22 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pattern developing, a prophetic moment, always welcoming me, blame others for my failure, bounden duty, can no longer endure my shame, carry them in his bosom, compassionate heart, critical and obstinate, current tough times, curse, disunited, divisive, drive God out of our society, even my servant David, feed his flock like a shepherd, for loving me, for trusting and faithful help, forgives me so totally, frightens me, full of foolish pride, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those that are with young, God is the only one, God will never allow it, hardheaded, headed in the wrong direction, I am the good shepher, I even turn my backon you, I get fed up with myself, I keep running back to you, I lay down my life for the sheep, I mess up my days, I shall not want, I sulk n my own little corner, I the Lord will be their God, I waste time and energy, in the name of Jesus, judge harshly, negative word, no more a prey, once is an accident, onerous burdens, people I try to avoid, pride goeth before a fall, prosper, return to God's fold, screw up our lives, set up one shepherd over them, share them generously, straighten out its act, stubborn, succeed, supernatural wisdom, tasks I try to evade, thank you for accepting me, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, the gospel truth, the immortal words of Jesus, the intolerable loneliness, The Lord is my shepherd, the wise and sensible thing to do, therefore will I save my flock, three times is a habit, Thursday's Blessings, to escape your penetrating gaze, topsy-turvy weather, turn to Almighty God for help, twice is a mistake, we can turn to, when I can't have my own way, where else can I go, who else understands me
Isaiah 40:11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
What’s happening here eh friends? Is this a pattern developing? Yeh, I’m talking about the rain falling in the early morning in my area, waking up to a wet, gloomy dark morning, but then by midday, it’s become bright and sunshiny! It’s happened the past two days, today is also wet and gloomy, so who knows what will happen later eh. How did the ole people characterize stuff like that? If I remember it right; once is an accident, twice is a mistake, but three times is a blooming habit!
Chuh! I like the rain, but I can’t take this topsy turvy weather, where we not sure whether we coming or going. I wish the weather could straighten out its act, make up its mind as what it really wants to do. That is what I wish! And that’s all I have to say. (smile)
Now let’s see what Ruth Harms Calking has to say from our One Year Book of Bible Promises. And today she’s saying something I believe many of us ought to do; in fact our whole world ought to do it. The title of today’s poem is ‘I keep Running Back to You.’ Wow! How appropriate is that for our current tough times eh!
Please pray with me. ‘You know how it is with me, Lord. So often I mess up my days. I judge harshly I am critical and obstinate I waste time and energy I blame others for my failure. There are people I try to avoid And tasks I try to evade And when I can’t have my own way I sulk in my own little corner. Lord, I even turn my back on You To escape Your penetrating gaze?
Then finally I get fed up with myself. The intolerable loneliness frightens me And I can no longer endure my shame. It always happens, Lord – I keep running back to You! Where else can I go? Who else understands me so well Or forgives me so totally? Who else can save me from foolish pride? No one, Lord, but You. so thank You for accepting me For LOVING me For always welcoming me. I just can’t help it, Lord I keep running back to You!’
But that my brethren, is indeed the wise and sensible thing to do. When we get in our own way, and screw up our lives, so foolishly thinking that we know best and can do life on our own, there usually comes, or should come a prophetic moment when we realize that God, the Creator of the universe, is the ONLY ONE to whom we can turn to for trusting and faithful help.
And oh my people, how I do wish, hope and pray, that our world would see, that right now we’re in one of those prophetic times when the serious trouble we’re facing, the onerous burdens we’re bearing, can only be lightened, be solved, by running back to Almighty God from whom we have recently turned away in droves, even to the rash and foolish effort to drive him out of our society. But friends, that’s the most foolish thing we could ever think of or try to do. God WILL NEVER allow Himself to be driven out of our society!
And until we learn that immortal wisdom, we’ll just keep on spinning our wheels and going nowhere, living in abominable sin, burdened by calamity and disaster, just like we are right now. But yuh know what happens when we run back to Him, return to His fold? Hear Isaiah tell it like it truly is, in the promise from our poem: ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:11)
Yes friends, that’s what happens when we turn to Almighty God for help and succour! So why don’t we eh? And it’s not like we don’t have true examples of it. The Israelites turned back to the God of their forefathers how many times after being disobedient and rebellious, then consequently finding themselves between a rock and a hard place. And He graciously took them back. So why can’t we be wise enough to do it eh, especially when nothing else seems to be working for us?
Because we’re blooming stubborn and hard-headed, full of foolish pride, not willing to admit that we could be wrong. But remember what goeth before a fall, before destruction: pride! And right now our foolish pride is causing us to fall. Just look at how divisive and disunited our society has become nuh. We don’t agree on much of anything, so how can we expect to function successfully eh?
Friends, it’s only when a society is more united than divided can it ever hope to prosper and succeed. And believe me, we seem to be disagreeing, fighting, hating, and living ungodly more and more everyday. It’s obvious we’re headed in the wrong direction. Anyway, since we’re already late (smile) and running out of space too, let’s check out a few important scriptures on the subject.
First up are these immortal words from the prophet Ezekiel, talking about the Lord caring for His flock. ‘Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle (sheep and sheep). And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.’ (Ezek. 34:22-24)
And if you’re one of those who foolishly believe that the Old Testament writings are dead and buried, then listen to that prophecy fulfilled in the New Testament. The immortal words of Jesus. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11, 14-15) Yes friends, Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd; He laid down His life for us, and promised to protect us if we stay in His fold. But that’s a decision each individual has to make…and the sooner the better. Nuff said!
But for those of us who have already made the wise decision – being in Jesus’ fold, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Thursday Blessings, which our Saviour has so generously blessed us with, so that we can do His earthly work. All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And having declared all those good blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share them just as generously with others who need what Christ has to offer. Much LOVE!
