23 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acquaintance, anger, angry, arrogant, be ashamed, believe, blessed be the Lord, blessings, bounden duty, bow down, Bruh David, Christian community, church brethren, contemptuous, crying out to Almighty God, deliver me, depressed souls, dilgently seek god, enemies, faith, faithlessness, fear, foolish pride, fortress, God of truth, good courage, grief, help, hope, hope in the Lord, house of defence, human frailities, I'm sorry Lord, immortal words, infinite wisdom, iniquity, insolence, Jesus' flock, kindness, lead and guide, Lord God Jehovah, lose contact with God, Love the Lord, lying lips, mercy, negative emotions, neighbours, O Lord, passion, persecution, please God, positive results, pride, put my trust, redeemed, reproach, resentful, rewards, righteous, righteousness., rock of refuge, rules his spirit, saints, save me, schemed, self-control, serious problems, shame, sighing, silent in the grave, slander, slow to anger, stand strong, stew for a while, strength, strength fails, strengthen your heart, stress, strong rock, supplications, take away my life, take refuge, teach me a lesson, the Good Book, the Lord's own time, thy name's sake, trouble, truth, unbelievers, wicked, wickedness
Psalm 31:1. In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust (take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s stressed out this Sunday morning! Chuh! It’s been one of those days. I got upset over something that I possibly should not have gotten upset over, and thus foolishly allowed it to steal my peace and joy. Ah Lord eh! I’m tired with these human frailties yes! (smile)
Consequently, I couldn’t get my head around anything in the Good Book to write about. And although I beseeched the Lord to relieve my stress and show me what He wanted me to write about, in His infinite wisdom, He allowed me to stew for a while.
Oh, I had no doubts that in His own good time, He would lead and guide me for His name’s sake, but I guess He was trying to teach me a lesson in self-control, reminding me that: ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’ (Prov.16:32)
And all I can say is that I’m sorry Lord, and I do hope that I learned the lesson, but you know that the ole fella’s blood is very close to his skin, his passion is such that he can’t put up with much nonsense. In any case, thank you Lord for reminding me that those negative emotions make me lose contact with you.
Anyway my people, as you can see, in the Lord’s good time, He brought me around and led me to these immortal words of Bruh David lamenting his plight. ‘In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust (take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.’
Apparently it was one of those times when Bruh David was at an all time low, when both his body and spirit were in real bad shape. For he continues plaintively: ‘Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock (rock of refuge), for a house of defence (fortress) to save me.
For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily (secretly) for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.’ (Ps.31:2-5)
Now Friends and fellow believers, that’s a move we ought to imitate rather than shy away from, or simply dismiss out of hand, through stupid shame and foolish pride, based on what others might think. You don’t know what other people do when they are faced with serious problems.
So please don’t allow them to stop you from crying out to Almighty God in your time of need, because that’s what He is there for, and also what He greatly desires. Yes my brethren, our God desires nothing more than that we come to Him for help with ALL of our problems!
If a mighty king like Bruh David could cry out to God with these words: ‘Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed (wastes away) with grief, yea, my soul and my belly (body). For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed (waste away).
I was a reproach (a despised thing) among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without (outside) fled from me. For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised (schemed) to take away my life.’ (Ps.31:9-13)
Now why can’t we do the same eh my people, especially if we claim to believe and trust in the Lord God Jehovah?
Bruh David not only declared his trust, but put it into action by calling on the Lord in faith. ‘But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.
Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous (insolent) things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.’ (Ps.31:14-18)
Oh my people, there is absolutely no fear or shame in calling on the Lord! The fact is, if many more of us would do just that, instead of being too proud and arrogant to bow down and plead for mercy from our Creator, and try to fix our problems ourselves, there’s be a whole lot less miserable, gloomy, depressed, resentful and angry people in the world.
And I’m just talking about those of us in the Christian community, because there are so many downtrodden, lost and depressed souls in Jesus’ flock today, that it grieves my heart.
And we’ll close with the overwhelmingly positive results of Bruh David’s crying out to his heavenly Father. ‘Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shown me his marvellous kindness in a strong city. For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.
O LOVE the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth (fully repays) the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.’ (Ps.31:21-24)
And that my people is absolute, incorruptible, unadulterated truth!
In this modern day and age of so much wickedness and faithlessness, it is up to us, true believers in Christ, to rekindle the hope, faith and trust in our great God – first among the church brethren, then amongst the unbelievers at large.
Please, let us stand strong and do our bounden duty, as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…without faith…the substance of things hoped for…one cannot please God…for he that cometh to God…must believe that he is…and that he is a rewarder of them…that diligently seek him… (Heb. 11:6)
16 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new day, absolute truth, adoration, almighty god, Barak, be humble before God, blessedness, Bruh David, catastrophe, catastrophic situation, celebration of the Sabbath, cock of the walk, common denominator, comprehend, control our destiny, Deborah, devoid of God's presence, different, elucidation, encouraging words, exalt the Lord's name, extolled, faithfulness, fear of God, fellowship, forgiveness, God's intentions, God's miraculous help, God's purposes, God's Sovereignty, God's thoughts are not ours, God's ways are higher than ours, God's Word, habits, heavenly guidance, human failings, indisputable truth, insecurities, Israel, Jesus Christ, judge of Israel, length of days, loving kindness, mercy, Moses, new song in my mouth, omniscience, parable of the rich fool, petty things, Pharaoh, pleasureable life, praise, praise unto God, preserve me from trouble, pride, prophetess, psalm 40, rituals, rulers of all we survey, salvation, sameness, self-confidence, self-importance, Sermon on the Mount, sing praise to the Lord God of Israel, song, songs of deliverance, Spirit Being, successful life, Supreme Being, thanksgiving, The Lord is my strength, the Red Sea, the Sabbath Day, trust in the Lord, worship
Psalm 40:3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Ah mih people, a new day has dawned over half the world, with different kinds of weather in different places; places that are populated with different kinds of flora and fauna, different kinds of people espousing different habits and rituals; but amazingly, all falling under one common denominator, the Creator of it all, Almighty God!
Wow! What a giant of a Being our God has to be to create all those differences, as well as all the sameness that we possess and enjoy!
No wonder He can rightfully proclaim through His spokesperson Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8)
And there is certainly no disputing those words of absolute truth my brethren because we simply cannot comprehend all there is to comprehend about our Creator.
As the scholars note on those verses above: ‘ 55:8-13. God’s sovereignty and omniscience are extolled by the statement that His thoughts (i.e. purposes or intentions) and ways (derakim, or “directions”) are higher than ours.
