14 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all my hope and peace, almost all things, are by the law purged with blood, Bible, cleanseth us from all sin, enhances our souls, enter into the presence of a holy God, faith, fellowship, fellowship with each other, for my cleansing this my plea, for my pardon, forgiveness, forgiveness of sins, from which everything flows, god, God's sinless Son, Jesus, Jesus Christ, justification, LOVE, made peace, New Covenant, no other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus, once and for all time, precious is the flow, propitiation, ransomed by the blood, reah my home, redeemed, redeemed with corruptible things, redemption, remission of sins, right standing with God, righteousness, Robert Lowry, salvation, shedding his own blood, sweet sacrifices of praise, that makes me white as snow, the blood of Christ, the death and resurrection of Christ, the forbearance of God, the riches of his grace, through the blood of the cross, to reconcile all things, walk in the light, what can make me whole again, what can wash away my sin, wisdom, without the shedding of blood is no remission
Hebrews 9:22. And almost all things are by the law purged (cleansed) with blood; and without the shedding of blood is no remission (forgiveness).
Sunday, oh Sunday, it’s so good to encounter you once again! For you are one of the very best days of the week. You take me to the Lord’s sanctuary, where I give Him thanks and praise in concert with other worshippers, and He enhances our souls and spirits with His awesome Word, filled with many great promises and doings, especially that of the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, from which everything in our Christian lives flows.
And to celebrate our fellowship today, we’ll sing a much favoured and very doctrinally important hymn, titled, ‘Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.’ It’s a traditional American hymn about the blood atonement and propitiation for sin by the death of Jesus, composed in the late 19th century by hymn writer, Baptist Minister and Bucknell University Professor, Robert Lowry. And since we’re all anxious to sing this much LOVED and oh so important hymn, let’s get right to it, and raise our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, heart and gut-wrenching version, that will let all the world, and heaven too, see that we’re very sincere about Christ in our great LOVE and appreciation for Him!
Singing: ‘What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain: Oh! precious is the flow That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.) For my pardon, this I see, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; For my cleansing this my plea, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain)
This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; This is all my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Now by this I’ll overcome; Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Now by this I’ll reach my home, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Glory! Glory! This I sing; Nothing but the blood of Jesus, All my praise for this I bring, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Nothing but the Blood…Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.’
And there’s no greater truth in this world my fellow believers! No! For nothing but the precious, spilled blood of Jesus Christ; God’s sinless Son, on the cross of Calvary can wash away mankind’s abominable sins. And that’s the very reason the Father sent Him to earth. And why was that necessary? Because as Romans 6:23 tells us, the just penalty of human sin against God is death. But as Hebrews writes: ‘And almost all things are by the law purged (cleansed) with blood; and without the shedding of blood is no remission (forgiveness).’ (Heb. 9:22)
That means for any forgiveness of sins to occur, blood must be shed. However, the death of sanctioned animals used in the Old Testament, through the offering of their blood was only a temporary reprieve, and every year, the High Priest had to go into the Holy of Holies and make atonement for the sins of the people (Heb. 9:7 & 25) since ‘It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.’ (Heb. 10:4)
And according to one commentator: ‘The repeated animal sacrifices were delaying the inevitable, waiting on God’s fullness of times. One day a final reckoning for sin must come. Christians, of course, believe and celebrate that now in Christ, and under the terms of a new covenant, the reckoning has come. Jesus willingly “offered himself” (Heb. 9:14) by “once for all” shedding “his own blood” (Heb. 9:12), bringing to its intended completion the temporary covenant that came before (the old covenant) and inaugurating in its place an “eternal or everlasting covenant,” (Heb. 13:20), which we call the new covenant.’
Now there are a few questions on the subject that have been asked down through the ages, like; why is blood so important in the human’s life, and what does it symbolize in the Bible? Blood is the ONLY part of our body that is continually on the move, it continually courses through our bodies, and any time it stops flowing, or we lose it all, like it drained out of Jesus’ body on the cross, then our life also ceases. ‘And so, blood is the premier biblical symbol of life.’ Then there’s this question: Does the blood of Jesus cover us from all sin? Yes. John in His first epistle tells us: ‘But if we walk in the light, as he (God) is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth (purifies, covers) us from ALL sin.’ (1 John 1:7) And why do we need to be covered by the blood of Jesus? ‘The blood of Jesus is the covering that allows us to enter into the presence of a perfect and holy God.’