…the Lord is my shepherd…I shall not want…that’s the gospel truth…
15 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a reflection of that bygone one, between you and your God, bring forth iniquity, compassionate heart, conceive mischief, curse, divine protection, encouraging each other, faithful brethren in Christ, fleshly desires of the evil one, friend and stranger, from henceforth and forever, get back to our roots, grace, greetings, he will not hear you, helping each other, ignorance, in the name of Jesus, know where their bread is buttered, mercy, my spirit that is upon thee, my words, negative word, neither his ear heavy, none calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth, not too late, our bounden duty, our faith in Christ assures us, our sins separate us from God, our society, out of thy seed, out of thy seed's seed, pandemic, Peace and Love, people of god, pride, prosper, receive salvation, refuse to listen, return to the Lord's fold, salutations, sent His Son to die to for us, shall not depart out of thy mouth, show the true colours of Christ, speak lies, step forward, succeed, sufferation, that it cannot hear, that it cannot save, the action of a wise society, the church of Christ, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Lord's hand is not shortened, there will be an eventual end, Thursday Blessings, to turn from our evil ways, tragedy, trust in vanity, unnecessaray deaths, unpredictable year of 2020, we will come out better and stronger, which I have put in thy mouth, while we were yet sinners, worldly passions and desires, your fingers with iniquity, your hands are defiled with blood, your iniquities have separated, your lips have spoken lies, your sins have hid his face from you
Isaiah 59:2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Greetings and salutations, with much peace and LOVE, on this wet and dreary looking Thursday autumn morn my faithful brethren in Christ! Yes, that’s somewhat of a mouthful, (smile) but it comes sincerely from the heart, as we continue this most unpredictable and unexpected year of 2020. And re one of my usual musings, we’ve already reached the midpoint of October which just began the other day. (smile)
Oh boy, although this year has been somewhat topsy-turvy, confusing and rather challenging, it has also passed rather quickly – at least in my humble opinion. That’s possibly because I’m not suffering as much as many people, who can’t find work, food nor money and are having a rather rough time of it all. Ah friends, for those of us who are having it fairly safe and comfortable, it behooves us to try and help the many who are not, who are facing unimaginable tragedy in their lives because of this seemingly unsolvable pandemic.
This is the time when the church of Christ must step up, step forward and show the true colours of our Lord and Saviour. We possibly won’t have a better opportunity than this time to show the world what Christ is really about – in action, not just in words; LOVE and caring for both friend and stranger, grace and mercy, helping each other, praying for each other, sacrificing for each other, welcoming each other, where possible, with open arms, and encouraging each other to stand strong in faith in these turbulent times that seem to have no foreseeable end in sight.
But that’s why we’re believers, our faith in Christ Jesus assures us that there will be an eventual end, and that we will come out good, even stronger on the other side; strong and more faithful than ever! And that’s what we have to try and encourage in all those with whom we come into contact – whether it’s by snail mail, e-mail, text-messaging, telephone or in person – that this Covid -19 business and the societal upheaval in general will not last forever, but if we get back to our roots, get back to the Father and Creator of all; the One who sent His Son to die for us while we were yet strangers and sinners, then our current sorry plight will definitely improve.
But until we do that, we’ll keep on having disastrous times. Hear this scripture from Isaiah on the topic of national corruption and consequent suffering nuh. ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened. That it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood (cause much bloodshed), and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity (empty words), and speak lies; they conceive mischief (trouble, evil), and bring forth iniquity.’ (Is. 59:1-4)
Yeh friends, Isaiah was telling his people that the Lord’s hand was not yet beyond the reach of salvation for their abominable sins, which He laid out in more detail in the ongoing verses of the chapter. However, at the very end of that chapter He made this promise. ‘And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever.’ (Is.20-21)
But yuh know what, even though the Almighty kept His promise, and made it so much easier for us to receive salvation through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ, we have fallen into the same well of evil in which the Israelites found themselves so long ago. Yeh, without a doubt, our current society is a reflection of that bygone one, and even worse than that, since we are purposely trying to turf God out of our society, and blatantly lording our sins and sinful behaviour over Him.
But the Lord God Jehovah is still merciful and graceful and long-suffering, and the same thing He told the Israelites way back then, is what He’s also trying to tell us now: it is not too late to turn from our evil ways, though our sins separate us from His presence. But in our proud, stubborn and know-it-all state, we refuse to listen and persist in our sinful, iniquitous ways. Remember all those times Israel departed from God and the tough circumstances they then found themselves in? Now why would it be any different with us eh?
But the wise thing about Israel is that they eventually remembered where their bread was buttered, woke up and returned to worshipping the Lord…and He took them back with opened arms and healed their land. It’s the same offer He’s making to us today my people; return to my fold and I will forgive and heal you. But no, we seem too proud and haughty, too big for our britches to admit our failure, our wrongdoing and give up our worldly passions and desires. Therefore ‘sufferation’ will continue.
And it’s not so much the Lord’s doing nuh, but mostly our own ignorance and pride. Take a look at the pandemic; the only things we have right now to lessen the slaughter are physical distancing, wearing masks and washing hands, but we refuse to adhere to those simple protocols, while we watch unnecessary deaths consequently proliferate. Is that the action of a wise society? I very much doubt it.
Anyway, enough preaching for today. (smile) People of God, let’s go home now declaring (yeahh!) our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has so magnanimously bestowed on us so that we can perform His blessed work down here on earth. All together now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts:
‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now let us go out, or stay in, whichever is safer and more practical, and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…true wisdom…following the guidance of the Holy Spirit…not the lustful, fleshly desires of the evil one…
08 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a significant discovery, as many as received Him, born of water and the Spirit, cannot enter into the kingdom of God, compassionate heart, curse, dancing a strenuous jig, except a man be born again, flowing through our mortal coils, I am the way the truth and the life, in its fearsome wake, kicked up an unholy rumpus, life is like the weather, life's contrary like the weather, loving-kindness and mercy, negative word, Nicodemus, no man comes to the Father but by me, on the cross at Calvary, prosper, refuse to bow, run some errands, russet-brown, sacrificed His sinless life, self-control, stand strong and steadfast, success, that's just the way life is, the added protection of Jesus, the bully-boy that's life, the genesis and revelation, the guide and pilot of our lives, the power to become the sons of God, the true light, the world knew him not, things of heaven, things of the world, through Jesus we can do anything, Thursday Blessings, to be just a hopping and jumping, trying to upset our applecart, unto the death of the cross, withstood the wind
John 14:6. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Aye friends, a fine, upstanding and blessed morning to you all! Yuh know, yesterday I made a significant discovery, yeah, a mind boggling one – life is like the weather. Wow! And I guess you’re wondering how I came to such a significant conclusion eh? Well here’s the genesis and revelation of it all. (smile) Remember yesterday I moaned that it was a wet and dreary day and hoped the weather would be better by afternoon because I had to go out and run some errands? Well, fortunately, by noon time the place was dry and the sun was shining brightly under clear blue skies!
