07 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accolade, be gracious to me, believe god's Word, bread was buttered, burden, Christmas Season, come unto me, compassionate heart, confidence in princes, courage, curse, devastation, difficult situations, disbelief, distress, faith, find rest, foolishness, fragile, friend, gentle, get on our knees, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God of my righteousness, grace, have mercy on me, hear my prayer, heartbreaking pictures, heavy laden. give you rest, humble, I am meek, I called upon the Lord, in distress, labour, learn from me, loss of life, LOVE, lowly in heart, man after his own heart, mar the joy, mercy, momentary, my burden light, my yoke is easy, negative word, number one, offer prayers, prayer, prosper, self-control, self-discipline, set me in a large place, Southern California, succeed, take my yoke, talent, the great invitation, the greatest power on earth, the Lord answered me, the Lord God Jehovah, Thursday Blessings, time of need, trust, trust in man, trust in the Lord, wildfires, wisdom, yoke
Psalm 118:5. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.
Oh my people, what else is going to mar the joy of this 2017 Christmas season eh? I’m talking about the rampant wildfires that are currently raging through Southern California with a renewed vengeance. As the old people would, say, when it’s not one thing, it’s another. And that’s the truth.
The heartbreaking pictures of the sprawling devastation show us just how fragile and momentary our lives are. Can you imagine the terrible Christmas those people affected by those fires will spend? Ah Lord eh! Thankfully though, the loss of life doesn’t seem to be a major problem, for which we are very grateful.
Friends, please, let’s do what we can to physically help them, but most importantly, let’s get on our knees and sincerely offer prayers on their behalf, as prayer is the greatest power on earth.
And you know I wasn’t planning on using the Bit from the past few days today, but after writing that stuff above, I found that it was just so appropriate, that I had no choice. ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.’
That’s the best, in fact it’s the first thing those people should do; call on the Lord God Jehovah seeking His grace, LOVE and mercy in their devastating time of need. It’s first thing WE ALL should do when we find ourselves facing difficult situations, but oftimes it’s the last thing we do. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to turn to the Lord first nuh; if it’s a matter of trust or simple disbelief, but that’s what His word says.
Listen to His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, who else has offered such a magnificent and welcoming invitation eh? NO ONE ELSE! But yet we have problems in accepting it, and I really can’t understand why. All I can surmise is that we don’t truly believe God’s word, our faith isn’t strong enough, and we prefer to first put our trust in man, and leave God as a last resort.
But that’s utter foolishness my brethren! For as the psalmist so strenuously warns and reminds us in Psalm 118, a few verses after our Bit: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)
How much clearer can that be eh friends? Not much. But what’s our usual first response when trouble comes? We run to the phone or text a friend, or google the problem on the Internet. And if none of that works, then we cry out to God for help and expect it to come immediately. But unfortunately friends, our great God doesn’t work like that.
He expects to be FIRST and FOREMOST in our lives, at ALL times, and in ALL situations! Anything other than that is unacceptable! Our first reaction should ALWAYS be to call on God, like Bruh David did in the opening of Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God.
‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress: have mercy on me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.’ (Ps.4:1)
Oh my fellow believers, as I keep reminding us, despite all his sinfulness and troubles, Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered, thus he continually called on the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And please note how he opens his prayer by acknowledging the righteousness of God, and then remembering all the times that the Lord had previously helped him, and then on those bases, pleading for help in his current calamitous situation.
We should be doing likewise in our time of adversity, but all too conveniently and foolishly we forget the times when the Lord helped us, and get angry when His help is not immediately forthcoming.
Friends, we can’t want a better example than Bruh David in terms of prayer and praise. He was a man just like us with a sinful nature, but he kept crying out to God in ALL situations, and wonder of wonders, the Lord called him a friend and a man after His own heart.
If we sincerely trust and rely on the Lord God Jehovah in ALL that we do, we too can look forward to being called a friend of God, and a man or woman after His own heart. To me, that is the greatest accolade we can ever receive in this life, and is something I’m trying to work toward.
But in the meantime I’m also going to enjoy the blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us, as listed in our Thursday Blessings. And since there is power in our words, let’s declare them with much enthusiasm, sincerity and truth nuh.
Loud and proud 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!’
Oh friends, what a magnanimous and magnificent God we serve! Give Him the thanks and praise He so rightly deserves, and follow His desires, as we go out and share those wonderful blessings with others today. Much LOVE!
…who is Number ONE in our lives…and who are we going to call on FIRST…the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…
25 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a difficult time., above not beneath, aches and pains, aging, alive and kicking, be not drunk with wine, begins a good work, believe, brand new, Christians, coming against me, completion, confession of sins, conquerors, death, dissipation, doctor heal thyself, doctor's appointments, doing my thing, encourage myself in the Lord, excess, faith, filled with the Holy Spirit, filling of the Spirit, giving thanks always, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's power, halfway home, hands on the plough, he restoreth my soul, hell, holy spirit, hymns, indelibly in our hearts, inevitable, Jesus by our sides, lift my level of passion for life, looking straight ahead, LOVE, Lucifer, major renovation, making melody in your heart, medical institution, negative stuff, no control over, not the tail, not turning back, numerous problems, pass through the fire, prayer, psalms, refuel my spirit, relationship with god, serious butt, sincerity, singing, speaking to yourselves, spiritual man, spiritual songs, standing strong in faith, surrender, thank God, the breath of life, the grave, the head, the spirit would sag, traffic jam, trust, truth, utmost importance, victory, Wednesday Wail, wirte god's promises
Psalm 23:3a. He restoreth my soul…
Awright mih breddren, the ole fella is alive and kicking; kicking some serious butt too on this somewhat cloudy Wednesday morning in the fall of 2017! Glory to God!