And it’s generally recognized that the blood of Jesus does 5 basic things for us. The first one is propitiation for our sins; to remove God’s righteous wrath from humanity. As Bruh Paul writes to the church at Rome. ‘(Christ Jesus) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (mercy seat, atonement) through faith in his blood, to declare (demonstrate) his righteousness for the remission (forgiveness) of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.’ (Rom. 3:25) Then there’s Justification; to bring us into right standing with God. Bruh Paul writes, again to the Romans: ‘Much more then, (having) being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.’ (Rom. 5:9) What about Redemption, or the purchasing of our freedom? Bruh Paul writes thus to the Ephesians: ‘In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.’ (Eph. 1:7)
There’s also forgiveness; to restore our best relationship. And to the Ephesians, Bruh Paul notes: ‘But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes (once) were far off and made nigh (near) by the blood of Christ.’ (Eph. 2:13) What about pacification, or peace with God Himself? Bruh Paul writes to the Colossians. ‘For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness (deity) dwell. And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in (on) earth, or things in heaven.’ (Col. 1:19-20)
Yes friends, by Christ’s death, God reconciled the universe to Himself. Finally, we’ve been ransomed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Peter writes in his first epistle. ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible (perishable) things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (aimless conduct) received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.’ (1 Pet. 1:18-19)
And there we have it my fellow saints, some of the basic things that the blood of Christ has done for us, and overall, why it’s ever so important in our Christian faith! So, please, let’s spend some time today meditating on the incomparable blood of Christ and how it affects us as believers’ in His holy name. Much LOVE!
…the blood…oh the blood…there’s nothing like the sinless blood of Jesus…
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14 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a base of operations, a deceiver, abetting, adversity, advocacy of Christ, aiding, all over again, anti-christ, atonement, battle through adversity, battling with us, believing the truth, bemoan, boundaries, brilliant glory, Christology, circumspection, confess not, deceitful, doctrine, don't forget, each step, end times, entered the world, faith walk, false teachers, fellowship, followers of Jesus, Friday chant, generous God, generous help, Gnostics, Godspeed, good things, have a good attitude, human flesh, hurricane Florence, in Jesus name, incarnation, itinerant preachers, Jesus is come in the flesh, joyfully acclaim, level-headed, Lucifer, many deceivers, massa, misfortune, never to leave or forsake us, next week, no more labour, North Carolina, one's home, party time, predicament, propitiation, pseudo-Christians, ravages, refreshed in soul, relaxation, renewed, rest, richly provided, sacrifice for sins, safely, shining forth, sincerity, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the SON, the Son of God, the Sun, the weekend, the workingman, this is the day the Lord has made, turn prayerfully to God, unorthodox views, very root of Christianity, we will rejoice and be glad in it, week of work, wicked man
2 John 7. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
It’s glorious out there friends! Both the sun and the Son are shining forth in all their brilliant glory! That’s why we can joyfully acclaim: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it! Most definitely my brethren! We’d be foolish not to rejoice in the good things our generous God has so richly provided, for they do outweigh whatever adversity comes against us.
And I know that a lot of people are facing serious adversity all over the world, like those in North Carolina facing the ravages of hurricane Florence. But what yuh going to do eh? Just sit and bemoan your misfortune? That’s not going to help any, just make you feel worse. We need to get up and do what we can to ease the situation ourselves, plus have a good attitude, while turning prayerfully to God, our Creator and Provider.
Remember friends, it’s God who created us and allows whatever comes against us to do so, so it just makes good sense to turn to Him in times of need. Remember too that He has promised never to leave nor forsake us, so He won’t leave us in the lurch all on our lonesome. If he decides that we should battle through the adversity, then He will be in there battling with us. That’s for sure!
And the workingman gives us a good example of facing adversity in his song. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Glory be! It’s the weekend and no more labour, no more labour, no more labour for that wicked man called massa! He can’t touch me now, so I’ll just do my own thing; eat and drink and party hearty! And when I go back Monday, if I go back, I’ll deal with that then! But right now it’s the weekend which spells, party time! Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’
Yes, he is pushing a bit to the extreme, but he’s not allowing his unfortunate work predicament to spoil his overall attitude. And so should we, my fellow believers. That’s why we have our Friday Chant; to keep us level headed and aware of what’s happening. As followers of Jesus, we can’t behave like the workingman, we need some more circumspection in our faith walk, but that doesn’t preclude us from having fun, fun within certain boundaries.
So let’s chant up a storm today nuh! In unison and with sincere sincerity: (smile) ‘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!’
Yeh mih breddren, it’s time to relax from our weekly labour, but not get so relaxed that we forget about Lucifer and his ever constant attacks against our immortal souls. For as John the Revelator tells us in our Bit: ‘For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.’
And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘7. The deceivers seem to have been Gnostics, pseudo-Christian individuals who denied that the Son of God had really taken on human flesh (see 1 John 2:18-27, 4:1-6). John realizes that to attack the doctrine of the Incarnation (Christ’s taking on human flesh) is to strike at the very root of Christianity.’
And it is! For how else would we get a sinless body to atone for our sins eh? Anybody born of man and woman will always have a sinful nature and won’t qualify as propitiation, atonement or worthwhile sacrifice for the myriad of sins we commit against a most holy God. Thus John warns: ‘Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought (worked for), but that we receive a full reward.’ (2 John 8)
Now hear the scholars on that verse: ‘8. The first and third we should probably be “you” (plural) according to many ancient manuscripts. It is dangerous for any person, including a believer, to follow teachings contrary to Scripture.’
And so it is! ‘Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.’ (2 John 9) And per that verse, the scholars advise: ‘9. John makes Christology the central doctrine of the faith.’ But what else could it be eh? If the basic doctrine of Christ is not the central theme in the study and advocacy of Christ, then the whole thing is false.
