. So why do we play this mental hopscotch every year eh?
I guess that only God and the powers that be understand it. The normal, run of the mill man certainly doesn’t. He just knows that twice a year it confuses his life. Now because of that, many of us will be late for work or other important appointments, including church, since we either didn’t know or didn’t remember that the clocks were going forward one hour this morning.
Hopefully though, not many of us will miss the glorious opportunity for worship, fellowship, praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God, and in return get His strength, wisdom and confidence to face this wicked world for another week. And today I’m excited to share this good, no wonderful news about Christianity, from Gramp’s Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. Now it’s something we all know, or should know, but we need to be reminded of it every so often.
Listen up: ‘Christianity is a religion based on mercy. It is rooted in forgiveness. Of all the religions in the world, Christianity is the only belief system that accepts grace as its source of salvation. Every other religion is based on good works – work hard enough or be good enough and you will earn your salvation, your heaven, your Nirvana. Christianity alone says, “You can’t do it. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. We all suffer from guilt and shame. We are all victims.
But Jesus died on the cross with these final words: ‘Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ (Luke 23:34) He has risen again. He has paid for my sins. He has paid for yours. The gift of salvation is free – no strings attached.”
Ah mih people, in light of all of that, how could I choose to be other than a Christian eh, a believer in Jesus Christ? It is certainly the best belief system in the world; spiritually, psychologically, philosophically and any other ‘ally’ you choose to bring up! (smile) It definitely beats all other belief systems in the way humans ought to live and interact with each other, and with their God.
So why are we so reluctant to embrace it eh? I really don’t know nuh. I just know that the wise people will accept and embrace it with joyful hearts, minds and souls, because that’s what it is designed to do. That’s why Bruh Paul proclaims in our Bit to the church at Corinth: ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’
And that’s indisputable, gospel truth my brethren! Jesus was the foundation for all mankind from day one!
The prophet Isaiah warned Jerusalem thus: ‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.’ (Is.28:16)
Yes Friends, the Lord promised that foundation stone a long, long time before Jesus came to fulfill it. Meanwhile, in Psalm 118 – Thanksgiving for the Lord’s salvation, the psalmist said it this way: ‘I will praise thee: for thou hast heard (answered) me, and art become my salvation.
The stone which the builders refused (rejected) is become the head stone of the corner (chief cornerstone). This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:21-24)
Oh Friends, in light of Jesus’ sacrifice, of God’s wonderful grace, of offering salvation freely, that is what we need to do each and every day; rejoice and be glad that we are alive and kicking and have heaven and eternal life with Jesus to look forward to, no matter what happens here on earth. Does any other belief system have that ensconced in their promises? Obviously not! So why aren’t we more joyful than we are eh?
I think it just shows that we are not very true, but merely half-hearted believers. No other religion has the wonderful and fulfilled promises that ours does, but yet they rejoice in theirs more than we do in ours. Maybe it’s because we are like the church at Laodicea, to whom Jesus sent this message.
‘And unto the angel (messenger) of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God (Christ); I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would (wish) thou wert (were) cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew (spit, vomit) thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods (have become wealthy), and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.’ (Rev.3:14-17)
Yes Friends, Laodicea was famous for its wealth, but that did not translate into a genuine and strong faith. Likewise our faith today is somewhat compromised by our wealth and freedom, which lead us to not trust and have as much faith in Jesus as we ought to.
Please, I implore us to get really serious about Jesus, so that those words to the Laodiceans no longer are applicable to us, for if we continue in our less than genuine faith, Jesus is liable to spit us out, eject us from His church. And that my brethren is the last thing we can afford to have happen to us. So let’s ponder it all and come to the wise conclusion to raise our faith in Jesus nuh, which is wisdom to the nth degree. Much LOVE!
…He that hath and ear…let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…
15 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, almighty god, Amazing grace, blessings, blind, Bruh David, can't be measured, confidence, consecrate his service to the Lord, courage, every man shall give as he is able, evil world, favour, for donkey's years, found, friends, generosity, givng traits, God in favour, God LOVES a cheerful giver, God's Law, good measure, greed, hit the nail on the head, immeasurable, Israel, Jehiel, joy, light of jesus, lost, loving kindness, material wealth, measured back to you, my new sight in Jesus, naked we came, naked we will go back, now I see, obedience, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, peace of mind, ponder, praise, pressed down, princes, principle, prosperous, running over, safe and narrow path, selfishness, share, share with others, St. Francis, strength, Sunday, testify, Thank you Father, thanksgiving, the house of God, the Lord thy God, the Lord's Day, to give is better than to receive, unmeasurable, what you sow you shall reap, worship, you can't plant peas and expect to reap corn
Deuteronomy 16:17. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
Well Friends, it’s the Lord’s Day! The week has ended, and the cycle begins again today as it has for so many generations, or as the old people would say, for donkey’s years. (smile) And no doubt the cycle will continue for many more generations until the Lord is ready to call us to judgment.