Oh my aches and pains are still there, and whatever’s wrong inside is still wrong, but my spirit has been rejuvenated. More glory to God!
It’s just that lately so many things over which I had no control have been coming against me, that it was only a matter of time before the ole bod, the spirit and soul got tired.
When you suddenly find out that what you thought was improving, wasn’t really improving, while other things were still going wrong, and you’re constantly moving from one doctor’s appointment or medical institution during traffic jam hours, it does make for a difficult time.
Oh, I’ve been going along quite okay despite the numerous problems, not given up hope and standing strong in faith, but in the face of all that negative stuff, it was inevitable that the spirit would sag some.
However, after writing yesterday’s Bit, I just decided to refuel my spirit, lift my level of passion for life higher, bring it back to a level that allows me to function with more authority and energy. As the saying goes, doctor heal thyself, with me it was spiritual man, refuel thy spirit. (smile)
I’ve decided that like Bruh David did, to encourage myself in the Lord some more. Let the aches and pains, and whatever else is wrong, do their thing, I won’t let them stop me from doing mine. They will obviously slow me down, but that’s fine, once they don’t stop me completely.
I know the Lord’s doing a major renovation in me, and it’s not going to be easy, but I also know that if he begins a good work in me, then He WILL see it through to completion.
Plus He won’t give me more than I can handle, and will also help me pass through the fire unscathed, so that when I come out on the other side, I’ll be brand new! Glory Hallelujah!
That brings us to our simple but oh so important Bit from that great psalm of Bruh David, ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ ‘He restoreth my soul…’
Yeh friends, the Lord does just that when we surrender all our aches and pains and whatever is bothering us to Him. But we also need to trust and believe and write God’s promises indelibly in our hearts and souls, so that when life comes against us, we’ll be able to use them to stand steadfast and strong.
Let’s remember that we’re the head and not the tail; above and not beneath; sure conquerors with Jesus by our sides. In fact, He’s already given us the victory over hell, death, the grave and their evil keeper Lucifer. But it all takes a magnum of faith, especially in these pretty evil and ungodly times.
However, please remember Bruh Paul’s admonition to the Ephesians: ‘And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Holy 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.’ (Eph.5:18-20)
Yeh friends, that’s the only way we can remain strong and grow in the LOVE and knowledge of God. And here is an interesting explanation from the scholars on the ‘Fullness of the Holy Spirit.’
‘5:18. The words be filled here mean “be continually filled,” emphasizing that the fullness of the Spirit is a repeated experience for believers. When a person is drunk with an alcoholic beverage, his walk, talk and sight are controlled by alcohol.
God desires that the minds of Christians be controlled by the Holy Spirit so that they will walk in the Spirit, speak on behalf of God, and understand the things of God. Because people are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation, they do not need to get more of the Holy Spirit, but the filling of the Spirit occurs when the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer.
Illustration: As we establish our relationship with God through confession of sins (1 John 1:9) and yield to Him (Rom.6:13), we can be filled with the Spirit if that is our desire (Matt.5:6) and prayer (Luke 11:13). Application: Every Christian should be filled with the Spirit in order that he may have God’s power to serve Him. (Acts 1:8) (First Ref. Ex.35:31; Primary Ref. Eph.5:18; cf. 1 John 2:27.)’
Ah my people, it’s of the utmost importance that in these last days, we allow the Holy Spirit of God to get more of us! Please check out those references above, they give great insight into the use and power of God’s Spirit.
And to help us improve in our use and value of the Holy Spirit, let’s go home vociferously declaring our Wednesday Mantra with all truth and sincerity. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday!
Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back.
I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And that future WILL indeed be glorious friends! Much LOVE!
…it’s time for God’s Spirit to be lifted up in us… so that we can better do His work and will…
P.S. Please excuse the tardiness of the Bit. I just got up late, and even then thought it was 7.45, when it was 8.45. What to do eh? Aging is a helluva thing! (smile) Much LOVE!
18 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a cautionary word, a man of understanding, a mesuring line, a moment of prayerful silence, a two way street, alive, all flesh, among the heathen, aroused from, be silent, be still, best friend, Br. Geoffrey Tristam, byproduct, cacphony, communications revolution, consciousness, conversations, deceit, distant, even a fool, exalted in the earth, friends, glad to be alive, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, God's answers, God's goodness, God's great earth, God's plan, gospel truth, halfway home, holy habitation, I love you, I will be exalted, in due time, is considered wise, Jerusalem, keeps silent, know that I am God, lack of listening, lies, list of demands, listen quietly, LOVE, monologue, more than we can handle, neighbours, not listening, not looking back, obits, our fondest dreams, prayer, promises, responses, Saint John the Eveangelist, silence is golden, silence., step back, still small voice, the breath of God, the wherewithal to perform His work, too much talking, uncommunicative, useless talk, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, Zechariah
Psalm 46:10. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
A hearty welcome friends and neighbours to another glorious day on God’s great earth! We are alive, that means the Lord has a plan for us to pursue and complete. That’s the reason why our names and pictures are not in today’s obits.
So let’s get ourselves together and remember God’s goodness and His promises to not give us more than we can handle, neither to give us a task without giving us the wherewithal to perform it.
And yes, my task right now is to write this Bit, but I don’t know what I’m going to write about just yet. However, I have no doubt that in due time the Lord will guide me to whatever He wants me to say.