While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purposes. Therefore He reveals Himself to men by His word, which shall not return to Him void (in vain). The Word of God, therefore, accomplishes His purpose in announcing salvation to all mankind.’
And that’s why, with our small brains, we tend to gravitate to small, petty things; things that we can see and which can fit into our relatively small comprehension space. (smile) But however we cut it Friends, undoubtedly there is a Spirit Being afloat in the universe out there that is immensely and immeasurably greater than us!
And until mankind comes to truly recognize and believe the fact that we are not the real rulers of our lives, nor are we controllers of the happenings in the universe, and stop thinking so highly, god-like, of ourselves, but instead be humble before the great Spirit of God, we will forever be plagued with all kinds of insecurities and human failings, ranging from total insecurity and lack of self-confidence to overblown pride and self-importance.
Now if that isn’t a Bruh Paulian sentence, I don’t know what is! (smile)
Yes Friends, until we come to truly realize that we’re not ‘cock of the walk,’ rulers of all we survey, then we’ll never be truly happy or contented. And how can we be rulers of all we survey, when we don’t control our destiny and our lives; meaning the things we try to accomplish, the length of our earthly days and our general well-being.
And Jesus pointed out that lack of control so admirably when talking about oaths in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.’ (Matt.5:36)
We also see our inability to control our length of days, when Jesus spoke the parable of the rich fool, who had so much he decided to pull down the old barns and build new, bigger ones to store his goods and lead a leisurely, pleasurable life.
‘But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?’ (Luke 12:20) More words of indisputable truth my brethren!
And I guess it must be in one of those moments of elucidation, of really understanding his total inability to live a successful life devoid of God’s presence, heavenly guidance and LOVING -kindness that Bruh David must have penned Psalm 40 and the encouraging words of our Bit. ‘And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.’
Oh Friends, likewise, it’s only when we realize our inability to successfully exist down here on this wicked earth without God that we also can attain to a greater understanding of ourselves, our universe and our Most High Creator!
Now that awakening would most certainly cause us to sing songs, both old and new, to the Supreme Being, for that’s how truly understanding His Supremacy works.
Earlier on in Psalm 32, the blessedness of forgiveness, Bruh David also wrote: ‘Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about (surround me) with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Ps.32:7)
For sure my people, when we’re facing some catastrophic situation, songs of deliverance from earlier times ought to flow steadily from our lips. And when the Lord delivers us from the catastrophe, new songs of deliverance are always born from the grace, the mercy, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness showered down upon us!
And today we’re going to look at two of those songs of deliverance born of God’s bountiful mercy and faithfulness to Israel. The first one is the Song of Moses, which celebrates Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt and their successful escape across the Red Sea from Pharaoh’s army.
‘Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song (possibly defence), and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation (praise Him); my father’s God, and I will exalt his name.’ (Ex.15:1-2)
Powerful words of praise, thanks and acknowledgement my people! And you can read the rest of it for yourselves from Exodus 15:3-21.
And the second song of deliverance comes from Deborah and Barak. Deborah was a prophetess, the judge Israel at the time, and Barak, the army general when they defeated the much larger and better equipped Canaanite invaders – with God’s miraculous help of course.
‘Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel (when leaders lead in Israel), when the people willingly offered themselves (volunteered). Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.’ (Judg.5:1-3)
Yes Friends, it’s that kind of song that ought to come out of our mouths when the Lord God Jehovah blesses us!
And you can read the remainder of Deborah and Barak’s song in Judges 5: 4-31. It’s much longer than Moses, but just as beautiful!
Well mih people, that’s it for today. The Bit’s longer than I intended and somewhat late – but what else is new eh? (smile) I surely hope though that we all learned something, if not from my ramblings, (smile) then surely from the scriptures we’ve highlighted.
And since today’s the celebration of the Sabbath for many of us, what better way is there to proclaim it than in fellowship with other believers, in full-throated song eh? NONE! Much LOVE!
…in the greater scheme of things…it doesn’t really matter whether we sing old or new songs nuh…just as long as we sing songs of…praise, worship, adoration, LOVE and thanksgiving to our wonderful God and Creator…and plenty songs too…
28 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after one time is two, against our neightbours, attributes, backbiting, betterment of mankind, biblically speaking, blessing from God, bounden duty, Bruh David, busyness of life, Canada, character, Christ-like character, Christian, clean hands, condemn, control tongues, corruption. unfaithfulness, daily constitutional, deceit, disgusting weather, eradicate, evil, false rumours, fiery splendour, follower of Christ, food place, fraud, good character, gospel truth, greed, grocery, headache, hearts, heavenly wisdom, holy hill, holy tabernacle, honour, idols, innocent, Jesus, keep people apart. long periods of time, king of glory, lift up soul, Lord, LOVE, make memories, make up, memories, necessary improvements, negative things, never something that you had, North country, old friend, pardners, personal integrity, pride, promises, proper example, pure heart, qualifications, reminisce, reminiscences, responsibility, reverence, righteousness., room for improvement, rule the roost, salvation, selfishness, sojourn, speak truth, sufficient time, swearing, thanks, the world in shambles, to serve the Lord, Tobago, unchristian activity, unrighteous, usury, vacation, vanity, visited, vows, walk uprightly, wind and rain, winding down, worthy
Psalm 15:1. Lord who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
And then Friends, it was Tuesday! Unfortunately, the vacation time is winding down. But not to worry, for there’s yet sufficient time to get in whole lot more activities and make many more memories, so that when I’m sitting in my rocking chair in the cold North Country, I can just reminisce and chuckle at the reminiscences.
And that’s what life really is all about yes people; making good memories. For when old age arrives and you physically can’t do much of anything, all you will have then are memories of the way your life was spent. Therefore it’s very important that we make as many good ones as possible.
For as the Johnny Bristol sings in his song of some years ago: ‘Memories don’t leave like people do. They always stay with you. Whether they been good or bad. They’re never something that you had.’
Gospel truth my brethren! Memories never leave us. When all else fails, memories will still be there. So let’s try and make as many good ones as possible nuh. Now let’s see what good ones I made yesterday. (smile)
Oh, in the early morning hours, some wicked wind and rain lashed my little area – twice to be exact. And what amused me was that in between each episode, the sun came out in all its fiery splendour. Also, around lunch time some friends from Canada came to visit. They are only here for about three days.