But in the meantime, we are supposed to appreciate and respect it, and give oblation to out great and wonderful God every Sunday, by gathering in His sanctuary, or wherever possible, and honouring Him with praise, worship and thanksgiving.
I went to my little church, St. Francis down the street and we sang and worshipped and praised God and gave Him an awesome amount of thanks for His goodness and LOVING-kindness to us. A new member of the fold, a little girl was also baptized this morning and I trust that she will grow up to do Jesus’ will as we promised on her behalf today.
I do hope that all of us who are able, will go, are going, or have already gone to church and offered up our thanks and praise to Almighty God, and will in return receive strength, courage and confidence to face this evil world, bathed in the brilliant and beautiful light of Jesus!
Ah Friends, when we discover that light of Jesus, when our eyes are truly opened to the wonder of His glory… ohhh… such a joy fills our hearts and our lives are so improved that we wonder how come we hadn’t made that discovery or decision before.
As one of the prayers I found at the back of my Mother’s Bible so aptly details. ‘Amazing grace – how sweet the sound – that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see. Thank You Father for my new sight in Jesus. Amen.’
Yes my people, when we truly discover Jesus, our eyes gain a new sight, like our 20-20 vision is restored, and we can see everything in greater detail.
And today we’ll go back to our old Bit that deals with giving. One of the basic laws of God’s kingdom. ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’
Oh Friends, that is ever so true, and unfortunately there is really no word or words to truly impress that principle as mightily on our hearts as we need to have it imprinted. And it’s just another offshoot of God’s basic law of what you sow, you will reap.
As the old people would say, you can’t plant peas and expect to reap corn. The same way Friends, you can’t not give, not be generous and expect to receive, or have generosity and favour continually fall on you.
How did Jesus say it? ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom (the fold in a garment used as a pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured back to you again,’ (Luke 6:38)
Oh lordy, lordy Miss Clordy! (smile) Friends Jesus hit the nail on the head right there. Whatever measure you use to give, it will be used in giving back to you. So if you use a small cup to give, then whoever is giving back to you will also measure their giving with a small cup. But if you use a big bucket, then a big bucket will used to give back to you!
And yuh see how Jesus specifically enumerated that it will be pressed down, shaken together and running over! Mama Mia! My people how can we not understand that principle when it’s spelled out so loud and clear eh? Is the greed and selfishness of the world so engrained in our hearts, minds and souls that we can’t bring ourselves to follow God’s law, be obedient to His will.
I surely hope not, for remember, though we pile up lots of earthly possessions, we can’t take ANY of it with us, for naked we came and naked we will go back to where we came from. And besides it all belongs to God, and He’s blessed us with whatever we have so that we can share with others, be a blessing to the less fortunate.
And remember too that we can’t give grudgingly, or because we are compelled to give, because God LOVES a cheerful giver. Ah mih people, I can personally testify to the authenticity of that principle; give and it will be given back to you, because I’ve seen it happen so often in my life.
And if you want to be prosperous, not only in material wealth but also in peace of mind and soul, then I implore you to start thinking along those lines, for your situation will never improve until you stop thinking simply and solely about what you have, and begin considering what you have that you can share with others.
Now here is some scripture that admirably upholds the principle. This comes from way back when, when Bruh David wanted to raise funds to build God’s temple. After stating the purpose of his fundraising and what he personally had given (1 Chr.29:1-5a) he continues: ‘And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?
Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly, and gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred talents of iron.
And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect (loyal) heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.’ (1 Chr.29:5b-9)
Oh Friends, I won’t even add anything to that, just leave it fresh in our brains so that we can ponder our own giving traits and see if they fall into line with God’s.
Till tomorrow then, God in favour, please walk the safe and narrow path that leads to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for that is eternal wisdom. Much LOVE!
…to give is better than to receive…because the joy we get from giving is unmeasurable…immeasurable…and any other words that mean can’t be measured… (smile
25 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a free gift of God, a true child of God, appreciation, awesome truth, bless His name, by grace are ye saved, child of God, christ jesus, covered me in my mother's womb, created in Christ unto good works, doing good works, enter his gates with thanksgiving, evil ways, faith, faith strengthened, fear the God of Israel, fearfully and wonderfully made, forgiveness, formed my inward parts, give me understanding, Glory Halleujah, grace, greetings, hope, inner beauty, into his courts with praise, Isaiah, it is meet and right to do so, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, knives through the darkness, lest any man should boast, look to the future, LOVE, marvellous are thy works, mercy, my life will be beautiful, new creations, not of works, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, positive actions, power of God, praise, recreated by Christ, s bright spotlight, Sabbath Day, salutations, salvation, sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, saturated with Christ, Something Beautiful, spirits renewed, spiritual life, Sunday, the living truth, the Lord he is God, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the redemption of Israel, the sheep of his pasture, the work of mine hands, they shall sanctify my name, token of love, we are his people, we are his workmanship, worship
Ephesians 2:10. For we are his workmanship (creation) created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.