And this might just be the first clue. A friend recently sent me this interesting quote on ‘Silence,’ by Br. Geoffrey Tristam of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist.
It reads thus: ‘If God seems distant or uncommunicative these days, maybe you’re simply not listening. God doesn’t shout: God’s first language is silence. Maybe in your prayers you are doing too much talking and not enough listening.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth friends? Too many of us go on and on, telling God what we think or want or need to do, but forget that prayer is supposed to be a two-way conversation. Then when we finish our monologue we just move on, unwisely not taking time to hear God’s answers to our list of demands.
Now asking God for stuff is not basically wrong, though we should not go to Him only for that purpose. However, when we’re talking to our earthly friends, we listen to their responses after we’ve made our point.
So why, when talking to our Father, our Creator and best Friend, we don’t take time to listen to Him eh? Remember, He is the ONE who can make our fondest dreams and wishes come true!
And as Br. Geoffrey notes, God doesn’t talk in loud words or noises, but mainly in silence. So if we want to hear Him, we have to listen quietly to hear the often still, small voice He uses in our conversations.
But yuh know what, this lack of listening doesn’t only occur when we come to God, but it’s also an unhealthy byproduct of our communications revolution.
There is so much talk being generated in our individual societies and around the globe that there isn’t much chance to listen amid the cacophony of lies, deceit and just plain useless talk that has taken over our world.
But here is a cautionary word from the Lord for us today in our Bit. ‘Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.’
Yes friends, the Lord wants us to stop and contemplate that He is GOD! His power and strength are second to none, and regardless of what we do, He will be exalted throughout all the earth that He has created. So why don’t we stop for a moment, a moment of prayerful silence RIGHT NOW, and contemplate that info eh… (silence)
Oh my fellow believers, I have no doubt that some of us heard the Lord say something to us in that moment of prayerful silence. It might not have been a world beating idea, but possibly only something as simple and very heart-warming as ‘I LOVE you. I truly do.’And those simple statements have now raised our consciousness to a higher level.
But if we had not been silent, we would not have heard it. So there is usefulness in being silent. That reminds us of Cousin Sol’s statement in Proverbs. ‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov.17:28)
Now hear these words from the prophet Zechariah when he had the vision of a man with the measuring line, come to measure Jerusalem to make it bigger and better. ‘Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of (aroused from) his holy habitation.’ (zech.2:13)
Yeh friends, when God is aroused, it’s best we step back and keep silent and hear and see His awesome words and movements.
Consequently, I implore us to remember that prayer is a continual thing, constant communication between our heavenly Father and us, therefore there is a great need for silence every so often in our busy days, so that we can hear the responses of our God, our guide and leader. That’s wisdom of the highest order!
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail with sincere enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And what a future that will be my brethren, throughout all eternity! Much LOVE!
…in certain situations…silence is certainly golden…
13 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a long process, a measly pittance, a tired state, abandoned, ascendancy of the righteous, better lives, Bob Colaresi, bow and scrape, Christians, come to fruition, cut down like grass, depressed, desperation, destruction of the wicked, disheartened, eat and drink, faithful, fellowship, flustered, Friday chant, Friday the 13th, Friends of St. Therese, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, God is in charge, God's providence, harbinger, hardens hearts, heal, healing lesson, helpless, higher wages, impatient, impatient suffering, in Jesus' name, inequity, jump and shout, justice prevails, leader, lower echelon of society, merciful God, omnipotent, on our side, our advantage, panic stricken, party to the fullest, poverty, prayer, relaxation, rest, Rest in the Lord, silent rage, sing for joy, slave master, slow recovery, spinal surgery, substandard life, surrender, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the burden, the Good Book, the grim reaper, the Lord's kingdom, the Messiah, the weekend, the wicked rich, the workingman, true, trust God, truth, ungodly, uplifting answer, wait patiently, week of work
Psalm 37:7a. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
And then it was Friday – that joyful harbinger of the weekend! Yeh friends, the weekend’s here at last, and I know many of us have been dying to see it because we’ve gone through this short work week in a tired state after all the Columbus and Thanksgiving Days celebrations. So make sure you rest up now. (smile)
And despite it being Friday the 13th, the workingman is positive and upbeat, not paying attention to any of the folktales of impending evil that’s supposed to lurk around and befall us on those days. And neither should we.
He has already broadcast his intentions for the weekend. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and our time will soon be ours. We don’t have to bow and scrape to no slave master to earn a measly pittance so we can go on living this substandard life! Chuh man! Is time that done now yes!
That’s why we going to jump and shout and sing for joy, and eat and drink and party to the fullest, for who knows when the grim reaper will come eh? Thank God for Fridays and the weekends!’
Oh friends, as always, the workingman has some good points, especially the one about substandard living. With all the wealth in our world, it’s high time the lower echelon of society be afforded the opportunity to live better lives through higher wages.
The immense poverty in the lower ranks of our society are ungodly, to say the least. And the horrible inequity is growing as the wicked rich try to accumulate more than they already have by taking what little the poor man has.
Ah Lord eh! No wonder the Good Book promises the eventual destruction of the wicked and the ascendancy of the righteous, for in the Lord’s kingdom, justice will always prevail.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant to keep us on the right course for the weekend. ‘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 again we notice that our Bit is ever so truthful, because the wicked are having their way right now, but soon they will be cut down like grass and we won’t remember them anymore. That’s why we must learn to ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:’
Yeh mih people, our God’s faithful and true, but it’s all about His timing. He is the one who sets’ the overall plan and thus knows when things are supposed to happen so that those plans can come to fruition. Our trying to help Him, or rush them along usually just ends up in disappointment.