Then in the afternoon, I went down to Store Bay for my daily constitutional. I believe the last time I mentioned that, I said testimonial, but it was really constitutional I meant. And that’s simply something good that you do for yourself on a fairly regular basis.
But lo and behold, as I entered the change room at Store Bay, I saw a man sitting there buckling the straps on his sandals. His face seemed familiar, but his cap was hiding the upper portion of his face. So I looked closer at him, only to realize that it was another old friend from Canada, one whom I hadn’t seen in ages, although we don’t live far from each other in the North Country.
But the busyness of life and the disgusting weather often keep people apart for long periods of time. You might talk to them regularly on the phone but hardly ever see them.
Anyway, as the Lord would have it, his wife, daughter and himself were just finished bathing and were planning to drop in on us on their way home. So we just visited right there, since they were only in Tobago for the day.
Nothing much happened after that. I got my dip, said some thanks to a couple of people who had been instrumental in safely securing my bag last week, stopped in the grocery and a food place, then came home and relaxed as best I could with the stupid headache still bothering me.
A couple pardners dropped by for a short visit later in the evening. But other than that it was quiet, had an early night because of the headache, which unfortunately is still bugging me some, almost two days later. I guess though, as the old people would say; after one time is two, since I hardly ever have headaches, especially ones of this magnitude and length.
But for whatever purpose the Lord’s allowing it, I just have to get a grip and keep on doing what I have to, knowing that eventually He will make all things right. And those are the good memories I made yesterday. (smile)
Now let’s see what the Lord wants me to write on biblically speaking, today? And Friends it seems like He wants us to focus today on the important question of: ‘Lord who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?’
Yes my fellow believers, that’s an interesting and also very important question! Who is worthy to serve in the Lord’s tabernacle, what are the qualifications necessary for that awesome job?
And Bruh David answers the question he just posed in the following two verses. ‘He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up (receives) a reproach against his neighbour.’ (Ps.15:2-3)
Oh Friends, that means that the person who serves in the tabernacle must have personal purity. But all those things also pertain to the ordinary Christian. EVERY follower of Christ needs to walk uprightly, work righteousness and speak truth from their hearts. It’s all a part of the Christian make up and character. Neither can we be spreading deceit and false rumours with our wicked, hard to control tongues, or doing evil against our neighbours.
As Bruh David also asks in Psalm 24, the King of glory: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? (Ps.24:3)
And his answer is basically the same: ‘He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (to an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.’ (Ps.24:4-5)
Unfortunately though mih breddren, those characteristics are in very short supply these days, even amongst supposed believers! That serious drop in moral standards and otherwise, are why our world is now such a troubled, evil, disaster-prone and calamitous place.
The attributes of good character and personal integrity have sadly lost their position of high standing and importance. They are no longer considered necessary aspects of human life. These days fraud, corruption, deceit, unfaithfulness, selfishness, pride and greed rule the roost.
And it’s sad that many of us believers dabble too much in such unchristian activity, instead of being the ones to uphold the Christ-like character and integrity. That brings us back to Psalm 15, where Bruh David continues his discourse on the qualifications for working in the Lord’s sanctuary.
One ‘In whose eyes a vile person is contemned (despised); but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.’ (Ps.15:4-5)
Yes my people, those are all qualifications that the ordinary but serious believer also needs to possess. We ought not to uphold the works of the unrighteous, but remember they are also God’s creation. And furthermore, at times we also behave unrighteous, and we surely don’t want others to despise or condemn us then.
We need to honour those who reverence God, and promises and vows should be taken seriously, neither should we take advantage of the already disadvantaged. But unfortunately all the negative aspects of those things are rampant in our troubled, misguided world. Like the constant and severe oppression and suppression of the poor and needy and the insatiable greed of the wealthy.
Oh my brethren, those things should not be happening on such a large scale. And it is our responsibility, the responsibility of the true and serious believer, first to eradicate those negative things from our own lives, set a proper example, then try and eradicate them from our immediate circle and surroundings, then keep moving up to the higher levels of our society, and finally the world.
That’s our bounden duty Friends, for nobody else has any real and serious interest in the overall betterment of mankind, which is what Jesus came to do, and what His followers ought to be doing!
Therefore, please let’s ponder our individual situations today, re the things we’ve talked about, then, with the Lord’s help obviously, try to make the necessary improvements. And even for those who are already fairly decent, there is always room for improvement.
Let’s make Jesus proud of us nuh, by living the kind of life He desires of His followers. That’s heavenly wisdom my people! Much LOVE!
…until believers improve their own performance…the unbelievers will rule…and the world will remain in shambles…
04 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2013, 2014, abundance drive, achieve, act on, Anselm's Quote, ashamed, Atlantic Canada, be prepared, believe, better tomorrow, blessings, blizzards, Britain, busy, calamity, can't serve two masters, change of address, communication with God, compatible, conceive, culture difference, disastrous, doing life God's way, emotional manner, Facebook, friends, frost and ice quakes, garbage, god, God is good, good news, gospel, have faith, ice storm, idolater, indisputable truth, Inspirational message, Israel, Jesus, Judah, life is good, like a lion, Living well, Mammon, material things, Mother Nature, negative consequences, obsolete, other gods, pe persistent, power outages, pride, prophet jeremiah, prosperity, rain, rich and famous, save, self-importance, slums, social media networks, Southern Ontario, spiritual, technological stuff, the things of God, tidal surges, time for God, time of trouble, transgressed, unlimited potential, unwise, upscale community, weather, wind, wisdom, worldly ways, worshipping idols
Isaiah 2:8. Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.
Oh Friends, 2013 went out like a lion in respect of the weather, and 2014 has certainly continued lion-like in its wake. (smile) The clean up is still going on in Southern Ontario from the ice storm, added to that there’s been frigid temps and blowing snow causing whiteouts and accidents. We have also experienced an infrequent reality called a frost or ice quake; loud, breaking noises caused by the thick ice cracking up. They don’t appear to be dangerous though.
Meanwhile Atlantic Canada is still digging out from their blizzards, with power outages, and unfortunately is expecting more bad weather. Across the pond though, it’s rain, tidal surges and wind that are causing problems, especially along the coasts of Britain.
And in a strange difference of culture, apparently the Power Companies will be made to pay for the power outages, unlike in North America, where it’s simply blamed on Mother Nature. Now isn’t that an interesting difference.
But Friends… Chuh! I spelled Friends wrong again! I thought I had broken out of that habit. But apparently not. Got it right that last time though. (smile)
As I was saying I have some good new for us, a place where we can all go to get away from this disgusting weather. This comes from an inspirational message I get everyday from a Friend. It’s called Anselm’s Quote for the Day, Inspiring You for a Better Tomorrow.