So John continues his warning. ‘If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him (give him a greeting) Godspeed. For he that biddeth him (greets him) Godspeed is partaker of (shares in) his evil deeds.’ (2 John 10-11)
And if you’re wondering why that is, listen to the scholars’ explanation. ‘10-11. In the early decades of Christianity, local churches were planted and sustained by itinerant preachers and teachers. For those workers to survive, it was necessary for believers to show hospitality. However, one had to be sure that he was not aiding and abetting false teachers, that is, those with unorthodox views of the person and work of Christ.
To take such people in, John says, is to endorse their teaching. John’s command forbids true Christians to actively support the ministry of false teachers. It is not a prohibition against having non-Christians (e.g. unsaved family members or neighbours) into one’s home – unless, of course, they are spreading anti-Christian doctrine, and seeking to use one’s home as a base of operations.’
And you know what friends? All of that still holds true today, because there are even more false teachers and preachers out there than in John’s time. So please, let’s be careful as to whom and what we open ourselves to nuh in these trying and oh so deceitful end times. Much LOVE!
…if you don’t believe exactly what Jesus says about Jesus…then you’re not believing the truth…
27 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: assurance, Behold, beloved, beloved of God, bestowed on us, blasphemous, born again, breath of life, by God's hand, came unto his own, children of God, Christian faith, come running back, disobedient, enduring effect, fellow believers, finite, friend of Jesus, glory to God, grasp the concept, grow, hurry, I love you, in God's image, indisputable truth, Jesus, laugh too loud, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, LOVE one another, love personified, loving, mature, mortal man, my own way, never be in doubt, not of blood, One Year Book of Bible promises, our hearts and minds, penetrate, power to become, propitiation, put you first, quiet, reminder, reservation, right, Ruth Harms Calkin, serene, share His love, sinful, sinful nature, sob too long, spring break, steady, strong, talk too much, tenets of our faith, the Father, the sons of God, the will of man, the will of the flesh, to the very core, troubled society, true light, Tuesday Mantra, uncertain, undeserving, unsure, weak, what manner of love, willingly obey, winter season, without love, worry, wretched, wrong, You love me
1 John 3:1a. Behold, what manner of LOVE the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God.
And then it was Tuesday…and the much appreciated spring break amidst the winter season continues seemingly unabated. Oh Glory to God! And on top of that, both the sun and the SON are shining forth brilliantly today. Mama Yo! What more can a mortal man ask for eh? Not much really.
But yuh know what, in our undeserving, sinful nature, our wonderful God gives us even more. Read with me, as I share this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled ‘You LOVE Me!’
‘God When I am wretched and weak You LOVE me. When I am steady and strong You LOVE me. When I am very right Or terribly wrong You LOVE me. When I talk too much Or laugh too loud Or sob too long You LOVE me. When I am quiet and serene You LOVE me.
When I willingly obey You LOVE me. When I insist on my own way You LOVE me. When I fail to put you first You LOVE me. When I come running back to You You LOVE me. I need not beg You to LOVE me For You who are LOVE Cannot exist without LOVING.
And yet this very day, dear God I have no real assurance Of Your LOVE at all. I wonder why? (And the Lord answered) BELOVED child The fact remains I LOVE you.’
Isn’t that something now mih people! Regardless of who we are, or how we behave, our amazing God LOVES US! Even when we don’t feel His LOVE, the indisputable truth still stands; He LOVES us! He just cannot help LOVING, because He is LOVE personified!
And He caused me to share this particular poem today because He wants to remind us of that fact. He apparently sees that we don’t appreciate the true nature of His LOVE enough, that’s why we are so unsure and uncertain of ourselves in this crazy, troubled society.
Please accept this reminder my fellow believers, and let it penetrate our hearts and minds right to the very core, so that we’ll never be in doubt, in any situation whatsoever, of our great God’s true and unconditional LOVE for us. It’s one of the elementary tenets of our faith, and if we can’t accept it without reservation, then our faith will be lacking, and won’t be able to grow and mature, as it ought to.
That’s why John, in his first epistle thought it so necessary to remind us of God’s great LOVE for us, as stated in our Bit. ‘Behold, what manner of LOVE the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God.’
Ah mih breddren how can we not appreciate such an awesome bestowal eh? God didn’t have to, but He wanted to. Why? Because we are His; created by His hand, in His image, and we breathe His breath of life. And even though we have become sinful and disobedient, the facts of the matter cannot be changed.
Now listen to the scholars on our Bit. ‘3:1. Bestowed is in the perfect tense, suggesting the enduring effect of the LOVE God has given. Believers are children of God by virtue of being born of Him (2:29). Jesus stressed a connection between how the world related to God and how it would in turn relate to Christ’s true followers (John 15:18). After ‘sons of God’ the phrase “And we are” should be added, according to many ancient manuscripts.’
Yeh friends, for some reason or the other that definitive statement got left out of our version of the Good Book, but there is no doubt that we are indeed children of God, once we are born again and believe in His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I think though that a part of the problem is that our minds are so small and finite, that we cannot truly grasp the concept of a mighty and holy God LOVING us, despite our sinful and blasphemous nature. But don’t we still LOVE our children though they are disobedient and go astray? So why should it be any different with God eh? Children are children, and fathers are fathers in whatever situation you place them.