And here is an interesting testimony on the subject of patience from Father Bob Colaresi, Director of the Carmelite body of Catholic priests. Writing in the publication, ‘Between Friends,’ the booklet of the Friends of St. Therese of Lisieux Society, he states.
“I remember when I was recovering form spinal surgery. I was so impatient with the slow recovery – impatient suffering isolates and hardens hearts. Prayer seemed impossible because I felt abandoned. In desperation, I finally asked St. Therese how she got through her darkness and suffering.
Hoping for some uplifting answer, I was disheartened when I heard her whisper: “Trust God!” That honestly angered me, as I screamed at her: “Look where you are and I’m here in bed unable to walk!” I froze her out with silent rage for weeks.
Finally, tired of being depressed, impatient, and helpless, I again asked her. Again the same gentle whisper: “Trust God!” “Don’t you have anything else to say?” I cried out in surrender.
It was a long process for me to physically heal, but even longer to learn the primary healing lesson that I was not the messiah who thought he could run the whole world. I had to reconcile with the fact that the world was moving on without me.
Do you know how heavy is the burden of thinking you have to keep the world running? It was humbling and freeing – a real healing of my identity and soul. But only patience allowed me to learn that lesson of LOVE, freedom and truth.’
There you have it friends, testimony from a man of Christ, a leader of Christians for many years, honestly acknowledging that his patience was not as great as it ought to have been, and he had to learn the lesson the hard way, literally on his back.
For all you know, the Lord might have allowed his spinal problems for that exact reason. He works in such mysterious and underhanded ways. Let us therefore not beat ourselves up, if our patience level is less than it should be.
Instead, let’s cry out to the Lord for help to elevate it, so that we can wait on his timing without getting all flustered and panic stricken. It’s not easy friends, but with our omnipotent and merciful God on our side, always there to help, we can do any and everything. Please remember that.
And today, let’s spend some time pondering our patience level nuh, and figure out how we can improve it. It will be to our great advantage. Much LOVE!
…Patience is a surrender to the truth…that God is in charge…and that God’s Providence is good… (St. Therese of Lisieux)
03 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man lay down his life, a proviso, all things, ascension, beloved of God, burden light, comforted, country music festival, death, definitions, destructive behaviour, do whatsoever I command you, dr robert h schuller, easy, encouraged, evil, faithful friend, for his friends, forgave, friend of Jesus, friends, friendship, gentle, good news, greater love, heart biopsy, heavy laden, humble, I have heard of my Father, I have told you, intimate friend, Isis, Jesus, Jesus Christ, labour, Las Vegas, learn from me, lifted suffering, loney, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, lowly, Mandalay Bay Hotel, meek, obedient to His will, prayer, rejoiced, renewed, rest, resurrection, servants, share His love, sharing trusting, sinking, sinning, striving, struggling, succeeding, take my yoke, the great invitation, the Vegas Strip, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly world, What a Friend
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Oh friends, what a sick, crazy, evil and ungodly world we’ve become eh! Everyday is some new disaster, either man-made or natural!
And the latest is the killing of some 59 persons in the glitzy tourist town of Las Vegas, and the injuring of hundreds more participating in a country music festival across from the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Vegas Strip.
The killer, a supposed quiet, retired, ex-accountant apparently had numerous weapons in his room on the 32nd floor of the hotel and just began firing indiscriminately through the window at the crowd. Obviously the crowd of over 20 thousand stampeded, which only made matters worse.
And the sad part of the matter is that Isis, the Islamic State terrorists, boldly claimed responsibility for the attack, although no association or any other grounds for the claim could be justified. That just goes to show how sick our society really is, when we claim other people’s destructive behaviour as ours, without a shred of evidence.
But enough of the bad news, here is some good news; good news about a wonderful friend we have, His name is Jesus. This comes from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. We’ve prayed it before, but we need to be reminded of it again, especially in these rough and anxious times.
It’s titled ‘What a Friend!’ Please pray with me. ‘You have never failed, Lord, to be my one, essential, intimate friend. When I was: Lonely in striving – you encouraged me. Lonely in struggling – you lifted me. Lonely in serving – you supported me. Lonely in suffering – you comforted me. Lonely in sinning – you forgave me. Lonely in sinking – you renewed me. Lonely in succeeding – you rejoiced with me. What a friend I have in Jesus! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’
And those words are ever so true my fellow believers! There is no greater and more faithful friend in this world that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Wow! What a majestic and mighty individual He is! He died for us, paid our sin debt in full, when He didn’t have to. That alone makes Him the greatest friend ever!
And as he philosophized in our Bit: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ Then my brethren, He went out and proved it, enduring some of the worse ‘sufferation’ known to man, all on our behalf. So how can He not be our greatest and best friend eh?
However, there is a proviso, as He stated after our Bit. ‘Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:14) Yeh mih people, if we don’t do what Jesus desires, if we’re not obedient to His will, then we’re no friends of His. To be His friend, means to do what He requires of us. As simple as that.
And hear this verse following those other two. ‘Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.’ (John 15:15)
And right there you have a couple of the main definitions of the word friend; sharing and trusting. Jesus so trusted His disciples, that He shared all the information that His Father had told Him. Consequently, He’s also sharing that info with us today, my fellow believers.
He’s telling us all about the life God has planned for each and every one of us through His death, resurrection and ascension. Right now he’s sitting at the Father’s right hand, advocating, pleading our cases to Him. How much more friendship can we need or deserve eh?