And this one was so interesting and appropriate to our situation that I decided to share it with all the Scrip-Bit Family. Some of you might have already heard it, but I think I it’s important and inspirational enough to hear it again.
It says: ‘This is my change of address notice for 2014. I have moved out from 1 Beggars Alley, located at 2 Poverty Lane at the corner of Bleak and Buster Circle. As of today, I have a brand new home. My new address is: Living Well on 3 Abundance Drive, located at the corner of Blessings Street and Prosperity Peak.
No longer will I allow myself to travel on Begging Peter to pay off Paul route, located at a dead end intersection called: I Don’t Have, it connects with Borrowers Junction. I no longer hang out at Failure’s Place, near Excuses Avenue, next to Procrastination Point.
I’ve moved on to an Upscale Community called Higher Heights with unlimited potential and opportunities for me to succeed. Look at me, each day that I’m awake, I am thankful to be a product of my new environment. All my clothes are tailor made. I’m dressed in life’s finest.
Let me introduce you to all of them: Conceive, Believe, Act on, Have Faith, Be Persistent, and Always be Prepared to Achieve. Life is Good because God is good! Care to change your address?’
And all God’s people declared a loud and joyful ‘YES!’
Oh Friends, it would be so wonderful if most of us would certainly change our addresses this year and do move to a better neighbourhood, not necessarily in a physical manner, although that might be good for some, but most certainly in a spiritual and emotional manner, because that is exactly what is wrong with our world today; we don’t take seriously enough the things of God.
And that’s all Anselm is talking about there yes; doing life God’s way! It’s in total sync with our faith and all that it entails. But we are so full of pride and our own self-importance that we prefer to live by the dictates of the evil, ungodly world, immortalized in the words of our Bit. ‘Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.’
Ah mih people, can’t we see, don’t we understand that the stuff we’re making, and allowing to rule our lives is basically garbage, and the merchants are simply sucking us into buying stuff that we truly don’t need and can’t afford?
Just look at the i-phone, the smart-phone, the i-pad, and all the other technological stuff that’s been thrown at us as being so necessary. How long does one last eh? Within a year’s time, most of them are obsolete, and the new stuff on the block isn’t even compatible with the old stuff, but you are encouraged to keep in fashion and style and buy the new version.
All it’s doing is making money for the already rich and famous. You all love Facebook so much, the fellow who started it is now one of the richest men in the world, and getting richer everyday. But what are you getting, just more trouble with greater possibility of your personal stuff been stolen, and the improper stuff we are sending over these social media networks causing serious negative consequences.
Oh my people, all that stuff is keeping us so fictionally busy, that we can’t find time for God. That’s disastrous and very unwise. Listen as the prophet Jeremiah conveyed God’s words to Israel, when they were in the same situation, worshipping idols and other gods, too busy to communicate with the ONE who created them.
‘As the thief is ashamed when he is found (out), so is the house of Israel ashamed, they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, Saying to a stock (tree), Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth (begotten me): for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble (calamity): for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah. Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye have all transgressed against me, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.2:26-29).
And that’s all gospel, indisputable truth my brethren! We have not only turned our faces, but more disgustingly, our backs on God. But in times of calamity, even from the mouth of the biggest idolater, the first words to blast forth are ‘Oh God!’ or ‘Help me God!’
Unfortunately Friends, we can’t have it both ways, we either serve and worship God completely, or we stick with the material things and worldly ways that appear to be more important to us. It’s up to each of us, whether we change our address and come up higher, or remain in the slums that we’re currently living in.
I’d strongly advise my people, that we make serious attempts to do the former, because that’s the zenith of wisdom. Much LOVE!
Jesus said it so plainly…no man can serve two masters…ye cannot serve God and mammon… (Matt.6:24)
20 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: believers getting together, Belshazzar, breath of life, breath of the Almighty, Darius the Mede, deliverance of Jerusalem, devotions, every living thing, exalted, foundation of the earth, fowls of the air, friends, glorify God, glory, God of Abraham, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's Spirit, gods of silver and gold, hallucinating, heavenly wisdom, humble heart, ignorantly worship, Isaiah, Israel, Israel's Redeemer, loving kindness, Mars Hill, men's hands, mercy, Nebuchadnezzar, omnipotent god, oracle, poignant scriptures, Praise the Lord, pride, prophecy, prophet Zechariah, singing songs of praise, songs of thanksgiving, speak to the earth, Spirit of God, Sunday, temples, the breath of all mankind, the dew of heaven, the hand of the Lord, the Lord of heaven and earth, the only true God, the spirit of man, the unknown God, time flies when you're having fun, time waits for no one, uprightness of heart, utter knowledge, worshipping
Isaiah 42:5. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.
Oh Friends, I must be hallucinating yes, because it couldn’t be Sunday already. (smile) It was just Sunday a few days ago. True. But I guess that’s what they mean by time flies when you’re having fun, and also time waits for no one.
However, regardless of what day it is, we’re grateful to be alive and kicking due to the mercy and LOVING-kindness of our omnipotent God! And under any circumstances whatsoever, that calls for a mighty shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’
And what better way to praise Him than by getting together with other believers and worshipping Him; singing songs of praise and thanksgiving this Sunday morning to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD in this entire universe, who created it and all therein.
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to our Bit: ‘Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.’
Yes Friends, our wonderful and mighty God is responsible for creating the heavens and the earth; for giving life and spirit to all who walk thereon. Now let’s look at some scripture that heartily agrees with our Bit. Listen first to the prophet Zechariah, as he prophetically ruminates (smile) on the future deliverance of Jerusalem.
‘The burden (oracle or prophecy) of the word of the Lord for (against) Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.’ (Zech.12:1)
Now hear Isaiah as he talks about the Redeemer of Israel. ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth (out) the heavens (all) alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.’ (Is.44:24)
Please note people, how the Lord makes sure and specifies that He does all that stuff ‘alone, by myself.’ He does it all in His own omnipotence! He needs no help whatsoever to run His universe. So anyone who tries to lay claim to any part of His work is a total liar.
And as per the Lord’s claim to the breath of life and spirit given to mankind, hear these most beautiful and poignant scriptures.
Job in acknowledging God’s omnipotence, wisely declares: ‘But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul (life) of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind (flesh of man).’ (Job 12:7-10)
Yes Friends, everything that has life, owes that life to the Most High God Jehovah, our Creator, Controller and Provider!