That lead me to think that our lives often behave the same way, one minute we’re sad and sorrowful, for whatever reason – sometimes even for no reason at all – and then we’re back to being bright, cheerful and happy again, for whatever reason – ofttimes no reason at all. (smile) But to further complicate the situation, though the day turned bright and sunshiny, a strong wind also came along and kicked up an unholy rumpus, causing stuff to be blowing all over the place and the trees to be just a hopping and jumping in its fearsome wake. (smile)
To top it all, at one stage, I looked out into my neighbour’s backyard that has a big tree growing there, and right now it’s as luverly as it can be; the leaves are mostly a bright russet -brown with some in-between yellows and golds, and I saw the tree dancing a strenuous jig each time the wind blew. But I also noticed that not one of the leaves blew off, despite the wind’s strength and the time for leaves to fall is here. That’s because the leaves and the tree were strong and withstood the wind, boldly letting it know that they weren’t ready to fall as yet. Their time hadn’t yet come, and until it did, they would refuse to bow to it.
And I saw just how comparable our lives are to the refusal of that tree to bow to the pressure of the wind. It’s the same way that life itself and the enemy brings stuff against us, that we need to stand strong against, not simply give into because it seems stronger than us. We find ourselves in that kind of situation every single day, because that’s just the way life is, but we can only stand real strong and steadfast against the bully-boy that’s life if we have the strength and peace and LOVE of Jesus flowing through our mortal coils.
Yes friends, only when we have Jesus in us, and we are in Him, that we are strong enough to repudiate or repel anything and anyone that comes against us. And I did go out to do my errands yesterday afternoon in dry and sunny, but extremely windy weather. So as they say, two out of three wasn’t bad! (smile) And it’s the very same way that life operates; we seldom have it all smooth and calm and sunshiny, but there’s always some wrinkle or thorn or problem trying to upset our applecart.
However, the Lord made us of stern stuff, able to withstand a lot of life’s ups and downs, and when we have the added protection of Jesus and His Holy Spirit dwelling within us…oh my people, we’re then nigh invincible! That’s what Jesus brings to the table as our Lord and Saviour – the ability to fight off all that comes against us. In other words: with Jesus as the guide and pilot of our lives we can do anything because He strengthens us! Glory Hallelujah! Where else, or from whom else can we get that kinda power eh mih bredrin?
From nowhere or NO ONE else but Jesus! Because He’s the light of the world, our Redeemer, our Saviour, the ONE who sacrificed His sinless life on that old wooden cross at Calvary so that our sins could be forgiven, so that we could be reconciled to the Father and be considered righteous instead of downright sinful, like we truly are! He took ALL our sins and the punishment necessary to forgive and forget them on His back, because the Father LOVED us so much, and He LOVED the Father so much, that He obeyed Him even unto the death of the cross!
Now why would you refuse to follow such a magnificent and magnanimous Deity eh? Because we’re too proud and foolish and full of ourselves, and desire the flaky, corruptible, destructible things of the world, rather than the everlasting, incorruptible, indestructible things of heaven. Plus the fact that we need to come to Jesus, and stay with him by faith, and not by sight, which is what too many of us desire. Jesus was the LIGHT of the world!
John the apostle differentiated him from John the Baptist depicting Him thus: ‘There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He (John) was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He 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. (John 1:6-11)
What a sad tale friends. The Creator of the world came to the world He created, but that world did not know or even acknowledge him, when he made Himself known to it. Chuh! How foolish eh! Nonetheless, as John declares (yeah!) in Jesus’ LOVING-kindness and mercy: ‘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 1:12-13)
And Jesus Himself said it out loud and clear to Nicodemus: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) And when Nicodemus didn’t understand Jesus explained. ‘Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:5) So friends, it’s as simple as that: if we want to see the kingdom of God, then we have to be born again of water and the Spirit. In other words, be baptized by water and the blood and believe in Jesus.
For as He also said: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Matter fix! No ifs ands and buts about it. And for those of us who have accepted him as Lord and Saviour, let’s go home now declaring (awright) our Thursday Blessings that have been magnanimously showered down on us so we can do His awesome work.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And as Jesus desires, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and generously share those blessings, just like He generously shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…you can’t get to heaven…unless you go through Jesus…
P.S. And if you don’t believe that life can be contrary like the weather, hear this. Yesterday when I came back from running my errands, the duchess told me that my heart doctor wanted to see me this morning in his office. I had expected a simple phone call like all the other doctors are doing. But he had to be different. Chuh! Now I have to go and get myself together and go down the street. But that’s life! (smile) Much LOVE!
01 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good man showeth favour, a servant of the Lord, Absalom, as the shining light, bounden duty, calamitous times, compassionate heart, curse, dark and dubious times, divine blessing, don't have to be scared, full of compassion, give thanks, hate evil, have seen a great light, He preserveth the souls of his saints, I will fear no evil, I will not be afraid, interact with Jehovah God, it's scary, lay me down in peace and sleep, let your light so shine, light is shown in the righteous, Lord lift up, makest me dwell in safety, more than in the time, negative word, of ten thousands of people, promotion, prosper, Rejoice in the Lord, self-control, succeed, that shineth more and more, the days passing by quickly, the first day of October, the land of the shadow of the death, the light of the world, the light of your countenance, the path of the just, the penultimate day of our work week, the people that walked in darkness, the remembrance of His holiness, the salt of the earth, the shadow of death, their corn and wine increased, this too shall pass, thou art with me, thou hast put gladness in my heart, though I walk through, Thursday Blessings, thy rod and thy staff comfort me, tough people do, tough times don't last, unto the perfect day, welcome to Thursday, words of faith, ye that love the Lord
Psalm 4:7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased.
Welcome to Thursday friends, the penultimate day of our work week, and this particular one that’s the first day of October in our crazy year of 2020. And though you must be tired of hearing me say it, (smile) the days are just running by like lightning! September just started, we just celebrated Labour Day, now September done already! It’s already Thanksgiving time in Canada. I don’t know if is me alone who find that the days passing by quickly nuh, but it scary, especially in the kind of year we been having.