But Jesus is so wonderful, that He doles out even more, through His Great Invitation. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek (gentle) and lowly (humble) in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Ah mih people, what a glorious invitation! That from a sinless man who died so that we could live eternally, then sits in heaven pleading for us. Hn! We’d be rather foolish not to accept His friendship and His invitation to join Him in the magnificent and joyful halls of heaven!
And to round it off in fine style, let’s end by declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are – believers in, and friends of Jesus.
With much gusto and sincerity now. ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now let’s go out and tell the good news story of Jesus and share His LOVE with the world, as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…oh how wonderful it is…to have Jesus as our best friend…there’s none more faithful…trustworthy…kind and LOVING than Him…
P.S. Please pray for the ole fella this morning as he goes into the city to do a heart biopsy procedure. It’s a fairly safe and common procedure, but a li’l prayer never hurts and oftimes helps. (smile) Much LOVE!
29 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cloudy day, a parable, an expected end, and not to faint, balance out, boundary less, calamity, Christian brethren, come rain or shine, debtors, debts, decadent, enthusiasm, evil, extreme degree, fellowship, forgive our debtors, form of communication, Friday anthem, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, future, generous help, glory to God, God is in control, have a good time, heavenly Father, heavenly precipitation, high priest, hope, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, lax, lay siege, lecherous, leggo-beast, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving god, Lucifer, men ought always to pray, missing out, oodles of rain, parameters, parched, peace, plans, prayer, purposes, redeeming factor, refreshed, relaxation, relief, renewed, rest, sage advice, showers of blessing, soul body and mind, teach us to pray, temptation, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the enemy, the Lord's prayer, the workingman, thirsty, thoughts, to this end, vikey-vie, week of work, weekend, wisdom, without purpose
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
Ah friends, at long last a somewhat cloudy day in my area! And with it seems to be coming some heavenly precipitation. So far it’s only a slight sprinkle, but it’s better than nothing, for we haven’t seen rain around here in ages.
And although it’s nice to have sunny days, we also need some showers of blessing to balance out the situation. The ground around here is parched and thirsty, let’s hope it gets some much needed relief today.
But yuh see how life can be contrary? Places down south have been having oodles of rain and little sunshine, while we up here have been having lots of sunshine and no rain. The only redeeming factor is that our great and wonderful God is still in control of the universe He created!
Glory to God! So we know that there is a purpose, a plan to every move that happens within it, because our God does not move ‘vikey vie’ (without purpose).
And with all that being said, the workingman has already declared his Friday anthem: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui…even though it look cloudy! But come rain or come shine, we still going to have a good time this weekend!
Partying fuh so mih breddren! Who going to stop we eh? Nobody! Not even God in His high heaven! So we thank Him for Fridays and the weekends!’
Yeh mih people, the workingman, as usual, has gone a tad too far in planning his weekend reverie. All he’s doing there is opening up himself for the always-lurking enemy, Lucifer, to come in and lay siege to his life.
We Christian brethren cannot afford to be so lax and boundary less, since we don’t want the enemy to get even a toehold in our lives. And though our Friday Chant is not as effusive as the workingman’s anthem, it surely serves our purposes better.
So let’s chant it now with supreme enthusiasm 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.’
Yuh see friends, we’re still open to having fun and partying, but just not to the extreme degree that the workingman goes to. It’s also important that we prepare for the upcoming week, so that come Monday, we can go back out into the evil and ungodly world and diligently do the Lord’s work.
And to do that successfully, our Christian lives need to have boundaries set by our Lord and Saviour, our Leader and High Priest Jesus Christ! And if we don’t have them, then we can’t function properly in His economy.
Now please don’t think that we’re missing out on anything because we don’t behave like leggo- beast, (smile) lecherous and decadent, for we still have lots of good, clean fun within Jesus’ parameters.
And one of the main ways we stay within those parameters is by taking His sage advice in our Bit. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’
Yes my fellow believers, let’s not forget that prayer is our ultimate form of communication with our heavenly Father. And if we don’t pray, don’t communicate with Him, then we won’t know what plans and purposes He has for our lives.
And He DOES have a plan and a purpose for every life He creates, as He says in Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
My brethren, our merciful and ever-LOVING God ALWAYS has good thoughts and plans for us. There’s no sense in Him creating us in His own image, then thinking evil towards us. Anyway, we’ll end this series of messages on prayer with the classic example of prayer that Jesus gave us.
The Good Book tells us: ‘And it came to pass, that as he (Jesus) was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1)
And Jesus responded: ‘After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt.6:9-13)
Oh my fellow believers, we all know that simple but all-encompassing prayer, but do we pray it, or some version of it? Not enough I believe. On the whole, I don’t think we communicate with our great and wonderful God enough, and that’s only to our detriment. For our sakes, as well as our children’s, let’s try and improve it nuh. Much LOVE!
…wisdom dictates…that a believer prays…always…and forever…
26 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a parable, A prayer of confidence, believers, believing, calmly, carry on, confidence, corporate matter, darkest just before the dawn, devastating times, difficult times, do the Lord's work, don't faint, don't forget, don't give up, dr robert h schuller, Ephesians, face challenges, faith, fall, forgiveness, gloomy weather, God will rescue me, God's armour, heat for so, hurry, in the rear end, indispensable, individual, Jesus Christ, lifeline, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, men ought always to pray, mercy, my conscience is clear, my friend Jesus, not afraid, not to faint, on our side, pain, past experience, perseverance, praise, prayer, praying, praying always, problems, raise our level of faith, saints, serenely, share His love, spirit of confidence, spiritual power, stress, suck it up, summer weather, supplication, surging in my eart, tailspin, Thank You God, thanks, the beloved of God, the importance of prayer, the Lord's goodness, the right decision, this is the day the Lord has made, to this end, trust, Tuesday Mantra, umbilical cord, vigilant, we will rejoice and be glad in it, winter, worry, worship
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
Behold friends, it’s another glorious Tuesday morning in my area! And as the old people would remark ‘heat for so!’ (smile)
Don’t know when they’re going to end. But like all things, this current beautiful summer weather will eventually morph into the cold and gloomy weather of fall and then winter.