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that corroborate our Bit. John says in his gospel: ‘He (the true Light) was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’ (John 1:10-13)
We couldn’t get more authority than that to become children of God. Now hear this most momentous and eye opening scripture, re the LOVE of God from John’s first epistle. ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. BELOVED, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:10-11)
That’s our Christian faith in a nutshell right there my brethren. Please let’s practice it in all sincerity and truth nuh. Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are in strong voice.
‘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 since we’ve declared it, let’s go out now and action it nuh! Much LOVE!
…regardless of what we have…if we don’t have LOVE…we are nothing…
09 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sparkling day, a waste of time, all for nought, believe in Jesus, boundaries, Calvary, Christians, come short of the glory of God, divine provision, dry weather, enormous price, eternal life, extremes, faith, fellowship, fleshly activity, for all have sinned, forbearance of God, free gift, freed from sin, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God's standard, grace, guiltless, hot like hell, human need, in Jesus' name, just, justified freely, justifier, LOVE, made him to be sin for us, our flesh, pardoned, party time, praise, propitiation, ransom, redemption, relaxation, remisiion of sins, rest, righteous demands, salvation, shedding of blood, slave driver, Spirit of Christ, susceptible to sin, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Thank you Jesus, thanks, the righteousness of God, the workingman, walk steadfast, waste not want not, week of work, who knew no sin, work never dead
2 Corinthians 5:21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Oh friends, like another sparkler of a day is in the offing in my area! Wow! Three sparkling days in a row! We need to give the Lord plenty thanks for such wonderful weather!
I know for some of you the good weather is small potatoes, because you receive it most of the time, but we’ve had such chilly and rainy days the last couple weeks that some warm, sparkling, dry weather is greatly appreciated.
And you certainly won’t hear the workingman complain. He is even zestier in his attitude as he unabashedly declares: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The weekend is upon us… And it going to be hot like hell too! Temps in the thirties! Oh party time…party time…
Steups! Look, forget the chupid slave driver and his work yes. Work never dead yet! Just let me loose here now, so we can get the party going! Much thanks to God for Fridays and the weekends!’
Oh mih breddren, how our flesh would LOVE to participate in such interesting endeavours, (smile) but our minds and spirits are crying out for us to resist such fleshly activity. And as sincere Christians, we ought to have some boundaries to our behaviour, not allow ourselves to go to such extremes.
The Christian way is more like our Friday Chant, so let’s put the lust of the flesh behind us and chant it heartily nuh. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
And that’s the way it ought to be my people, especially when we take our Bit into account. ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’
Yeh friends, after Jesus paid such an enormous price for us to be freed from sin, we just can’t go back and commit sin willy-nilly again. Oh, we are all still susceptible to sin, but with the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us, we ought to have a strong enough conscience to resist it.
And we have these powerful verses of scripture from Bruh Paul to the Roman church to help explain the situation and consequently uplift us. Hear him pontificate (smile): ‘For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely (without any cost) by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (a mercy seat) through faith in his blood, to declare (demonstrate) his righteousness for the remission (passing over of) sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.’ (Rom.3:23-26)
Oh friends, right within those verses lies the basis of our salvation… Glory to God! Let’s see if, with the help of the scholars we can get a good understanding of what Bruh Paul is saying there.
‘3:23. For all have sinned: The human need and the divine provision are alike applied universally. Come short of the glory of God: Man can exceed his own standards but never, left to himself, can he attain God’s standard of righteousness.’
Ah mih breddren, regardless of how good we are, we will NEVER reach God’s standards. But He is so wonderful, that knowing that sin pervades and invades all our souls, He wisely provided provision for everybody, if we’d only believe in His Son Jesus Christ, who paid for our sins by the sacrifice, the shedding of His sinless blood on Calvary.
‘3:24. Being justified (Gr. dikatoumenot) indicates being declared righteous. It signifies the believer’s judicial standing before God. Freely: There is no just cause in man to warrant justification. By his grace: Unmerited favour is bestowed through the redemption (release on payment of ransom). Christ’s death is the ransom. The sinner is released on the basis of the ransom having being paid.’
So yuh see friends, we don’t have a leg to stand on, it’s all through God’s grace and Jesus paying the ransom for our sins by the shedding of His blood at Calvary.
‘3:25-26. Through faith: Christ’s death satisfies the Father’s righteous demands. Its benefits are appropriated only through faith in His finished work. In his blood: The emphasis is not on the blood as it coursed through Christ’s veins, but as it was shed for our sins. This is how the propitiation was accomplished.
Just, and the justifier: God can remain just (true to His nature) and still declare sinners to be righteous only because Christ has paid for sin and satisfied (propitiated) His holy law. The sinner is not rendered guiltless but pardoned. Christ has taken the sin on Himself and has imputed His righteousness to the sinner.’
And all believers shouted a loud and most grateful ‘Thank You Jesus! Thank You ever so much for redeeming us from our abominable sins! We LOVE You, and give You plenty thanks and praise! Please help us to walk steadfast in Your everlasting LOVE! Amen!’