But the good thing about being a servant of the Lord is that though the times may be scary, we don’t have to be scared, because as we said yesterday our Lord, Creator and Guide looks after those who serve Him. ‘‘There may be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps. 4:6-8)
Yes my people, when we seriously and sincerely interact with Jehovah God, He brings gladness and joy to our hearts, and we can lie down and sleep without any problems. As Bruh David so wisely says in Psalm 3 – A prayer of confidence in God – when he fled from his son Absalom, who was fomenting discord and revolution against him. ‘But thou O Lord, art a shield for (around) me; my glory, and the lifter up of (the one who lifts up) mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps. 3:3-6)
Oh friends, what powerful words of faith!Now it’s definitely not a pleasant or easy thing when your son is trying to overthrow you, to kill you and take over your kingdom. (2 Sam. 15) But in one of Bruh David’s lowest times, he kept his faith supreme in the God of his forefathers. And what happened? The Lord pulled him through those tough times successfully, he eventually got back his kingdom from Absalom. (2 Sam. 18)
Now that’s the kind of faith we believers need to exhibit in these pressing and uncertain times. And if we do, the Lord will see us safely through them, for we all know that this too shall pass, these times can’t last forever, but the ones who will come out successfully are those who hold on tightly to the hands of the Lord God Almighty.
Yes, these are certainly dark and dubious times, but let’s look at some scripture that ought to uplift us as believers in God. The psalmist proclaims with authority: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance (for the memory) of his holiness (his holy name).’ (Ps. 97:10-12)
Now that’s the kind of thing believers ought to be doing right now; faithfully believing in the Lord, worshipping Him and rejoicing in His awesome goodness and glory! Now is the time my friends when we are expected to be more than ever the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Believers are expected to rise up when times get tough. As Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) so famously coined: ‘tough times don’t last, but tough people do!’ And we believers are expected to be tough people! And why not eh, since we have the Creator of the universe looking after us?
Hear this verse from Psalm 112 – Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord. ‘Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man showeth favour (is gracious), and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion (justice).’ (Ps. 112: 4-5) Now that’s the kind of person we’ve been called to be, especially in these hurting and calamitous times; gracious, giving, lending, LOVING, just, and all the other things that describe a true believer!
And yuh know Cousin Sol must have a word of wisdom to offer. (smile) ‘But the path of the just is as the shining light (bright light), that shineth more and more (ever brighter) unto the perfect day.’ (Prov. 4:18). Mama Yo! Trust Cousin Sol to say it like it is. Our lights are supposed to get ever brighter friends as we count down the days to Jesus’ triumphant return!
And we all know this immortal verse from Isaiah. ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2) Yes, these disturbing times seem like we’re walking in the shadow of death, but remember the light that’s Jesus is constantly shining down on us despite our tough circumstances.
But please my brethren, let’s remember these most powerful and memorable words of Bruh David from his immortal psalm – The Lord is my shepherd. ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:4) Yea, mih people, the Good Shepherd is looking after us, so there’s no need to fear! That means we can now go home declaring (ah Lord eh…) our Thursday Blessings, which God has so generously blessed us with so that we can do His work.
All together now in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And though I shouldn’t have to remind us, just to be on the safe side, I will. (smile) Now let’s go out and share those blessings with others just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…let your light so shine before men…in these calamitous times…
24 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a total revival, are drunken in the night, beat our chests, being prepared for Jesus' return, burning till the break of day, came late to the wedding feast, cause our society to implode, children of the day, cometh like a thief in the night, compassionate heart, curse, exploding from within, foolish attitudes, for a helmet, for yourselves know perfectly, get a little more oil for our lamps, get ready right now, God hath not appointed us to wrath, greed, hate, he of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, heifer dust, hogwash, jehovah god, let us not sleep, let us watch and be sober, magnanimous god, manfully crow that we're victors, more divisive and strife filled, negative emotions, negative word, of faith and love, our world, peace and safety, positive outlook, pride, prosper, putting on the breastplate, return to the sincere worshipping of, shall be caught up with them in the clouds, so shall we ever be with the Lord, succeed, sudden destruction, ten foolish virgins, the ant and the sluggard, the bridegroom, the day of the Lord, the dead in Christ shall rise, the hope of salvation, the human animal, the One True God, the ten wise virgins, the week is flying by like lightning, they that be drunken, they that sleep slepin the night, Thursday Blessings, to keep them burning, to meet the Lord in the air, to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, took extra oil for their lamps, violence, we which are alive, without any warning, ye are children of the light
1 Thessalonians 5:2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Wow! It’s already Thursday! The week is flying by like lightning! (smile) But unfortunately, our world is getting even more divisive and strife-filled with each passing day. Steups! What’s it about us eh, that we can’t simply get along? Are our pride, greed and foolish attitudes so strong as to cause our society to implode? Because that’s exactly what’s happening; we’re exploding from within! Nothing outside is affecting us, but merely the things that are within.
Chuh! The human animal, the only one supposedly with wisdom and understanding, is the only one that kills itself for no good reason, that has strife amongst its members for paltry, petty, simplistic reasons. And then we beat our chests and manfully crow that we’re victors! Hogwash! Heifer dust! If the violence and hate and all the negative emotions don’t cease soon, we’ll become extinct like so many other of God’s creations that we’ve killed off. Only difference is that instead of being made extinct by outside forces, we’ll be doing it ourselves. Hurray for the human animal that’s so full of wisdom and understanding!
And yuh know the only thing that can save us is a total revival; a complete return to the sincere worshipping of Jehovah God! Yes friends, only if we turn from our sinful ways and habits and get back to worshipping the ONE TRUE God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, will our society not undergo serious disaster and eventual destruction. And when that happens, if our souls and spirits are not wrapped up with Jesus, then crapaud smoke we pipe! We just S.O.L! As simple as that!
And I think we should continue where we left off yesterday, talking about the ant and the sluggard, and being prepared for whenever Jesus returns, possibly like a thief in the night, suddenly, without any warning. Remember what Bruh Paul said to the Thessalonians? ‘For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.’ (1 Thess. 5:2)
And what does that mean? Hear the scholars brief answer. ‘5:2. The day of the Lord is the all-encompassing term to describe the period that begins with the Great Tribulation, and includes the second coming of Christ and the millennial kingdom. The Old Testament expression is here identified with the ‘parousia’ (Second Coming) already introduced. It will begin unexpectedly.’
Oh friends, there is scholarly dissension of the time period between the Rapture and the Great Tribulation, but it’s fairly sure that the Rapture will be the first stage of Jesus’ second coming. That’s where ‘the dead in Christ shall rise. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (1 Thess. 16c-18)
And the scholars offer this explanation for that last verse. ‘4:18. Comfort: The Christian’s hope of the resurrection brings solace in the face of death – in contrast to the hopelessness of the heathen.’ And isn’t that wonderful news my believing brethren? For sure! Believing in Christ Jesus gives us something to look forward to with great anticipation and expectant joy, while the unbeliever has nothing to look forward to. That alone should propel us to come to Jesus and surrender our lives and souls to Him.