It’s only a matter of time. So we had better enjoy it while it lasts. That’s why we can all shout, ‘this is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
Oh my people, I know that’s difficult for many of us to say and truly mean because we’re undergoing enormous stress and problems, but we just have to suck it up, raise our level of faith and carry on.
Even me, right now, I’m having some painful hip problems, and it’s indeed a pain in the rear end, both literally and figuratively, (smile) I can’t walk properly, or sleep properly, or do any kind of physical movement without some sudden, unexpected pain in some area.
Just coming down here to my basement office to write the Bit was a source of annoying pain. But I just have to do whatever it takes to keep on doing the Lord’s work. And from past experience, I know that He will enable me to do it, if I hang in there.
That’s what our faith is all about friends! Let’s not forget the Lord’s goodness and mercy in our past. Remembering what He has done in the past for us, ought to make us stronger and help us to stick with His word, to keep believing and keep praying.
And talking about praying, here is something I’ve shared before from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, but it’s one of those inspiring prayers that we need to share over and over. It’s titled ‘A Prayer For Confidence.’
Please pray with me: ‘It is flowing into me now, for my conscience is clear. I have made the right decision. I am not afraid of problems. I will face challenges calmly and serenely for God is behind me. He will help me. If I must go through difficult times, He will rescue me.
I feel His spirit of confidence surging in my heart now. With Him I cannot possibly fail. “If God is for me who can be against me?” I have a strong feeling that everything is going to work out just beautifully. Thank you, God. Amen!’
Ah mih people, what sincere words of reassurance! And I do hope that you feel the surging confidence, the ultimate and enormous power of our omnipotent and merciful God flowing through you right now! I do!
It’s that spiritual power inspired by prayer and praise, worship and thanks that gets us moving despite all the negative aspects of our lives. We can’t give up friends, especially in these rough and devastating times. As I keep saying, right now we need prayer and faith more than ever, for our world is definitely in a dangerous tailspin.
And there’s no better time than RIGHT NOW to invoke our Bit. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’
Remember that was Jesus’ advice to the throng that followed Him. And as faithful believers, we ought to take his advice seriously and do whatever He commands.
So, please, I urge us, implore us, to keep on praying, to not give up, to not faint, even though the future seems dark and dreary because it’s often darkest just before the dawn, and with our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, on our side, anything can happen at any time.
Now let’s look at a magnificent verse of scripture which totally shows us the importance of prayer. They are the awesome words of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians as he explains the putting on of God’s armour.
At the end, he specifies: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:18)
And the scholars offer this explanation of that verse. ‘6:18. Praying is grammatically linked to “stand” in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means “on every occasion,” that is when Satan attacks.
In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made. Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
Oh friends, I do hope that shows us how important and indispensable prayer is in our lives. Now, having read and inwardly digested all that, let’s go home joyfully declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are.
In unison now: I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Glory to God my faithful brethren! Now let’s go out and share the LOVE, mercy and forgiveness of our Saviour, as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…prayer is the believer’s lifeline…his umbilical cord to God…
24 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend so faithful, a parable, all our sins and griefs to bear, be discouraged, be found wanting, believers, bring to remebrance, comfort, Creator, die spiritually, disastrous times, end times, everything to God in prayer, exalt God's holy name, fellowship, find solace, foolish pride, friend, glorify, God's Word, heartfelt, heavy laden, help, Joseph M Scriven, lack of knowledge, LOVE, means of communication, men ought always to pray, mercy, needless pain, not to faint, our every weakness, peace, plead for help, poignant, praise, pray without ceasing, prayer, provider, rapture, refuge, sacrificial praise, sincere, spiritual food, spiritual renewal, sweet portion, temptations, the best day of the week, the Lord's Day, to carry, to this end, trials, trouble, unbelievers, vital part, weak, what a friend we have in Jesus, what a privilege, wisest action, worship
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
Ah mih fellow believers, it’s so good to wake up to the best day of the week once again! Yes, it’s the Lord’s Day; time for worship and praise, fellowship and spiritual renewal on a more particular basis.
So let’s not be found wanting, let’s ‘hie’ ourselves hither to His tabernacle today and with our fellow believers praise and glorify and exalt God’s holy name. And, as always, let’s open with a song, for there’s nothing that gets us in the mood, opens our hearts, minds and souls to receive God’s Word like a bout of praise and worship.
And today, as we desperately plead for help for ourselves and our friends, families and neighbours all over the world, who are facing very disastrous times, there is no song more appropriate than this one: ‘What a friend we have in Jesus.’
So let’s sing it out, loud and clear, heartfelt and sincere, as we bring to remembrance all that Jesus has done for us, and has promised to do, both in the good times and the rough times, and the simple, but awesome fact that there’s NO ONE greater, or more important than Him, in our lives.
The hymn was apparently written by one Joseph M. Scriven in 1855 to comfort his mother, who was across the sea from him in Ireland. It was originally published anonymously, and Scriven did not receive full credit for almost 30 years.