Yes friends, I hope we all understand now that it was all the doing of the Father and Jesus, no thanks to us whatsoever.
So please lets be wise and accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life that’s been offered nuh. Otherwise Jesus’ sacrifice would have been all for nought, a complete waste of time. And I’m sure we don’t want that to be the case. Much LOVE!
…remember the old adage…waste not…want not…
P.S. It’s long and late, but full of redemptive grace (smile) Much LOVE!
16 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive, another level, as I have loved you, assurance, atonement, attribute, bountiful, Cain, change, characteristics, children of God, earn another's love, endurance, events, faith, fellowship, friends, Glory be, glory hallelujah, God is good, God's great world, gospel truth, hope, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, indisputable truth, Jacques Maritain, Jesus Christ, joy, LOVE, LOVE one another, LOVE Revolution, perfection, persecution, Prayer of the Beloved, problems, propitiation, room for love, share His love with the world, steal our joy, strengthens, the essence of the situation, this is my commandment, this is the day the Lord has made, trust, Tuesday Mantra, unqualified love, values to our lives, walking with Jesus, we don't love qualities, we love persons, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom
John 15:12. This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.
Well mih people, it’s another bright and bountiful day in God’s great world! Glory Hallelujah!
Oh I know that many of us are facing all kinds of persecution and problems and it might not seem like a bright or bountiful day, but the essence of the situation is that we’re alive, and thus have the HOPE and assurance that things can and will change, once we keep on walking steadfastly with Jesus!
Therefore, let’s all loudly and proudly declare, like the psalmist did: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24)
Yes friends, regardless of what the day holds, let us endeavor to rejoice and be glad in it. Let us not allow the enemy to steal our joy by filling our heads with nonsense. Life might be rough, but remember that our God is good! Glory be!
And since today is Tuesday, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra or Prayer of the Beloved, right off the top to get us set on firm footing. All together 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.’
Yes my people, we are not defined by any of the world’s standards; our true definition is simply, children of God, and thus LOVED by Him. Nothing else really matters.
All we need to do is trust Jesus, our Friend, Saviour, Lord, Brother, Master, etc. etc. and share His overwhelming LOVE with the world, as He so simply but eloquently declares in our Bit. ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’
Ah friends, it’s such a simple but profound statement! One which we are not following as strongly and steadfastly as we should, thus we are not getting the results that we ought to get, so that we can further the LOVE Revolution of Jesus.
Jesus is all about LOVE yuh know! It’s His greatest attribute; an attribute that encompasses everything else, and if we truly have it, we will be in the best place that we can be.
And today I want to share a passage from my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness. The quote is from one Jacques Maritain (1882-1973), a French Catholic philosopher of much renown, who was apparently raised a Protestant, then became an agnostic before converting to Catholicism.
He reputedly said: ‘We don’t LOVE qualities, we LOVE persons…’
And that’s how it ought to be. But instead we tend to qualify our LOVE for others by their behaviour, events or other actions and things. That’s not right my brethren. Our God LOVES us just for who we are, not because of anything we do or say.
And the devotional goes on to say: ‘No matter what happens to us in our lifetime, regardless of whether we are rich or poor, strong or weak, ill or well, we ALWAYS HAVE ROOM FOR LOVE. Unqualified LOVE and caring cost nothing. Despite out financial position, allowing ourselves to LOVE, allowing ourselves to be LOVED strengthens and lends greater value to our lives.’
And that my fellow believers in Christ is indisputable truth! When LOVE becomes the most important factor in our lives, we are raised up to another level, a level to which only LOVE can bring us.
Now listen closely to this next part of the devotional, which corroborates what I’ve said above. ‘In LOVING others and being LOVED, we are reminded that people, not events or even characteristics, are the important elements of our lives.
We don’t look for perfection in our LOVED ones, and we’re freed of the notion that we must earn another’s LOVE. LOVE balances our lives; it helps us to keep sight of our values and priorities.’
And that’s all gospel truth my brethren! The Lord would certainly not LOVE us if He was looking for perfection, because we are not perfect. So why do we try to put others in certain situations or force certain characteristics and traits in them before we LOVE them eh?
Please, let’s stop doing that and just LOVE others for who or whom they are nuh; creations of God. That’s the only way to truly LOVE!
And as John so wisely reminds us in his first epistle: ‘For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that ye should LOVE one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew (murdered) his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.’ (1 John 3:11-12)
Oh friends, ofttimes that’s why we don’t LOVE people; because our deeds or intentions are evil and theirs are not. But hear these poignant and ever so true words from the end of the Valentine’s Day writing in our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
‘LOVE knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.’
Glory Hallelujah my people! Yes, LOVE will always be left standing when everything else fails! Let’s truly believe that and work it into all aspects of our lives nuh.
And we’ll end this series of messages on LOVE with the timely words of John. ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation (atonement) for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:10-11)
That’s the wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…I will remember today…that I LOVE people for themselves…not for their potential…the LOVE I receive…is given just as freely… (From the One More Day Devotional).