But be all of that as it may, before Jesus comes again, we have much work to do and preparations to make so that we can be ready for whatever time He comes. Thus Bruh Paul continues after our Bit with this important warning. ‘For when they shall say, Peace and safety (slogans of the Roman Empire); then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail (labour pains) upon a woman with child (pregnant woman); and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all children of the light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (self-controlled). For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and LOVE; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together (encourage each other), and edify (build up) one another, even as also ye do (are doing).’ (1 Thess. 5:3-11)
Oh precious people, those are indeed comforting words! To know that believers will be saved from the wrath of God in the Great Tribulation should make us run to Christ and cling to Him for dear life! And since we know not when, not even Jesus knew, as He said to His disciples: ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.’ (Matt. 24:36) But come He will! That’s why we’re supposed to be wise and get ready, RIGHT NOW!
We need to be like the ten wise virgins who took extra oil for their lamps, just in case the bridegroom came late to the wedding feast, as he unfortunately did, and the ten foolish ones who took no extra oil were locked out of the feast. ( Matt. 25:1-13) And we certainly don’t want that happening to us, so let’s be prepared for all emergencies and get a little more oil for our lamps to keep them burning, burning till the break of day! (smile) That’s wisdom of enormous proportions!
Now let’s go home proclaiming our Thursday Blessings which our magnanimous God has so generously granted us to do His earthly work. All together, in strong voice, with sincere hearts. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And as always, the corollary to that is to now go out and share those blessings with others, as generously as God shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…watch therefore…for ye know not…at what hour…your Lord doth come… (Matt. 24:42)
10 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a strong will, adversities, after the Spirit, assurance, blessed hope, calamities, clear direction for my life, curse, fears, fulfill the lust of the flesh, glorified together, good family, heirs of God, I can do all things through Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, inner assurance of God's truth, intimacy with god, joint heirs with Christ, led by the Spirit, Most High God Jehovah, moving forward with Christ, negative word, not worthy to be compared with, on the things of the Spirit, prosper, self-control, self-discipline, set their minds on the flesh, sons of God, spiritual insight, succeed, suffer with him, the glory which shall be revealed, the Spirit of adoption, the sufferings of this present time, they that are after the flesh, Thursday Blessings, trials, walk in the Spirit, witness of the Spirit
Romans 8:18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Well Thursday has opened wet and gloomy… Let’s hope it doesn’t stay that way. But the caffeine is excellent – strong and sweet. (smile) And though life might be filled with trials and adversities, anxieties and fears, we believers are able to keep on moving forward successfully because the most powerful person in the universe, Jesus Christ, dwells within us, and we are also in Him! Wow! What a wonderful situation to be in my brethren! That’s why we say with such positivity and assurance: ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13)
That’s basic logic. If you are indwelt by the ONE to whom nothing is impossible, then you must also be a champion in life like Him! Glory be! So today, please let us not fall prey to the wiles and deceits and outright lies of the enemy as he tries to encumber our lives with more confusion than we already have. Let’s remember who we are; children of the Most High God Jehovah, believers in Christ Jesus, who ought to be living a Spirit filled life. As Bruh Paul said to the church at Rome: ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:1)
Yes friends, as believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Christ, we ought to listen to Him and follow His direction, because He is our guide, comforter and general advisor. And Bruh Paul continues: ‘For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:5) And it’s been clearly stated that believers in Christ need to live by the Spirit of Christ else they don’t belong to Him.
Hear How Bruh Paul puts it. ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ (Rom. 8:14-15) Oh my people, what beautiful, faith filled scriptures! We have not received Christ and his Spirit only to be filled with fear again, but have been made fearless children of God, through adoption.
Listen to the scholars. ‘8:15. The Spirit of adoption: The Holy Spirit places the believer as a son in God’s family. Abba (Aram for “father”): This is the intimate name used only by members of the family. It’s use here denotes the intimacy of the believer’s relation to God.’ Now isn’t that a most magnificent and desirous position to be in? Certainly! How can one not desire to be in an intimate relationship with Almighty God – Creator and sustainer of ALL – and be able to go to Him with father-like intimacy, just like we can go to our earthly fathers? That’s definitely not wisdom!
So Bruh Paul relates: ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.’ (Rom. 8:16-18)
Mama Mia! Yuh hear that mih people? If we suffer for and with Christ, we’ll also be glorified with him! And what we suffering down here on earth today can’t be compared with the glory of life with Christ when His kingdom rules! Glory be! So instead of pouting and complaining about the sufferings down here, we should be concentrating on the joys and pleasures that we will receive later on when we’re glorified with Christ!
But let’s hear what the scholars have to say: ‘8:16. The witness of the Spirit is the inner assurance of God’s truth. One of the conditions of this inner conviction concerning the things of God is obedience to His known will (John 7:17). God uses this ministry of the Holy Spirit to convince us of truth that cannot be understood other than through divine help (Matt. 16:17).
Illustration: This witness was obvious in Peter’s confession of Christ (Matt. 16:16-17) Even though others had observed Christ and drawn certain erroneous conclusions, Peter received spiritual insight from God as to who Jesus really was (Matt. 16:17). This enlightenment did not mean he had nothing more to learn, because perhaps within minutes of his confession, he was being rebuked by Jesus for his lack of spiritual insight – (Get thee behind me Satan) (Matt. 16:23)
Application: Christians should be careful always to obey the clearly revealed will of God, so as not to hinder this ministry in their lives. (first ref. Matt. 16:17; Primary Ref. Rom. 8:16, cf. Heb. 6:1-2).’
‘8:17. Joint-heirs with Christ: All believers share all of the inheritance together. They also have the promise of glorification if their lives are lived devotedly and sacrificially unto the Lord.’ Yeh friends, just like the inheritance business works down here on earth, so it going to work in Christ’s kingdom…if we live obedient to God. ‘8:18. The sufferings of this present time: See 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. The glory which shall be revealed: The blessed hope of the Christian looks ahead with anticipation to this great moment. See also 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18; Titus 2:13.’
It’s all about anticipation precious people, about belief, about faith! And I wanted to share some of those scriptures, but we just don’t have the time or space…maybe tomorrow, if the Lord wills. But if you can, please peruse some of them, they are all very relevant to our Christian life. Now let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been magnanimously bestowed on us to help us in our earthly ministry.