With sacrificial praise from our lips then, let’s tell our story. ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer. Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer. Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.’
Oh friends, what wonderful words of peace, comfort and reassurance! But yuh know, the most poignant and reality based words in the hymn are: ‘O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.’
That’s ever so true my people! A lot of our pains and problems stem from either our foolish pride or lack of knowledge, because both keep us from taking those same pains and problems to Jesus in prayer. And who knows what the results might have been, had we taken the time to go to Jesus in prayerful mode.
And strangely, even in these times of serious disaster, many so-called believers won’t even consider turning to God in prayer, again because of foolish pride. Amazingly though, it’s the unbelievers, who most of all, in rough times, find their voices and cry out to God for help and mercy.
Oh my brethren, please remember that prayer is the most powerful force in the universe. It’s God’s stated means of communication with us. So if we don’t pray, then effectively, we’re not communicating with the Most High God, our Creator and Provider. And who suffers for that lack of communication eh? Not God, but us!
And though God might not answer our prayers the way we want them to be answered, He always answers them, whether it be ‘Yes, No, Not Now,’ or whatever. The problem is that we’ll never know His answer until we carry our problems to Him in prayer.
Why do you think Jesus communicated the thinking in our Bit? ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’
Because prayer is ever so important, so essential for mankind. It’s as important as food and water. If we don’t have those two ingredients for a while we die. We also die, spiritually, if we don’t have prayer.
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘18:1. To faint means “to lose heart.” Precisely when tempted to give up, men ought to be strong in their resolve to pray.’ I couldn’t have said it any better my brethren.
And why do you think Bruh Paul made that bold pronouncement to the Thessalonians eh? ‘Pray without ceasing?’ Because it’s such a vital part of our existence!
So friends, on this Sunday in September, when our world seems to be falling apart right before our very eyes, let’s be wise, remember the words of Jesus and Bruh Paul and get back to prayer; constantly and diligently, sincerely and humbly. That is the wisest action we can take in what seems to be the approaching end times. Much LOVE!
…prayer is spiritual food…essential for the believer’s soul…
19 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all is not lost, all power, almighty god, amassing their own fortune, baptizing them, blowing the horn of repentance, calamity, cancer, Caribbean islands, devastating circumstances, Dominica, drink at the trough, east coast of North America, evil, faith, fame, friend of Jesus, go ye therefore, God's chosen people, God's Word, God's wrath, godless way, greedy desires, greetings, happenstance, height of evolution, hurricane Maria, idol worshippers, in the name of the Father, infinite power of God, Jesus riding shotgun, Jose, lobbyists, loving fold, make disciples, medical knowledge, meditation, most intelligent generation, natural disasters, obedience to God's word, of all nations, out of our socierty, pagans, pick up the slack, power, power brokers, prayer, prolong our lives, re-elected, religious leaders, repentance, repented, righteous believers, salutations, share His love, sinful, smartened up, spread the good news of Jesus, sufferation, summer's day, surging seas, teach, the beloved of God, the bounden duty, the Holy Ghost, The Israelites, the puny power of man, the righteous, the SON, tooting their own horns, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly doings, untested chemicals, wealth, wicked land, worship our Creator, writing on the wall
Matthew 28:19. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of ) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Greetings and salutations my faithful brethren, on what appears to be another beautiful summer’s day in my area!
I feel bad to say it when hurricane Maria has just mashed up the lovely island of Dominica, and is preparing to cut a devastating swath through a number of the smaller beautiful Caribbean islands.
And I guess we can be thankful that Jose seems to be staying off the land as it cruises up the east coast of North America, bringing rain and surging seas to the coastal areas.
I don’t know how else to put it nuh friends, but it surely seems that God is warning us, what with all the natural disasters we’re suffering concurrently, as well as consecutively. It couldn’t all be just happenstance; it’s just too devastating and on too large a scale.
But yuh think anybody is noticing that, meaning the powerful people in our society, like our leaders and the rich and famous amongst us? Yuh think they are calling out for times of prayer and meditation on God’s word and the sincere and diligent doing of it.
Obviously not, because their power and fame and wealth is all tied up in evil and ungodly doings. They are all part of the movement to drive Almighty God completely out of our society and thus out of our lives.
They still foolishly believe in putting their faith in the puny power of man. But when has man ever triumphed over the infinite power of God eh? NEVER!
On the other hand friends, this is the time for the righteous, especially the religious leaders, to start loudly blowing the horn of repentance throughout this sinful and wicked land.
But unfortunately too many of our so-called religious leaders are too busy tooting their own horns and amassing their own fortune to see, or be bothered about the current devastating circumstances.
I can’t help recalling the numerous times that God’s Chosen People, the Israelites turned away from Him and became pagans and idol worshippers, but when the full force of His wrath hit them, they smartened up, repented and returned to His LOVING fold.
What’s wrong with us, eh? Why can’t we see the clear writing on the wall? God is simply tired with the evil and godless way in which we’re living. We’re supposed to be the most intelligent generation of humans ever, but we’re certainly not showing it when and where it counts; in these dismal times of widespread calamity and enormous ‘sufferation.’
We’re trying to prolong our lives through our own efforts, reach other worlds, and do all sorts of nonsensical stuff, but refuse to do the basic thing needed; worship our Creator and live the way He wants us to.
Just look at this simple example; our society is at the height of its evolution, we have so much medical knowledge and otherwise, yet more and more people are dying of cancer today than ever before.
And we’re putting more and more money into its research, which is a farce, because the solution lies in removing the many untested chemicals and other compounds from the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink.