26 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Spiritual Living
Tags: another day in the life, atonement, Bad News, be right with God, beat pan, believer, call us home, cancer, caring, character, compassionate, demise, divine guidance, extinguished like a flame, fellow believers, for God so loved the world, friends, glory to God, gospel truth, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, I am not what I do, I am not what I have, I am not what people say about me, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, in the bosom of the Lord, irreverent ways, Jesus Christ, joy, joy comes in the morning, kindness, LOVE, memories, Montego Bay, pranks, propitiation, resting peacefully, share His love with the world, sincerity, sinners, studying, the LOVE of God, Tuesday Mantra, U.W.I, weeping, weeping endures for a night, whoever believes in him should not perish, wisdom
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Ah Friends, it’s another day in the life! Glory to God! So we had better enjoy it while we have it because it’s very fragile and can be extinguished as quickly as a flame. Apparently this happened to one of my best buddies recently.
Last Sunday evening I opened my e-mail and was greeted by one saying ‘Bad News.’ Obviously, with some anxiety, I wondered what that bad news could be. Unfortunately it informed me of the passing of my friend, and sometimes accomplice, Paul Lawrence at the University of the West Indies Hospital in Mona Jamaica. Ah Lord eh!
I had no idea that he was even sick. Apparently he was recently diagnosed with oral cancer, had surgery last week, and was recuperating nicely, then suddenly and unexpectedly passed away early Sunday morning. That’s why it’s ever so important to have our lives right with our Maker, because we never know when He’ll call us home.
Paul and I spent a lot of good times together when I attended U.W.I in Mona, many years ago. I first saw Montego Bay when he invited me to stay down there with his family. We were in the same classes, beat pan together, and generally had a good time around the campus. Those were the days!
Studying was not even an option. (smile) I remember at the end of our first year, Paul coming to me to teach him statistics! Hn! What a joke! I was certainly no better than him in that subject.
And on the day of the exam, in the big, quiet room, we just looked at each other and laughed, because the questions were way above our heads. Then, long before the official end, we just gave up our papers and walked out.
Obviously we failed that subject, but passed the make up exam a few weeks later. And on reflection, I have to assume that was through divine guidance, since we didn’t know much more than the first time. (smile)
Aye Pablo mih brother, you might be gone but certainly not forgotten. You were much LOVED for your kindness as well as your pranks and sometimes irreverent ways. I know your family is hurting through your unexpected demise, but they are strong and will always have you in their hearts. Hope you are resting peacefully in the bosom of the Lord. Bye!
Yeh Friends, Pablo is gone, and many of you who read the Bit knew him, and though we might miss him, we just have to enjoy the memories and move on with our lives until our day of departure arrives. Remember that weeping and sadness may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. (Ps.30:5)
And since it’s Tuesday morning, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with true feeling and sincerity. As one 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!’
Yes my fellow believers, above all else we are the beloved children of God, friend and brother of Jesus! That no one can take away from us. So please let’s live like it nuh. Let’s be LOVING and kind, caring and compassionate, like the Father and Jesus have been to us, as so wonderfully declared in our Bit.
‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Oh my brethren, every time I read that sentence my heart just lights up as it appreciates the awesome LOVE our Creator had, and still has for us, awful sinners that we are!
Now let’s continue looking at the particular scripture in John’s first gospel, which so eloquently speaks of that undeniable LOVE! Yesterday we ended at verse 8: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. (1 John 4:8)
We’ll pick it from there. ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.’ (I John 4:9)
And the scholars have this to say about that verse. ‘’4:9. To grasp God’s LOVE aright, one must look to how God has demonstrated it. Here John is in total harmony with Paul (Rom.5:8).’
And for our edification, (smile) Romans 5:8 says: ‘But God commendeth his LOVE (demonstrates His own LOVE) toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ Now there’s no higher way that God could have shown His awesome LOVE for us my people!
And John continues with his declaration that lends authenticity to Bruh Paul’s statement. ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he (first) LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation (atonement) for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10)
That’s the gospel truth friends! And the scholars declare: ‘4:10. No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’
More gospel truth people! Our finite human minds are too small and our standards too low, to truly comprehend God’s amazing compassion for us!
And John continues: ‘Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we LOVE one another, God dwelleth in us, and his LOVE is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.’ (1 John 4:11-13) More words of truth and wisdom friends!
And we’ll end with this explanation from the scholars. ‘4:11-13. God’s character, through His Spirit, is to shape and progressively dominate the character of the believer. The Spirit of God imparts the will to LOVE.’
Please my fellow believers, let’s allow the Holy Spirit to do it’s job in is today nuh, for that is the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…when the Holy Spirit truly works in us…it produces the LOVE of God…
P.S. Sorry about the lateness of the Bit friends, but it’s just been one of those nights. (smile) Oh, it might be even later tomorrow, because I’m going out of town tonight, and I don’t know what time I’ll actually return. But hang in there, it will eventually arrive, the Lord in favour. Much LOVE!