All together now, in strong, sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And having confessed all those wonderful blessings, let’s get to sharing them just as magnanimously nuh! Much LOVE!
…walk in the Spirit…so we don’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh…
03 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, age of no work, catapulting by, curse, experiencing His power, experiencing the resurrected life, for the prize, forgetting those things behind, get going, I press toward the mark, in christ Jesus, joyful personal satisfaction, lazy river days, leisurely time, let your requests be made known, meander slowly, negative word, no need to worry, prosper, reaching forth, rest on past laurels, shall keep your hearts and minds, share those blessings, spiritually close at hand, stops in mid air, succeed, the goal of knowing Christ, the high calling of God, the more apprehensive you become, the older you get, the peace of God, this one thing I do, thou good and faithful servant, through Christ, waning days on earth, well done, with no warning, with thanksgiving
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Welcome to Thursday friends! But can somebody please tell me, where have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday already gone eh? It was just Monday…now it’s already Thursday. Chuh! These days flying by too quickly for me yes! What happen to the times when the days would take their own sweet, leisurely time and just meander slowly on their way eh, giving you enough time to enjoy them, instead of catapulting by, like they seem to do now? I think I much prefer those lazy river days to these hurtling down like mad ones oui! (smile)
I don’t know if that’s because the older you get, the more apprehensive you become; meaning your waning days on earth begin staring you more fully in the face, and you don’t want them to go by as fast as they seem to be going. Oh, some of us are bored because we don’t have much to do in this age of no work – when you retire and it looks like your once busy world just stops in mid-air with absolutely no warning. Meanwhile, others of us have so much still left to do, that we get anxious about the fast vanishing years, wondering if we will have time to do all that we desire.
But friends, there’s really no need to worry nuh, because our wonderful God will not take us home if there were things He still wanted us to accomplish here on earth. He’s not foolish or crazy. Why spoil His own well-laid plans eh? No reason whatsoever! So my brethren, let’s stop worrying nuh, let’s stop being anxious. For as Bruh Paul warned the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)
Now there couldn’t be a more appropriate scripture for us believers in these troubled and uncertain times! As the scholars so interestingly explain: ‘4:6. Be careful for nothing means “don’t worry about anything.” The Lord’s nearness –His Second Coming and His being spiritually close at hand – (vs.5b) leads Paul to forbid his readers from worrying. This is no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern. The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in every thing, “in any matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied with thanksgiving.’
‘4:7. The peace of God is that tranquility of mind freeing the believer from fear and worry. “Peace” which passeth all understanding means (1) peace divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it; and (2) God’s peace far surpassing one’s own understanding of the problem, and his ability to cope with and solve it. Shall keep means “shall guard.” This is a military term for a sentinel standing guard duty. As Philippi was guarded by a Roman garrison, and its citizens were accustomed to seeing soldiers protecting the city, this word would be especially appreciated by the readers.’
So we’ve concluded that there’s no reason for us to worry or be anxious. But what should we do then? Bruh Paul said it the same Philippians earlier on. ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14) Yes my people, that’s what we ought to be doing; forgetting what has gone before and pressing forward with what the Lord expects of us.
The scholars explain it more fully. ‘3:13. Those things which are behind refers both to his religious credentials (vs. 5-6), now counted as “loss” (vs.7), and to his past Christian achievements and successes. In ever pursuing his goal to know Christ (vs.10), he refuses to let past guilt pull him down, or to rest on past laurels. Either could spell spiritual disaster. Those things which are before refers to his goal of knowing Christ, with all that implies: experiencing His power and participating in His suffering, becoming more like Him in death (vs.10), and experiencing the resurrected life (vs.11).’
‘3:14. The mark is the objective of verses 10 and 11 (i.e. knowing Christ). The prize is the joyful personal satisfaction of having attained it, as well as the divine commendation and reward to be granted in heaven for having reached this goal on earth. The high calling of God is the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation.’ Oh mih people, we’ve all been called to some high calling of God, and we need to work diligently towards that divine commendation and reward waiting for us in heaven! Please remember the wonderful words of greeting awaiting us at our entrance to the pearly gates: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant:’ (Matt. 25:21a)
So what are we waiting for eh? Let’s respond to the call of God in our lives, whatever area that might be! And He’s so wonderful that He’s bestowed abundant blessings on us to enable us to do His earthly work. Wow! We term them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare (awright!) them right now nuh, so that they can lift up, enthuse our spirits.
All together now, in strong and sincere voices. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And the usual corollary to that is ‘Get Going!’ Get out there, or stay at home (smile) but share those blessings as generously as the Lord has shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…oh the joy in heaven…for doing Jesus’ earthly work…
27 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abide in me and I in you, awesome truth, behavioural problems, bounden duty, clear direction for my life, compassionate heart, curse, divine protection, ego, good friends, Hades, hope of the gospel, in the name of Jesus, Jesus is our answer, Jesus is our be all and end all, LOVE, major stumbling block, negative word, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, only he can meet all of our needs, our sufficiency is of God, pandemic, pride, prosper, river of life, service for Christ, spelled it out in black and white, spinning out of control, strife, succeed, the Christian faith, the church at Corinth, the straw that broke the camel's back, Thursday Blessings, true believers wll persevere, trust through Christ, without me ye can do nothing, word pictures, words can paint such interesting pictures
John 15:5b. for without me, ye can do nothing.
It was a wet and foggy night, but surprisingly it’s turned out into a dry and sunshiny morning with a cool breeze coquettishly titillating the leaves and branches of the trees. (smile) Oh friends, words can paint such interesting pictures! Unfortunately though, too many of us are resisting the word pictures we’re painting in these troubling and turbulent times; the basic picture that Jesus is our answer, ONLY He can meet ALL of our needs… ONLY He can fix ALL of our problems, as individuals, as a nation and as a worldwide society!
Yes my people, as I keep reminding us, Jesus is our Be All and End All! It’s as simple as that! And if we want our lives to go relatively smoothly, then we must get attached to Him. He makes it abundantly clear in these momentous words: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me, ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5)
Oh mih bredrin, that’s the awesome truth, and Jesus has spelled it out in black and white for us: without Him, we can do nothing! But such is our pride and ego based on the finite knowledge and technological improvements we’ve made in our lives, that we refuse to accept the fact that Jesus is all-powerful and we can’t do anything without Him being involved in it.