Greetings and salutations my people, in the glorious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, on this blessed but damp and foggy Sunday morning! All power and glory be to the One who sacrificed His holy and sinless life for us disgusting sinners.
And to show our grateful appreciation of that wonderful token of LOVE, let’s gather together in His sanctuary on this Sabbath Day, as He desires, to praise and worship Him, give Him the thanks that He so rightfully deserves, and in return receive His grace, mercy and forgiveness, so that our spirits can be renewed, our faith strengthened, and our actions positive and LOVE-filled!
And all God’s people said a loud and sincere: ‘Yes, let us do that, for it is meet and right so to do!
And now, from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings from Ruth Harms Calkin, here is ‘Something Beautiful!’ ‘Here I am dear God Your Child A member of Your Family Asking You To make something beautiful of my life. Yet, even as I ask I am convinced That the one beautiful thing About a child of God Is You, Jesus Christ. So, dear Lord As You saturate me with Yourself My life will be beautiful.’
And isn’t that the living truth Friends! There’s nothing as beautiful as a human being saturated with Jesus Christ! That inner beauty and LOVE of a true child of God just shines through the darkness of this world, knives through it like a big, bright spotlight closely focused on a performer on a stage! Oh my brethren, there’s no better state for us to be in, than to be filled with the beauty and joy of Jesus Christ! For we become new creations, old, evil ways are forgotten, and we look to the future with hope and faith.
And the Bible promise for that poem is our Bit today; fateful words of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.’ Friends, that’s truth to the nth degree!
And here are some explanations from the scholars to enlighten us. ‘2:10. For verifies the assertion of man’s good works having no part in obtaining salvation. (vs.8-9) Workmanship refers not to our original or physical birth, but to our spiritual birth: what we are spiritually in the good sense is due to God, not ourselves.
Created in Christ Jesus unto good works means “having been (morally) re-created by Christ Jesus for good works,” that is, Jesus remade our spiritual lives so that we could then do good works. The apostle’s thinking is this; since the Christian has been given spiritual life for the purpose of doing good works, there could have been no good works by him prior to conversion that would merit salvation. Good works follow – do not precede – salvation.’
And I’ll be my usual nice self (smile) and quote the two verses we mentioned above, re good works having no part in salvation. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph.28-9)
Yes Friends, part of the reason why salvation is not achieved by good works is so that men can’t boast about obtaining it on their own strength or merit. Remember, it is a free gift of God!
Now let’s look at a couple scriptures that reflect the theme of our Bit. Hear the palmist declare from Psalm 100 – A call to praise the Lord. ‘Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.’ (Ps.100:3-4)
Oh my people, if we’d only follow that wise advice of the psalmist, our lives and our world would be a much better place than it currently is!
Now listen to Isaiah, as he talks about the redemption of Israel. ‘But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify (hallow) my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.’ (Is.29:23)
Without a doubt Friends, we are God’s handiwork, His greatest creation! Glory Hallelujah!
Another psalmist joyfully proclaims: ‘Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.’ (Ps.119:73) Words of awesome truth my brethren! And we’ll end with Bruh David’s version from Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God. ‘For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered (weaved) me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right (very) well.’
My substance (frame, bones) was not hid from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously (skillfully) wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect (unformed); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned (the days fashioned for me), when as not there was none of them.’ (Ps.139:13-16)
Yes Friends, Jehovah God was the planner, designer, architect and builder of every human being that was ever made. Therefore He knows all about us. We are definitely His, for He is our Creator, our Provider and our God. Without Him, we would not exist. Please, let’s remember that and give Him the appropriate level of praise, worship and thanks He deserves. That’s the duty of a sincere child of God. Much LOVE!
…without the Most High God Jehovah…nothing that was made…would be made…
18 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a name above all names, adoration, all knees will bow, all tongues confess, atonement for sins, burdens, come to faith, conviction, day of rest, death, devotion, easy yoke, eternal damnation, everlasting separation from God, family togetherness, fellow believers, fellowship, fight the good fight, focused, Garden of Gethsemane, Glory Halleujah, God's awesome wonder, godly week, gratitude, I am known of mine, I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep, I lay down my life for the sheep, Jesus, Jesus christ is Lord, Jesus Love Revolution, Jesus' invitation, Jews, King of Kings, live a life worthy of Jesus, Lord of Lords, loving kindness, mistake, our bounden duty, persevering, praise, propserous, repentance, shepherd, singular purpose, substitutionary death, Sunday, take up the gauntlet, tender loving care, thanksgiving, the depths of hell, the Lord's Day, the Sabbath Day, the scripture be fulfilled, the worse fate man can suffer, there shall be one fold and one shepherd, to die so that we might live, to the glory of the Father, warm the cockles of God's heart, what a wonderful world, win-win situation, worship
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Well here it is again Friends, the first and most important day of the new week; Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the Sabbath, or day of rest, fellowship and family togetherness! And it’s the most important day because it sets the tone and tenor for the remainder of the week. How you set up and use your Sundays, usually determines how your Monday to Saturday will go. That means we have to pay particular attention to what we do on Sunday, if we want to have a focused, persevering, prosperous and godly week.