Meanwhile, later on, when Elihu, Job’s friend, reasons with him, he too proclaims: ‘My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly (purely). The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.’ (Job 33:3-4)
There’s nothing to dispute there my people, since it’s the ultimate in truth! Then ever-faithful Daniel, in interpreting a dream for the Babylonian king Belshazzar, first tells him about his forefather, Nebuchadnezzar’s problems.
‘But when his heart was lifted up (made proud), and his mind (spirit) hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses (donkeys): they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew (recognized) that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointed over it whomsoever he will.
And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up (exalted) thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought thee the vessels of his house (the temple) before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass (bronze), iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.’ (Dan.5:20-23)
Yes my brethren, all that we are and have depend entirely on the Lord God Almighty, and when we don’t acknowledge Him, we pay a serious price. Yuh see what happened to Nebuchadnezzar; he ended up crazy and living like a wild animal until he recognised Almighty God. And then Belshazzar, the same night that Daniel scolded him and interpreted his dream, he was killed and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom. (Dan.5:30-31)
And last, but by no means least, hear Bruh Paul as he stood on Mars Hill and declared to the people of Athens: ‘For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions (objects of worship) I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship (worship without knowing), him declare I unto you.
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is the Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.’ (Acts.17:23-25)
Ah Friends, yuh see even if we don’t actually know God, like the Athenians, there’s a part of us that subconsciously knows of Him, and has us naturally gravitating towards Him. Therefore Friends, please let’s all join together and worship the ONLY TRUE GOD in existence nuh. It’s the only thing that makes sense, that smacks of true heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…every fibre of our being has been made by…and is controlled by God…so why are we all foolishly acting like…trying to be God eh…
25 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a clean heart, a good man, abundance of the heart, adulteries, awesome package, blasphemy, bodies, calamity, centre of the personality, condemns us, coveteousness, daily blessings, daily bread, deceit, deceitful, defiles man, depths of our souls, dietary laws, digestive tract, diligence, essence of human sin, ever-faithful, evil, evil eye, evil things, evil thoughts, evil treasure, exorbitant price, faithfulness, foolishness, forgiveness, fornication, fountainhead of life, full of evil, fullness of hearts, futility, generosity, generous, good and corrupt fruit, good things, good treasure of the heart, honesty, incurably sick, issues of life, jehovah god, kind of heart, lasciviousness, law of God, licentiousness, LOVE the Lord with all our hearts, loving kindness, madness, minds, mischief, moral consciousness, moral life, murder, new mercy, Old Testament, perversity, pride, purifying the heart, religion, remedy, ritual observances, seat of conscious life, seat of the intellect, seeking spiritual salvation, selfishness, serving, souls, sows discord, spiritual life, spirituality, theft, theology, upright hearts, wicked, wickedness, wildfire, wisdom, worshipping, worthless man
Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
Oh Friends, morning is breaking, just like all those other mornings of the past! And to sweeten matters, God’s daily blessings are also being prepared anew – no stale stuff – as has been done each and every day, right down through the ages. So our daily bread is on its way, accompanied by new mercy and forgiveness. What an awesome package that is my people!
And all God’s children declared a loud, joyous and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord for Your overwhelming generosity and LOVING-kindness! We LOVE You Lord, and praise Your Holy Name! Please help us to continue serving and worshipping You with fullness of hearts, souls, bodies and minds. Amen.’
Yes my Friends, our God is ever-faithful and generous to us, although we don’t deserve it. But that’s just the kind of Deity He is; that’s just the kind of heart He possesses. The problem though is that our honesty and faithfulness cannot be guaranteed. For as our Bit so wisely declares: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?’
And the answer to that rather imposing question my brethren, is ONLY Jehovah God!
That’s because our hearts are naturally inclined to deceit and selfishness. It can get so bad, that at times we even fool ourselves, thinking that we have such wonderful and upright hearts, only to later discover the true wickedness buried deep in them.
Cousin Sol, in describing a worthless and wicked man, said it a long time ago. ‘Frowardness (perversity) is in his heart, he deviseth mischief (evil) continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.’ (Prov.6:14-15)
And sadly Friends, that’s a rather apt and appropriate description of a great number of humans on God’s great earth, including many so-called believers. No wonder our world is in the sorry state it’s in!
Jesus Himself, on the subject of good and corrupt fruit, had this to say re our hearts. ‘O generation (brood, offspring) of vipers, how can ye being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.’ (Matt.12:34-35)
And if anybody should know about that sort of thing, it’s certainly Jesus!
Then later on, in explaining what defiles, Jesus says: ‘That which cometh out of the man defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness (licentiousness), an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.’ (Mark 7:20-23)
Ah mih people, I guess Jesus condemns us all right there, since we all are guilty of at least one or more of those misdeed, and they all stem from what’s happening down in the depths of our souls.
Now listen to the scholars: ‘Many apparently thought that the food itself forbidden by parts of the Old Testament (see, e.g. Lev.11) rendered the eater unclean. Jesus is not challenging the accuracy of the Old Testament. He is pointing out that what one produces from, not what he takes into, himself is the essence of the human sin.
In context, Jesus is pointing out the futility of seeking spiritual salvation by means of ritual observances, like dietary laws, which are incapable of purifying the heart (i.e., the moral life) A clean heart is something different from a properly cared for digestive tract.’
And while declaring that all things come to the righteous and to the wicked, the Preacher imparts this bit of wisdom. ‘This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.’ (Eccl. 9:3)
But why is the heart so maligned eh? That’s partly because as the scholars explain: ‘Heart could often be translated “mind” in the book. Since the Hebrews had no separate word for “mind,” the word “heart” often served to represent the seat of the intellect. The key to the whole man is his mind. Whatever captures the mind captures the man.
The Old Testament word ‘heart’ often refers to the physical organ of the circulatory system. Both Testaments also see the heart figuratively as the centre of the personality or spiritual life. The heart is the seat of intellect, emotions, will, and moral consciousness. It is the personality which has that extraordinary ability to perceive itself.
The heart is presented as the seat of conscious life and the fountainhead of life. Illustration: Jesus taught that sin came out of the heart of people, thus defiling them (Mark 7:21-23). Yet after conversion, one of the characteristics of Christians is that they have the law of God written in their hearts. (Heb.8:8-12). Application: Christians should LOVE the Lord with all their hearts (Matt.22:37). (First ref. Gen.6:5; Primary ref. Prov.4:23; cf. Rom.2:15)
Please note that I’ve quoted several of the references the scholars gave us, so you shouldn’t have any problems reading the rest. (smile) Remember though that the references are for our benefit; to help us better understand the scriptures.