But here are a couple of scriptures from Bruh Paul that reiterate Jesus’ contention. The first comes from his second letter to the church at Corinth, who were having serious behavioural problems. ‘And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;’ (2 Cor. 3:4-5)
And that’s the major stumbling block in our world today; we think too highly of ourselves and not highly enough of God. We believe that we are self-sufficient, but that’s a ghastly lie, and we’re only fooling ourselves and digging ourselves deeper into the pits of hell because of that false and oh so erroneous belief. Just look at the problems in our world today, if we were so self-sufficient and wonderful in our own strength, don’t you think we would have solved most of them by now?
But we haven’t! And we won’t without divine help! That’s just the way the cookie crumbles! And until we understand that, we’ll just keep cascading down the cataract filled river of life until we come to one too big for us to handle in our own strength. Possibly we’ve just reached it; the pandemic and strife that’s currently overtaken our world, might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
And the second scripture from Bruh Paul comes from his letter to the Colossians, where he’s talking about his service for Christ. ‘If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled (steadfast), and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.’ (Col. 1:23)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘1:23. If ye continue in the faith (or, “since you will persevere in the faith”): the Colossians future entrance in God’s heavenly presence depends on whether they remain in the Christian faith. The words “since you will persevere” indicate that they will remain loyal to Christ. Perseverance in the Christian’s faith is a test of the reality of one’s trust in Christ. This verse implies that true believers will persevere.’
And we better had persevere, if we want to see the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said that very clearly too. ‘But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt. 24:13) So yuh see friends, is two things we have to do in this life; sincerely accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, then persevere in the faith that He’s proscribed to the end. But unfortunately too many of us refuse to accept those terms, and that’s why our world is spinning out of control, and headed straight for Hades… yes, we going to call it by its nice name, (smile) though we know that down there is a place of utter confusion and torment.
Remember the saying that pride goes before a fall, well that’s exactly what’s happening to us right now, we’re falling and failing because our pride refuses to accept the fact that we’re not sufficient in our own strength to run our world, and only in Christ Jesus can we do a good job. Ah mih people, this life’s not easy, but with the help of Almighty God, it certainly can be real interesting and adventurous! And that is highlighted by the awesome blessings our wonderful God has given us to do His work down here on earth. We call them our Thursday Blessings.
So let’s shout them out loud and proud nuh: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And with such an awesome array of blessings at our fingertips, let’s go out, or even stay at home, (smile) and use them to bless others just as generously as God has blessed us. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…JESUS…ALL we ever need…
20 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comapssionate heart, a confused elderly man, a covenant with Christ, a great confession of sin, afraid and panicked, alive and kicking, another fourth part, assembled with fasting, at this particular time, confession of sin, count your blessings, curse, denying the power, divine protection, false teachers, feel good religion, getting on in age, hardened their hearts, let's rejoice, mere religion, natural disaster strikes without warning, negative word, no spiritual power, one fourth part of the day, our earthly journey, prosper, ramblings, read in the book, remember what the Lord has done, sackclothes and dust, separated themselves, success, the birds and the bees, the children of Israel, the iniquities of their fathers, the law of the Lord their God, the seed of Israel, the stork bringing life, the true meaning of life, the writings of Nehemiah, they confessed and worshipped, they stood up in their place, to survive trials, too many different opions, truth of the Word, turned away from God, years of strife
Nehemiah 9:3. And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the Lord their God.
Come on friends, it’s Thursday, so let’s rejoice! Let’s rejoice that it’s Thursday nuh! And some foolish person asks: ‘Why rejoice because it’s Thursday eh? Now if it was Friday…then I could understand the rejoicing.’ And somebody answered: ‘Fool! You rejoicing that’s it’s Thursday because you’re alive and kicking on this Thursday morning! You need to rejoice everyday that yuh alive! And furthermore, if you don’t rejoice today, Thursday, who knows if you’re going to be around to see Friday so you could rejoice then eh?’
Ah mih people, yuh know what I’ve discovered? That the older you get, the more you become interested in life, that’s real life, not the ‘flittery’, glittery, insubstantial thing the world terms life. But stuff like the true meaning of life, why were we put here on this planet at this particular time, and not some other time? Why nature could be so wonderful at one moment then natural disaster strikes without warning?
What is mankind really about, why the old people told us about the birds and bees, or the stork bringing life? What happens before and after our earthly journey? Why does strife seem to be an essential part of our evolution? There’s been possibly more years of strife in our world than those of relative peace. I heard somebody say once that the only years when there wasn’t strife on earth was the thirty three years that Christ lived here. Now isn’t that remarkable, if it’s really true?
And by now some of you must be wondering where I’m going with all this? Well the truth is, I don’t know! For all I know, they might just be the ramblings of a confused elderly man. Please note that I didn’t say old, but elderly. (smile) That’s because I don’t consider myself old, just getting on in age…
Oh praise the Lord! I believe I was just shown where I was going with all of that rambling. To the writings of Nehemiah after they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and listened to the law of the Lord being read to them and were so taken with it, that they fasted and repented. Hn!
The Good Book puts it thus: ‘Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them (dust on their heads). And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers (foreigners), and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the Lord their God.’ (Neh. 9:1-3)
Yeh friends, as the scholars explain: ‘9:3. One fourth part of the day was three daylight hours, when God’s Word was read publicly, following which the people joined in a great confession of sin led by the Levites (vs. 5-37).’ Oh my people, what a marvellous day that was in old Israel: reading God’s Word publicly for three hours then confessing their sin publicly for another three hours and making a covenant with the Lord at the end. ‘And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.’ (Neh. 9:38)
Mama Mia! I wonder if we could have something like that in these desperate times eh? Not likely because of the current laws against such large gatherings. But it sure would serve a great and useful purpose if we could have what we use to call revivals…and do we ever need them in this difficult season! But people have hardened their hearts and are afraid, panicked by too many different opinions and supposed facts which don’t seem to add up. And above all, we have turned away from the God of our forefathers on too much of a large scale.
With God no longer in schools, public places and many homes, and with false teachers in churches teaching all sorts of nonsense, but the real truth of the Word, the reassurance and confidence needed to undergo the trials and tribulations of these times is sadly lacking in our society. Yeh mih bredrin, Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy have certainly come true in our time. Talking about the preachers he says: ‘Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:5) That’s those who have mere religion without the power, without a true spiritual life. Teaching what people want to hear, a feel-good religion without any real substance.