16 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a miracle is happening, almighty god, bare witness, blessings, blessings of grace, christ jesus, Christian advancement, come short of God's glory, compassion, die on the cross, faith in his blood, for all have sinned, for by grace you have been saved, friends, friends and neighbours, glory to God, God meets all our needs, God's grace, God-filled life, grace, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, grace for grace, Gramps Schuller, gratitude, he that cometh after me, heartfelt prayer, heartwarming, Hour of Power Devotional, I thank and praise you, I want to improve, I'm not perfecct, it is the gift of God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, justified, LOVE, maturity, mercy seat, miracle, motives of our hearts, not of yourselves, obedient to God's will, of his fullness, preferred before me, propitiation, ransom, redemption, remission of sins, righteous life, righteousness., salvation, serve you faithfully, sinners, Thank You Lord, the brilliant light, the forbearance of God, the Holy Spirit, the law was given by Moses, the SON, through faith, truth, understanding, unmerited favour, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, wisdom
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Morning Friends and neighbours! Welcome to a rainy Tuesday morning in my area, although the weather office says it’s supposed to be 25 and sunny.
Hn! Hopefully that will happen later in the day, but in the meanwhile let’s enjoy the brilliant light and blessings provided by the Son, Jesus Christ, for we know that regardless of the weather His Son is always shining. Glory to God!
And this morning we are going to start the proceedings with a simple but heartfelt prayer from the Hour of Power Devotional. This one Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) calls ‘I Want to Improve,’ something that I know we all want to do, since it’s an essential part of our ongoing Christian advancement and maturity.
Please pray with me. ‘O God, how thankful I am that you have come into my life through the Holy Spirit. I’m willing to say: “I’m not perfect, Lord! I want to improve. Show me where I can.” So, Father, I sense that a miracle is happening in my life right now. You are doing something beautiful in my heart this very moment. I thank and praise you! Amen.’
And if you sincerely prayed that prayer my people, I’m sure that the Lord is doing exactly that; making the moves necessary, setting the scene that you can improve.
I can’t resist saying it Friends: ‘What a wonderful God we serve and worship!’ If we are obedient to His will, He meets all our needs. How much more than that can we ask eh? Nothing really.
Now let’s turn to our ever intriguing and most heartwarming Bit. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’
And there is no more gospel truth that that Friends, for it is only through God’s LOVING-kindness are we able to avoid eternal separation from Him, and death and damnation with Lucifer.
And all God’s children cried out in sincere gratitude: ‘Oh thank You Lord for sending Jesus to die on the cross for us! Thank You for Your grace and mercy which we don’t deserve, but which You nonetheless bless us with! We praise and glorify Your Holy Name this morning, and pledge to serve You faithfully all the days of our lives! Amen.’
And we had better take all those prayers we’re praying this morning very seriously my brethren, for remember that God doesn’t only listen to the words of our mouth, but even more importantly, checks out the motives of our hearts. So please don’t be found wanting when He checks our motives.
Now let’s hear some scriptures that deal with grace. Oh Friends, there are so many that we can only share a few, and I believe that we might have at least one more day with this Bit. Let’s begin with this declaration of John’s.
‘John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me (ranks higher than I): for he was before me. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.’ (John 1:15-17)
Words of immortal and everlasting truth my brethren!
And here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘1:15. After me: Jesus came into this world about six months after John (for human chronology, see Luke 1:56-57). He was before me: Jesus existed in eternity, so had precedence over John in authority.’
‘1:16-17. Fullness. (cf. Col.1:19): Here the fullness looks back to verse 14, “full of grace and truth.” Grace for grace means “grace heaped on grace.” Grace is evident in the Old Testament (cf. Gen.6:8; Ex.34:6) but not in the fullness now experienced in Jesus Christ. Grace is God’s unmerited favour toward sinners for their salvation (cf. Eph.2:8-9).’
Oh Friends, can you imagine the sad and sorry state we’d be in if Almighty God, our Creator and Provider had not seen fit to bestow us with His blessings of grace. Mama Mia!
Listen to Bruh Paul explain it to the Roman church nuh: ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely (without any cost) by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (a mercy seat) through faith in his blood, to declare (demonstrate) his righteousness for the remission (passing over) of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.’ (Rom.3:23-25)
Now listen to these important explanations from the scholars. ‘3:23. For all have sinned: The human need and the divine provision are alike applied universally. Come short of the glory of God: Man can exceed his own standards but never, left to himself, can he attain to God’s standard of righteousness.’
‘3:24. Being justified (Gr. dikaioumenoi) indicates being declared righteous. It signifies the believer’s judicial standing before God. Freely: There is no just cause in man to warrant justification. By his grace: Unmerited favour is bestowed through the redemption (release on payment of ransom). Christ’s death is the ransom. The sinner is released on the basis of the ransom having been paid.’
‘3:25. Through faith: Christ’s death satisfies the Father’s righteous demands. Its benefits are appropriated only through faith in His finished work. In his blood: The emphasis is not on the blood as it coursed through Christ’s veins, but as it was shed for our sins. This is how the propitiation was accomplished.’
Ah mih breddren, I do hope that those explanations of the scholars helped us achieve a better understanding of God’s grace and all that it stands for, because it is ever so necessary if we truly want to live a God-filled and righteous life.
And we’ll end there for today. I know there’s a lot of heavy stuff involved and I surely don’t want to burden us with too much stuff to read, mark and inwardly digest at once. (smile)
Now may the Lord go with us and grant us His peace, mercy, grace, compassion, wisdom and understanding, as we go out to do His work today. Much LOVE!