And we’ll end with this rather appropriate reference from Cousin Sol. ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ (Prov.4:23)
Yes Friends, it all begins in the heart and the mind, and then spreads like wildfire after that! So to avoid all the evil and ungodly things that we can become involved in to our detriment, we need to guard our thinking and emotions very carefully, otherwise we’ll certainly get caught up in plenty calamity.
And that definitely doesn’t smack of that most worthwhile attribute called wisdom. So let’s consider ourselves warned. Much LOVE!.
..to him that hath ears…let him hear…or else he’ll pay an exorbitant price for his disobedience…
21 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a longing for God, a roaring lion, abased, absolute truth, arrogance, awareness of limitations, be sober, be vigilant, bright day, burden, cast all your care upon God, charity, cleansed souls, clothed with humility, compassion, confirm, contrite heart, down to earth, eternal glory, eternity, evil world, exaltation, face the truth, forgiveness, Friends in Christ, generous mercy, glorious morn, God cares for you, God gives grace to the humble, God of all grace, God resists the proud, gracious help, Hades, heavenly Father, hope, humble, humble spirit, humility, integrity, Jesus Christ, justice, justification, keeping up with the Joneses, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, meek and lowly, merciful help, mercy, navigate the treacherous paths, night of nothingness, power struggles, Praise the Lord, pride, profitable, reality based, reconciliation, resist steadfast in faith, scorn, scorners, selfless sacrifice, settle, shortcomings, sins, social climbing, St. Therese, status seeking, strengthen, thanks and praise, the devil, the lowly, the mighty hand of God, theology, trials and tribulations, undeniable truth, wash away, wisdom, wonderful LOVE, yoke, younger generation, your adversary
Luke 18:14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Oh my beautiful Friends in Christ, we’ve been blessed to see another bountiful day on God’s great earth! Wow! Let’s give Him some thanks and praise for bringing us safely through another dark night of nothingness, into a bright day filled with His LOVE, mercy and forgiveness.
Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly Father, we give You thanks and praise this glorious morn, for all that you’ve done, are doing, and plan to do for us in the future. Without Your merciful help and LOVING-kindness we’re like little children, unable to take care of ourselves.
Thank You for helping us through the trials and tribulations of this earthly life. But most of all we give You immeasurable thanks for sending Your only Son Jesus Christ to die for us, so that His blood could wash away our disgusting sins, and bring reconciliation to our cleansed souls.
Oh Father, we LOVE You, and ask that you continue to help us navigate the treacherous paths of this evil world, so that we may continue to walk in Your wonderful LOVE and generous mercy. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, there’s precious little we can do in our own strength, that’s why we need to depend on our Creator for His gracious help. But remember we do have to come before Him with a humble spirit and contrite heart.
For as our Bit so truthfully declares: ‘I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’
And before we get into today’s scriptures, I’ll remind us once again that there’s nothing the Lord despises as much as pride, arrogance and their foolish cohorts. That’s because they leave no place for Him in our lives. They don’t make us recognize Him as even important, much less the MOST important person in our lives, as He really ought to be. So to deal successfully with our Creator and Provider, it is essential to get pride and it’s evil relations out of our souls.
Now let’s turn to the scripture I want to share on the topic today. And hurray, it’s the last one Friends! So those of you who are tired hearing about pride, you can relax. (smile) And the relevant scripture comes from 1 Peter 5. In the first four verses he’s admonishing the elders of the church to be good examples to Christ’s flock.
Then he turns to the younger generation: ‘Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm) strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:5-11)
That’s all absolute truth my people! And by the way, some of you might not notice, but I included verses 8-10 that we were supposed to check out in the references yesterday. (smile) So if you didn’t, now you know what it says.
Please note also that Peter today, and James yesterday, both quoted Cousin Sol’s wisdom in their messages. ‘Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.’ (Prov.3:35)
So my wonderful Friends in Christ, please don’t let us get caught up in the foolish power struggles, the status seeking and social climbing, keeping up with the Joneses and all that other prideful stuff that the world offers. It’s much more profitable to just remain down to earth and humble.
Remember though, that humility is not simply the opposite of pride and arrogance, but ‘is rooted in our awareness of limitations and shortcomings in the presence of God and of others. It is reality based….
Humility is rather the virtue that enables us to face the truth about ourselves. We are fundamentally a longing for God; we become more human in relationships not in independence; we thrive in living a virtuous life marked by such virtues as charity, justice, compassion, forgiveness, hope and integrity.’
And all God’s people gave a grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’
Oh Friends, those words on humility come from a booklet ‘A Journey of LOVE; Walking with St. Therese of Lisieux. And if you’re serious about working for Jesus, then you’ll know they are undeniable truth.
And what better way to end than with Jesus’ wholesome advice: ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly (gentle and humble) in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:29-30)
Now my fellow believers, that’s wisdom at its very apex! So let’s be wise and take it nuh. Much LOVE!
…be everlastingly thankful to Jesus…for without His selfless sacrifice…we’d surely be spending eternity in Hades…with the evil Lucifer…
P.S. Just want to say it’s not entirely my fault that the Bit’s a li’l late. But I was taken up in frivolous conversation by someone for over half an hour earlier on. Hn, hn! But since I promised not to call names, I won’t. (smile) Much LOVE!
20 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affliction, back to school, body, busy schedules, Cleanse your hands, divine guidance, draw near to God, exalted, exhortations, faithfulness, fear, flee from satan, followers of Jesus, following Jesus, gloom, God resists the proud, good works, grace, heart, humble, humble apologies, humble yourselves, humility, in the sight of the Lord, in vain, inner thoughts, jealousy, Jesus' teaching, joy, justified, lament, laughter, LOVE, LOVE for God, LOVING heart, lusts, man's envy, maturing, meek, mind, mourn, New Year's resolution, outward deeds, peace that transcends understanding, petty, pilgrim's path, pride, resist the devil, school of hard knocks, scowling faces, scriptures, self-aggrandisement, selfish, short attention spans, sinners, soul, sour taste, speak directly to our hearts, submit yourselves to God, the good work of God, true believers, unchristian things, ungodly world, weep, wonderful LOVE, worldliness
Luke 18:14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Oh Friends, can you believe that we’re already closer to the end of August than to the beginning! Where does the time fly eh? Just the other day we were all excited about the upcoming Caribana celebrations, but now we’re thinking about schools opening in early September and all that that entails. Brother!