And yes friends, it looks much worse on us than it did on Israel back then? Why? Because many of them were just coming back from a 70-year exile in Babylon and had never heard the word of Moses read, so it was completely new to them. But we already have a covenant; one with Jesus Christ, and a better one then they had, but we have chosen to break it, to forsake the benefits it offers because we refuse to do the obedience it calls for.
And the truth of the matter is all the people of Israel did that day was to remember the good and wonderful things that the Lord did for their forefathers and give Him thanks and praise for not destroying them completely. This verse says it all. ‘Nevertheless for thy great mercies sake (in thy great mercy) thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.’ (Neh. 9:31)
Now many of us have experienced God’s mercies and goodness throughout our lives, but when the hard times come, we forget what He’s already done for us. That’s foolish my people. That’s when we ought to remember how He’s brought us through all the storms and trials and be reassured that if He’s done it before, He can and will do it again. Now I don’t know if sackcloth and ashes or dust are necessary, but I’m sure that fasting and sincere repentance and remembrance of God’s forgotten mercies would help us get through these pandemic and strife-filled times. Why don’t we try them eh? We’d be surprised at their efficacy. (smile)
Now let’s go home sincerely declaring (steups!) our Thursday Blessings that have been generously bestowed on us to do the Lord’s work down here on earth. All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
What we waiting for then eh? Let’s go out and share those blessings just as generously with others, as Jesus desires! Much LOVE!
…to survive trials…count your blessings…remember what the Lord has done…
13 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a battlefield, a compassionate heart, all things are possible with Jesus, behind the eight ball, but the flesh is weak, change your attitude, Christian, clear direction, comparing ourselves to others, curse, divine protection, down to brass tacks, evil desires, faith, favour, fleshly, good health, I am carnal, lest ye enter into temptation, LOVE, magnanimous god, mea culpa, negative attitudes, negative word, over who we become, P.S. I Love You, promotion, prosper, sin, sin that dwells in me, sinful pursuits, succeed, the battle with sin, the battlefield of life, the chicken or the egg story, the evil I don't want to do, the flesh thwarts the Spirit, the good I want to do, the law is spiritual, the spirit frustrates the flesh, the spirit truly is ready, the struggle of two natures, Thursday Blessings, to change everything, total control, ungodly society, unhappiness, watch ye and pray, wisdom
Mark 14:38. Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
And then it was Thursday… a beautiful Thursday by the way! And we way way behind the eight ball because of my late bedding down and thus late rising, but also due to a couple of chores I had to do before getting down to brass tacks. And that’s my mea-culpa. (smile)
Today I have a couple of gems for us from our ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. Long time I haven’t shared anything from that. Some of you might not even know about. It’s just a cardboard poster with that title my young daughter gave me some years ago with some useful life quotes on it. And the first gem says: ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’ Quite true that! And the second tells us: ‘We can’t do much about our appearance, but we have total control over the kind of person we become.’
In these modern times of advanced medicine and technology, the first part is not so true anymore, because through those avenues we can now change our appearance a whole lot, but the second half is still and will always be true! Changing our appearance doesn’t mean a blooming thing if the kind of person we are doesn’t improve with it. In the long run, who we are, not what we look like, will always be the deciding factor in the outcome of our lives. And since I’m so sweet and generous, here’s a langniappe, a brawtha, something extra thrown in for good measure. (smile)
‘To change everything, simply change your attitude.’ Wow! What wisdom and truth my bredrin! And do a whole lot of us ever need to change our surly, stupid, selfish, greedy, angry, resentful, hateful, gossipy, unforgiving, jealous, envious, ungodly, unkind, UNLOVING attitudes! Yes friends, all those negative attitudes are taking a severe toll on our individual lives and consequently are then flowing into our society, making it the negative, ungodly society it’s become.
Some of you might choose to argue that the society itself first had the negative attitudes and we as individuals then adopted them. But that’s like the chicken and the egg story, about which came first. It doesn’t matter who or what infected the other, it just matters that we’ve been infected, and must first begin with individual change if we want to right the situation. And how do we accomplish those changes? I just came upon some very interesting words of Jesus, that memorable night in the Garden of Gethsemane.
When the disciples couldn’t stay awake, He said to Peter. ‘Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:37-38) And is that ever so true friends! The Spirit of God that dwells within us is ever ready to help us set our lives aright, but the weak flesh that we naturally possess, that desires the ungodly things of the world puts up a pretty good fight against it. And if we aren’t careful, and prayerful, it’s so easy to fall into temptation and thus destroy the godly character we’re trying to build.
Bruh Paul calls it the struggle of two natures. As he explains in Romans 7: ‘For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal (fleshly), sold under sin. For that which I do I allow (understand) not: for what I would (want to do), that I do not; but what I hate, that I do. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto (agree with) the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would (want to do) I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.’ (Rom. 7:14-19)
Yeh friends, even the great Bruh Paul struggled with his flesh; the desire to do good, but doing evil instead. And because of that, he’s also a great example, showing us ‘the problems that all believers experience in their battle with sin.’ Yes my people, our flesh; our minds, bodies and souls through the ongoing efforts of the enemy, are often dominated by sin and sinful pursuits. And Bruh Paul said it this way to the Galatians. ‘For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.’ (Gal. 5:17) And that’s the gospel truth fellow saints!
As the scholars explain. ‘ 5:17. One’s sinful human nature (flesh) and the Holy Spirit lusteth against one another, that is, they have desires and yearnings that are contrary to one another. The Christian, then, is a battlefield, having desires to do good and evil. The outcome is that ye cannot do the things that ye would: the flesh seeks to thwart the Spirit, who, in turn, attempts to frustrate the flesh’s evil desires.’
Oh, it’s definitely not easy my people! But let’s remember that with Jesus running our lives, we can do anything, for ALL things are possible with Him! We just need to bear down, to watch and pray, to stand steadfast and strong in our faith and belief in His crowning glory, and remember that through His death on the cross, and His resurrection, the victory’s already been won, we just have to walk it out now. And we do that by diligently and efficiently using the generous blessings bestowed on us to do Christ’s work. We call them our Thursday Blessings.
And since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken, let’s declare (yeahhh!) them right now over ourselves nuh. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Wow! What a magnanimous God we serve! It blows my mind every time I consider how generous and LOVING He is! So to show our sincere appreciation, let’s go out and share those blessings just as generously with others nuh, as we are meant to. Much LOVE!
…the mind…the battlefield of life…
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