…who but our great and wonderful God…would heap grace and more grace…on undeserving sinners eh…
02 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2014, anger, anger of the Lord, backfire, blessed, bow down, calamity, chosen people, Christmas Season, climb over, come up higher for Jesus, conscious actions, consequences, Controller, Creator, cry out, delivered, depravity, descend to the level, disaster, disgust, dislike, disobedience, displease God, distress, don't quit, emotional, enemies, evil, eyes of faith, faced with a mountain, faith, faith at work, find a pass through, foolish sheep, forgiveness, forgotten Jesus' promise, forsook the Lord, friends, god, gold mine, gone astray, Good Book, hatred, hearts, heavenly Father, high time, humiliate, idolatry, idols, in the sight of, Isaiah, Israel, Israelites, jealous god, Jesus Christ, joyous time, keep on striving, kindness, LOVE, manifested, manmade idols, material things, mercy, minds, negative emotions, obnoxious, of the universe, oppress, pagan gods, peace, Philistines, pleading, ponder, Possibiity Thinker's Creed, Possibility Thinking, propitiation, prosperous year, punished, resentment, rich and fertile soil, righteousness., sacrifice, sake of our children, seek first, serious effort, serious note, sinful attitudes, sinned against, sins, souls, sowing seeds, spiritual, the kingdom of God, tribulation, tunnel underneath, turned His back, vexatious policies, with God's help, work of our own hands, worship
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, can you believe it’s already the 2nd of January 2014? (smile) And I’ve made one mistake already. I put 2013 in the big heading above instead of 2014. But the ole fella’s only human, and that kind of error is usual until the new year really gets into our systems.
But my people, on a more serious note, the Christmas season is coming to an end, and I’m pleading with us, please, please, let’s not allow the kindness, mercy, peace, forgiveness and LOVE that we’ve shown throughout this joyous time to die. Let’s not allow it to turn back to the evil, the anger, the hatred, resentment and other negative emotions that we had, and exhibited before Christmas began.
It’s obvious that we can’t LOVE everybody, every minute of every day, but we definitely don’t have to descend back to the level of dislike, disgust and depravity that we were at in 2013. It’s high time we come up higher for Jesus’ sake!
And here’s a word, a reminder, re coming up higher, from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller). He calls it the Possibility Thinker’s Creed. And Possibility Thinking my Friends, is just faith at work, because as believers, we need to see the world through the eyes of faith.
So let’s remember and truly believe that: ‘When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine – with God’s help.’
Yes Friends, let’s start this blessed and prosperous year of 2014, by sowing those seeds of possibility thinking, of faith, deep into the rich and fertile soil of our hearts, souls and minds!
Now let’s turn to our very first Bit of this new year. And it’s a very serious Bit my people. ‘Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.’
Oh my brethren, Isaiah could surely have been writing about us, instead of the Israelites of old! Why? Because we too have such a multiplicity of idols in our lives these days, that it’s not funny. Remember too, the definition of an idol; anything we place before God in our lives.
And that covers a multitude of things Friends, because we seem to place all the material things of the world, as well as all its evil, obnoxious and vexatious policies before the Creator and Controller of the universe. I don’t know how many times we must be reminded that our God is a very jealous deity and wants us to bow down to no other supposed deity but Him. And surely not those that we’ve made with our own hands!
It also seems that we’ve completely and conveniently forgotten Jesus’ promise, that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that all the stuff we need, material, spiritual, emotional and whatever else, will be provided to us by our Heavenly Father! (Matt.5:24-34)
Please read that again my fellow believers, so that it can sink into our minds and spirits, and thus be manifested in our conscious actions. It’s the only way we’ll ever remove the idolatry from our lives.
And just to show how all this idolatry could backfire on us, we’ll recall one occasion from the Good Book, where the Lord turned His back on His chosen people, Israel.
‘And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth (Baals and Ashtoreths), and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served him not.
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.’ (Judg.10:6-7)
Yes Friends, the Lord allowed their enemies to humiliate them.
‘And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry (out) unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation (distress). (Judg.10:10-14)
What more is there to say my brethren? Not much. The children of Israel knowingly and wilfully abandoned, turned away from the God of their fathers to worship pagan gods and man-made idols. And the Lord, as promised, punished them severely.
Now tell me, why do you think that our individual societies, and our world in general are in such a mess eh?
It’s simple Friends; we too have turned away in droves from worshipping the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD, who created us, who LOVED us so much, that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be a propitiation, a human sacrifice for our sins.
And now, like foolish sheep, we have all gone astray, forgotten Him, and instead turned to idols of our own making. So what else can we expect but disaster and calamity eh?
Please ponder on these things today, my fellow believers, and then let’s make a strong and serious effort to overcome those sinful attitudes that we know displease our God. If we don’t want to do it for our sake, then please do it for the sake of our children and those who come after us.
Let us not allow it to be said, that our generation caused it all to fall apart. It’s not too late… if we begin RIGHT NOW! Much LOVE!
…when will we ever learn…that disobedience to God’s will…will ALWAYS bring serious consequences…