Every day thousands of new untested chemicals are coming on board and making the situation worse, but creating more wealth and power for their creators. Our governments no longer run the country, but the power brokers behind the scenes, fronted by the ever-growing number of crooks, nicely termed lobbyists.
And the supposed leaders have to bow to their evil and greedy desires if they want to get re-elected and keep drinking at the trough of wealth and power. What a crazy and evil-filled world we live in my brethren!
But yuh know what friends,, all is not lost. All is NEVER lost when we have Jesus riding shotgun by our sides. And it is the bounden duty of the minority of the righteous believers to pick up the slack and sincerely and diligently spread the good news of Jesus far and wide as He instructed the disciples in our Bit.
But let’s hear the whole context. ‘And Jesus came and spake unto them (the 11 disciples), saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
Oh friends, that is exactly what we need to do, especially in our own society, in these troubled and unfortunate times. Now let’s go home, declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are.
In all sincerity and truth now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if that’s the true state of our hearts and our lives, then let’s go out and joyfully share it with the rest of the world nuh, as Jesus so earnestly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…a society truly prospers…in direct proportion …to its obedience to God’s word…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit. I just slept in. (smile) Much LOVE!
17 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rushing mighty wind, abide with you for ever, almighty god, always be with you, another comforter, believers, burden is light, cloven tongues, comfort, Comforter, comfortless, compassion, encouragement, enlivens our spirit, ever-loving arms, fall in your lap, fellowship, filled with the Holy Ghost, find rest, gentle, give you rest, God's sanctuary, God's Word, guide my feet, half measures, Healer, heavy laden, hold my hand, hurting souls, I am meek, I will pray the Father, I'll never leave you nor forsake you, joyful songs, labour, lead me home, lead me on, learn from me, left in the lurch, let me stand, like fire, Lord and Saviour, lowly in heart, ministry, Pentecost, praise, prayer, Precious Lord, reassurance, speak with other tongues, succour, take my hand, take my yoke, the disciples, the great invitation, the Holy Spirit, the Lord's Day, the Spirit of truth, through the storm, times of sorrow, worship
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.
Arise my brethren, it is the Lord’s Day, and we must be trekking to His sanctuary to engage in blissful fellowship with other believers. What a time it will be, with joyful songs of praise and worship, the reading of God’s word, which enlivens our spirit, and words of encouragement and prayer for and with each other.
But notwithstanding all of that, these are indeed disastrous times in our world, and we need extra comfort from our faith, thus we’ll open this morning with the old hymn ‘Precious Lord, take my hand’ that fits the bill. The song was written in 1932 by Thomas A Dorsey, a black man from Chicago after his wife Nettie died while giving birth to a child (who also died shortly thereafter). Dorsey sang the song for his friend, Gospel singer Theodore Frye, and Frye’s choir sang it the next Sunday at the Ebeneezer Baptist Church.
So please friends, and fellow believers, let’s offer up the sacrifice of praise from our lips, as we seek comfort from our comforting God. In rich and soulful harmony now, as we feel it down in our very beings. ‘Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light: (Refrain: Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.)
When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near, When my life is almost gone, Hear my cry, hear my call, Hold my hand lest I fall: (Refrain: Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.) When the darkness appears And the night draws near, And the day is past and gone, At the river I stand, Guide my feet, hold my hand: (Refrain: Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.)
Precious Lord, take my hand Lead me on, let me stand, I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m alone; Through the storm, through the night Lead me on to the light Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home (lead me home)’
Oh my brethren, there is NONE other than Almighty God who can satisfy that need for reassurance and comfort in our hurting souls! That’s why we need to call out to Him first when terrible times overcome us, for He is our indispensable Healer and Comforter. Listen as Jesus offers assurance to His disciples in our Bit. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.’
Oh friends, what a wonderful Lord and Saviour we have! He knew that He had to go away and that the disciples would be left in the lurch without Him around. So He made arrangements with the Father to send them another Comforter, like Jesus, the Holy Spirit, that would dwell within them forever. And he continues: ‘Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.’ (John 14:17)
And the scholars tell us: ’14:17. The Spirit…shall be in you: The ministry of the Holy Spirit, promised to believers of this age, is unique, since it is given to all believers alike, and is permanent (dwelleth, that is “takes up residence”). See verse 23.’
And we all know that the Holy Spirit made that magnificent appearance to all believers on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus had told them to stay in Jerusalem until the new Comforter came, because they would not have had the parts to go out and do what He required of them. The Good Book describes that momentous event thus: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (one purpose, mind) in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Ah mih friends, our God doesn’t too things in half measures! When He decides to put on a show, He puts on a big one, with all the bells and whistles, not a little Mickey-Mouse event! (smile) But Jesus’ most touching words to me, were the ones He spoke after promising to send the Holy Spirit. ‘I will not leave you comfortless (orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18)
What care and compassion Jesus shows for those distraught men who had given up everything they had to follow Him, thinking that He would be setting up a new kingdom at that time, only to later learn that He would be killed and then He would go away and leave them…but not alone. That’s not Jesus’ style friends. Once you come to Him, He will ALWAYS be with you: ‘for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb:13:5)
Oh my people, in ending, all I can says is that the best place to find comfort and compassion in times of sorrow, is in the ever-open and ever-LOVING arms of Jesus. He has already offered the great invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek (gentle) and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt.11:28-30)
Friends, it doesn’t get any better than that. But please remember, YOU have to make a serious decision to go to Him to find succour. It won’t just fall in your lap. Much LOVE!
…on a comfort scale of 1-10…Jesus is 11 plus…
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