And please accept my most humble apologies for forgetting to remind us (smile) about our monthly check up on the state of our great New Year’s Resolution; that of following Jesus more closely, of becoming more like Him, of maturing in His school of hard-knocks, of humility, of good works, of faithfulness, and of LOVE for God and all His creation.
If you haven’t done that for this month on your own, then please do it now, since it’s always easier to do it in small bits than in big chunks.
And we’ll continue with our Bit of the last two days, because it is extremely important for us to understand the principle it details. ‘I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’
I also have some scripture with which to try and impress the importance of that principle, humility, on us, meek and humble followers of Jesus. (smile)
Ah Friends, that smile is more one of heartache than happiness, because too many of Jesus’ supposed people are still too caught up in the petty, selfish, me and I stuff, the foolish self-aggrandisement that our ungodly world admires and does its best to encourage.
But true believers simply cannot afford to get caught up in that selfish system, where I, the first person, am always first. Instead we need to get into Jesus’ teaching, where I, always comes last.
Now I heard this story recently about a lady who went to church and saw the chairs in the sanctuary placed in a confirmation she didn’t like. Apparently they had been set that way for a few weeks. She then asked one of the ushers when the chairs would be replaced in their earlier configuration.
The usher replied that she didn’t know. And would you believe that fine, upstanding Christian lady walked out of the church and didn’t stay for the service!
Ah Lord eh! And then we wonder why unbelievers look at us with a scowl on their faces and a sour taste in their mouths. But it’s because of those stupid, selfish, very unchristian things that we do in front of them. Now was the position of the chairs so important to the conduct of the worshipping of God? Obviously she felt so.
Anyway Friends, enough of me. I’ll just let the scriptures speak directly to our hearts now. And we’ll begin with James talking about worldliness and pride. ‘Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy (yearns jealously)?
But he giveth more grace, wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:5-10)
Ah mih people, there’s nothing I can add to that, except clear up some uncertainty by giving us the scholars explanations.
Re verses 5 and 6: ‘Although many believe that verse 5 refers to the positive ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit, yearning jealously over the believer, the tenor of verse 4 and 5 is negative, speaking of man’s envy. The good work of God begins at verse 6 in contrast to 4 and 5 as the conjunction indicates.
But he giveth more grace is literally “greater grace” (Gr.meizona). God gives grace that is greater than the world’s attraction of verse 4 and the inner lust of verse 5 (cf. Rom. 5:20), and so can withstand both.’
Re verses 7-10: ‘Therefore: The exhortations that follow logically result from the conditions in verses 1-6. Resist the devil: Do not submit to fear, or flee from Satan, but stand against him (1 Pet. 5:8-10). Satan cannot lead into sin against one’s will.
Draw nigh: God will not be unmoved; His welcoming response is always near (cf. Deut. 4:7; Lam. 3:57; Luke 15:20). Hands and hearts: The cleansing of one’s life must involve both outward deeds and inner thoughts (cf. Ps.24:3-4).
And as always Friends, I encourage us to read the scriptures that the scholars recommend. They’re placed there for our benefit, because they do help us in understanding the Word.
And I guess that’s it for today mih breddren, because we already have a lot of stuff to ponder on, and what I still have to say will definitely make the Bit too long. Please note my conscious interest in our busy schedules and short attention spans. (smile)
We’ll just have to continue this topic tomorrow, God in favour. Till then faithful followers of Jesus, please, please let’s look to Him for divine guidance and counsel rather than to man.
And may He grant us the wisdom, strength and courage to tread the difficult pilgrim’s path He’s laid out for us, plus the peace that transcends all man’s understanding, and the wonderful LOVE that flows from the everlasting wellspring of His most generous and LOVING heart. Much LOVE!
…when a man truly knows Jesus…oh…he can’t help but LOVE Him…with all his heart, mind, body and soul…
18 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abased, arrogance, Bible Study, boastfulness, condemned, confession, contempt, contrition, corruption, dance, despicable, divisions, exalted, extolled, false accusation, fasting, fellow believers, fellowship, first shall be last, forgiveness, futile arguments, glorify God, God's mercy, haughtiness, high esteem, humble, hypocrite, justification, justified, last shall be first, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, motives of our heart, outward actions, outward religious expression, penitent heart, pharisee and the publican, Pharisees, piety, praise, pride, Pubilcans, rejoice, religion, repentance, resentment, restore fourfold, Sabbath Day, salvation, seat of sin, sing, sinner, son of Abraham, Son of man, sunday fellowship, superiority, tax collectors, the letter of the law, theology, tithes, true state of heart, true wisdom, undeniable truth, unworthiness, wonderful god
Luke 18:14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Oh mih people, is Sunday; fellowship day for most of us! So please let’s get out there and gather with those of like minds, and sing and praise and glorify our great and wonderful God! Wow! What a privilege that is!
And all God’s people joyfully declared: ‘Yes, let’s fellowship in the name of the Most High God Jehovah! Let’s sing and dance and rejoice before Him, for His goodness, mercy and LOVING-kindness endures forever!’ And that’s certainly gospel truth!
By the way, for those of you who celebrate the Sabbath on Friday or Saturday, I surely hope that you got out and joined your fellow believers in giving thanks and praise and worship to our Creator, because one of His earliest commands was to keep the Sabbath Day holy. (Ex.20:8)
And we won’t argue about which day should be rightly considered the Sabbath Day, since that will only bring about more futile arguments and cause more resentment and divisions, of which we already have more than enough. Suffice it to say, that whatever day your denomination has chosen, just make sure you do as the Lord commands.
And today Friends, I want to again talk about the parable of the Pharisee and the publican or tax collector, but in a little more detail. I am also going to quote the verses again, because the scholars have some very interesting info on each of them, info I believe can be very useful in our Bible Study.
So here we go: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.’ (Luke 18:10)
The scholars say thus about that verse. ‘Publicans (tax collectors) were known for being corrupt. Pharisees on the other hand were held in high esteem by most. Listeners here would have expected the Pharisee to be extolled and the tax gatherer condemned.’
Yuh see that mih breddren, because we look up to outward religious expression, we’d be quick to condemn the corrupt tax collector, while raising up and praising the hypocrite Pharisee. So please don’t let outward expressions of piety fool us. That’s why God chooses to look at the motives of our heart and not outward actions.