So let’s begin by going out to church today nuh, joining in worship and praise, adoration, devotion, gratitude and thanksgiving! That will warm the cockles of God’s heart, as well as open up our souls and spirits to His awesome wonder and LOVING-kindness! It’s what we call, in today’s parlance, a win – win situation.
And talking of win- win situations, the best one ever is when Jesus gave His life for us, in atonement for our sins. Some might consider us the big winner in that relationship, but Jesus also won because for His obedience, He was exalted by the Father with a name above all others, as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, the One to whom all knees will eventually bow, and all tongues confess that He is Lord indeed, to the glory of the Father. (Phil.2:9-11)
That brings us to our Bit, the same as the last couple of days: ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’
Oh what a most encouraging statement my people! We all know the LOVE and care that a shepherd shows for His flock, so if Jesus, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, claims to be our shepherd, how can we brook any argument about it eh? We’d be worse than foolish to deny Him that right, and ourselves, His tender LOVING care!
Unfortunately though, a lot of us unwisely do just that, and if we don’t wake up soon and realize our terrible mistake, we will eventually face death, eternal damnation and everlasting separation from our heavenly Father. And let me tell you my brethren, that is the worse fate a human being can ever suffer!
Now listen to Jesus as He continues His discourse on the topic, after our Bit. ‘As the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (Matt.10:15-16)
Oh what a glorious day that was Friends, when Jesus united His two folds, the Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) which includes you and I! His sacrificial, substitutionary death on our behalf fulfilled that promise! And again I ask, why would I, being of sound mind and reason, turn away from Jesus wonderful invitation to come to Him and lay down my heavy burdens, and refuse to be brought under His easy yoke, to bear His light burden? (Matt.11:28 -30)
In light of all that we’ve said and know for a fact, that certainly doesn’t make sense to me. And I just adore these next verses where Jesus expounds on His authority, obedience and closeness to the Father. ‘Therefore doth my Father LOVE me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.’ (Matt.10:17-18)
Oh Glory Hallelujah! Yuh see my fellow believers, that close and beautiful relationship that Jesus has with the Father, is the same kind that we can have with Jesus, and by extension, with the Father too. Wow! So why ‘dis’ Jesus eh, and refuse His LOVING entreaties? That’s nothing but a fool’s wisdom!
Now hear this explanation from the scholars, re those last two verses: ’10:17-18. Jesus does more than predict His crucifixion and resurrection. He also shows that He has the power to lay down His life and take it up again, once more asserting His deity.’
So all those people who believe that Jesus was just a push over for the faithless Jews and cruel, arrogant Romans who crucified Him are totally wrong! In fact, that was the singular purpose for which He came to earth in human form: to die so that we might live!
As He said to the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when the Roman soldiers came to arrest Him. ‘Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me (provide me with) more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scripture be fulfilled, that thus it must be?’ (Matt.26:53-54)
If he hadn’t fulfilled the Father’s plan, then we’d still be lost and gone astray, facing death and eternal separation from our Creator. And though it hurts, breaks my heart, to know the pain He bore on our behalf, I’m glad that He was true to His purpose. Now if only we, His followers could be true to ours… what a wonderful world this would be!
And do we ever need a whole lot of improvement in our troubled and diseased world my brethren! That’s the task that Jesus has set before us – live a life that causes the unbeliever to turn to Him in repentance and conviction, so that they can receive His free offer of salvation and eternal life.
So Friends, are we going to get real serious and sincere about that task this new year and do our best to further Jesus’ LOVE Revolution? I certainly hope so, because if we don’t, our beautiful world will just keep falling further and further into the depths of hell, until there’s no turning back. And what will that do to our children and their children eh? I leave that for each of us to ponder on, then hopefully do the right thing to correct the woeful situation in which our world is floundering right now.
Remember Friends, Jesus is depending on us to help alleviate the sad state of confusion and evil that’s currently reigning. Please, I implore us, to take up the gauntlet and fight the good fight to the death. That’s what a good and true soldier in Christ’s army is expected to do. Much LOVE!
…our bounden duty here on earth…is to live a life worthy of Jesus…so that others may see it…and come to faith in Him…
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