Turning to the next verse: ‘The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.’ (vs.11)
And the scholars nail this: ‘Standing was a usual position for prayer, but here standing suggests a certain arrogance. (Compare the sinner’s hesitancy in vs.13) A sense of personal superiority is not a good reason for thanking God. It is rather in itself a cause for repentance.’
That’s undeniable truth Friends! Please remember that our God totally dislikes pride and arrogance.
Meanwhile, the ole hypocrite Pharisee continues: ‘I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all I possess.’ (vs.12)
And the scholars declare: ‘This is not exaggeration, but an example of how Pharisees truly exceed the letter of the law in their piety. But their pride and contempt for others reveals the true state of heart.’
No wonder Jesus was always on their case.
‘And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote (beat) upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.’ (vs.13)
To which the scholars note: ‘The heart was regarded as the seat of sin. The publican’s action implies acute contrition and a sense of personal unworthiness. To obtain forgiveness he thinks not of his own works but solely of God’s mercy.’
And that’s the way it ought to be my people! For as Jesus tells us in our Bit: ‘I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’
And the scholars say of that verse: ‘The publican’s anguished confession would be followed by results in keeping with his repentance. (See 19:8.) But justification by faith comes independently of the works which that justification produces. Such works are the result and not the cause of God’s accepting the sinner.’
And we see this all borne out in Luke 19:8, where Zaccheus the tax collector, confesses in repentance after he associates with Jesus. ‘And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.’ (Luke 19:8)
To which the scholars add: ‘Zaccheus’s confession reveals a penitent heart. If does not suggest doubt that he is guilty of wrong doing; the only question is to what extent. Leviticus 6:1-5 stipulated that illegally gained money had to be returned, plus one-fifth. A fourfold return was legislated where livestock were concerned. (Ex.22:1, 2 Sam.12:6).’ Please read those scriptures.
And what was Jesus’ reply to Zaccheus’ contrition? ‘This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:9-10)
Oh Friends, let’s hope from all that, we gain the wisdom to do away with foolish pride, arrogance, haughtiness, boastfulness, superiority and all those similar things that the world cherishes, but which the Lord finds totally despicable! For that my brethren, is indeed true, true wisdom! Much LOVE!
…in the day of reckoning…he that is first (proud) on earth…shall be last in heaven…and he that is last (humble) on earth…shall be first in heaven…
17 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abase, adulterers, airs and graces, Calvary, duties of a servant, every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess, exaltation, extortioners, faithfulness, fasting, folk wisdom, form of a servant, futility, glorious day, glory of God the Father, God be merciful, God in debt to man, God's bountiful and beautiful earth, humble and contrite heart, Jehovah-Jireh, Jesus, justification, LOVE, magnify the name of Jesus, master's bidding, neck of the woods, no reputation, obedience to god, obedient to the Father's will, our Lord and Saviour, Pharisee, pomp, Praise the Lord, prejudice, pride, profitable to God, publican, righteousness., sacrificial death, sin debt, sinner, the form of God, tithes, triune God-head, true followers, unjust, unprofitable servants, wisdom
Job 22:2. Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
Oh Friends, the weather forecasters predict another glorious day in the offing in my neck of the woods! But in truth, everyday on God’s beautiful and bountiful earth is a glorious one for all believers!
That’s because we have the LOVE of Jesus buried deep in our hearts. A LOVE made manifest by His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary to pay our sin debt once and for all time.
And all God’s people gave a mighty joy-filled shout: ‘Praise the Lord and magnify the Holy Name of Jesus, for He was obedient to the Father’s will; obedient even unto death on the cross!’
Yes Friends, although Jesus was a part of the triune God-head, He humbled Himself and became a servant, not putting on the foolish airs and graces that so many of us like to put on to feel important, to impress our fellow man. Let’s sincerely hope and pray that we don’t fall into that pattern of pride and futility, otherwise, in the long run, we’ll be very sorry.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?’
That is Job’s supposed friend Eliphaz, getting ready to blast him with serious accusations of sin, that he believes ultimately caused Job’s downfall. And he continues into the next verse: ‘Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect (blameless)?’ (Job 22:3)
Technically speaking Friends, the answer to Eliphaz’s questions are all NO. For though the Lord wants us to be upright, all our righteousness, wisdom and otherwise make absolutely no difference to God’s status or stature. All those things are provided for our benefit, not God’s. He’s Jehovah Jireh, the Provider! He needs nothing from us to keep on being who He is.
Now listen to how Jesus puts it, when talking to the disciples about the duties of a servant. ‘But which of you, having a servant ploughing or feeding cattle (tending sheep), will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat (eat)? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup (something for me to eat), and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Doth he thank the servant because he did those things that were commanded him? I trow (think) not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded of you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.’ (Luke 17:7-10)
Yes my brethren, a servant’s duty is to do his master’s bidding. And since Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, we ought to do as He commands, otherwise we’re not true followers of His.
And I like how the scholars explain those verses. ’17:7-10: Contrary to folk wisdom of the day (and now), Jesus is clear that human obedience to God does not put God in debt to man. Jesus here gives a succinct picture of the attitude that should underlie our service to God. Otherwise we’re mere hirelings. Contrast Jesus’ teaching with the reasoning in 18:12.’
Oh Friends, ours is to do the will of God, not to be proud and haughty as we see in chapter 18, where Jesus tells the parable of two men, a Pharisee and a publican praying in the temple.
‘The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican (tax collector). I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican (tax collector), standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon (beat) his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’ (Luke 18:10-14)
And my people, we see that eternal truth in the last verse totally confirmed in the person of Jesus, as Bruh Paul so eloquently writes to the Philippians. ‘Let this mind be in you (constantly maintain this attitude), which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in the fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things (those) in heaven, and things (those) in earth, and things (those) under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:5-11)
Ah mih people, please let that be a lesson to us, to be humble, unto serving Almighty God, and not be carried away by the pomp, pride and prejudice of this foolish, evil, ungodly world. Because in due time, if we faint not, but remain steadfast and true, our heavenly Father will raise us up, just like He did Jesus, and exalt us much much more than our fellow earthlings are able to do.
As heirs with Christ, thus children of God, only the best will be laid out for us on that fateful day, when we see the Father face to face. That’s His promise to all faithful servants. And we know that He keeps ALL His promises. So take care, stand strong and tall in His name, but don’t let foolish pride drive us away from Him. That’s wisdom at its highest. Much LOVE!
…a man can only come to the Father through Jesus…and then he needs a humble and contrite heart to get an audience…
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