09 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: body and soul, call the sabbath a delight, Creator of the universe, death, encouragement, exodus, faith, faith in Jehovah God, fellowship, God's chosen people, God's promise, God-honouring, hear the Word, heaven, hope, Horeb, I am the Lord, in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, Isaiah, Israelites, Jesus Christ, liberating, Lord of the Sabbath, Moses, Mt. Sinai, noble, not man for the sabbath, punishment, refreshing, reverence my sanctuary, reverence the Lord, ride upon the high places, sabbth of rest, spiritual man, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, the Lord's Day, the Sabbath Day, the sabbath is a sign, the sabbath was made for man, the seventh day, the Ten Commandments, turn away thy foot, wisdom
Exodus 20:8. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
And then it was Sunday…the Sabbath Day – the Day of the Lord – a special day set aside for fellowship, to give and receive encouragement from fellow believers, wherein our faith in Jehovah God is renewed, hope is engendered, and thus the strength of our spiritual man is increased!
Yes Friends, the Sabbath Day is very important in the life of the believer. So let’s take it from the beginning nuh, from that time when the Lord handed down the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel, through Moses, at the foot of Mt. Sinai (Horeb).
And the Lord considered the Sabbath Day so important that He included it in those Ten Commandments, as stated so simply but rather directly in our Bit. ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’ A simple, but no nonsense statement my people!
And to further testify to the high esteem the Sabbath day held in God’s eyes, He went on to explain in this addendum. ‘Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.’ (Ex.20:9-12)
There can therefore be no argument about the observation of the Lord’s Day my brethren! We might argue –as we so foolishly do – as to exactly which day, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, is the seventh day, and the real Sabbath. But the undeniable fact of the matter is that whichever day we choose to celebrate it, we must seriously reverence the Lord in it.
And it’s interesting to note that as the Israelites made their pilgrimage through the wilderness, as the Lord gave Moses directions and instructions on how His chosen people were to live, the celebration of the Sabbath was raised several times. Let’s spend the rest of the Bit looking at some of them.
In Exodus 23, in the section on ‘Judgements concluded,’ Moses throws in this timely reminder. ‘Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.’ (Ex.23:12)
There you have it Friends, in black and white, from the mouth of the Lord through Moses; the Sabbath day, besides being blessed, hallowed and holy, is a day for refreshing both body and soul!
And moving right along, we come to Exodus 31, where the Sabbath is highlighted as a sign. Listen to the Good Book tell it: ‘And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you (set you apart).
Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth (profanes) it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul (person) shall be cut off (by death) from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord; whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.’ (Ex.32:12-17)
Yuh see mih breddren, the Lord’s Day was considered so important that if you breached it, death was to be the punishment!
Luckily for us though, we don’t go to those drastic lengths today, since Jesus came and declared: ‘The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.’ (Mark 2:27-28)
And the scholars explain that thus: ‘2:27-28. Jesus’ reasoning is that divine intuitions on earth are to have a God-honouring, noble, and liberating function. Sabbath laws had for some degenerated into a mockery of God’s intent. Jesus, the Son of man and Lord…of the sabbath, having power to forgive sin, can also teach rightly regarding proper observance of the Jewish Sabbath. Jesus here touches a raw nerve, as the next incident shows.’ That’s His healing of a lame man on the Sabbath day. (Mark 3:1-6)
However Friends, it still behoves us to keep the Sabbath day holy, and fellowship with each other, because that is exactly what Jesus did. Wherever He was on the Sabbath day, He made sure that He attended the synagogue to fellowship and hear the Word.
Then in Leviticus 19, re the laws of holiness and justice, this little tidbit on the Sabbath is thrown in. ‘Ye shall keep (observe) my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.’ (Lev.19:30) And the same thing is thrown in again on the chapter on Idolatry. (Lev.26:2)
Then in Deuteronomy 5, when Moses reminds them of the covenant at Mt. Sinai (Horeb), he goes through the Ten Commandments again, including: ‘Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it (keep it holy), as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.’ (Deut.5:12)
And we’ll close with a word from Isaiah on the observance of the Sabbath. ‘If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places (hills) of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.58:13-14)
Yes Friends, if we truly honour the Lord on the Sabbath, then we will surely be blessed! That’s God’s promise. And we know He never breaks them, so let’s go out and honour Him today nuh, on His special day, and keep it as holy and restful as we can. That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…if the Creator of the universe could rest from His labour for one day…why can’t His greatest creation faithfully do the same eh…
19 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afflicted, all knees shall bow, all tongues confess, antibiotics, blight, bondage in Egypr, chikungunya, death, destruction, disasters, diseases, disgraceful, disobedience, Ebola, economic fallout, enough rope to hang ourselves, ever-, Father God, firebrand, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, forgiveness, greed, homelessness, humble, hunger, in our own strength, inequities, Israel, Israelites, Jesus Christ, judgement, little children, locusts, magnanimous god, magnify the Lord, malaria, mind games, moving away from God, new creations in Jesus, our Deliverer, our esteemed Creator, outward show, oving, pestilence, polio, poverty, praise, prepare to meet thy God, prosperity, punishment, rejoice in nothing, repentance, saith the Lord, salvation, selfishness, shameful, sinful behaviour, slain with the sword, Sodom & Gomorrah, state of our hearts, stench of your camps, Sunday, super bugs, the Good Book, the kingdom of heaven, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the Lord of hosts, the Lord's Day, the name above every other name, the Promised Land, the Sabbath Day, warnings, wisdom, worship, yet you have not returned to me
Amos 4:6B. …yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
Well my Friends, brothers, sisters, neighbours, kinsfolk and strangers, it’s Sunday; the Lord’s Day, the Sabbath Day, a day we are supposed to keep holy and magnify the Lord therein!
Yes my brethren, it’s calling for the gathering of all and sundry to worship and praise our esteemed Creator, Father God, and our wonderful Deliverer, Jesus Christ, the Name above every other name, to which all knees must bow and all tongues declare that He is Lord indeed!
So today, please let the sanctuaries be full of new creations in Jesus, all avidly singing and praising the wondrous name of the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
And remember that it doesn’t really matter how many are gathered together, though it would be nice to have all creation, (smile) for Jesus promised that ‘where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) So don’t be cowed by a lack of numbers, because it’s not the outward show He’s interested in, but the true state of our hearts.
Ah mih people, our God is such a wonderful Deity that it truly amazes me when folks refuse to worship Him! And none more so than the Israelites of old. Imagine it nuh Friends, after He brought them out of dire bondage in Egypt, gave them the Promised Land and prosperity they didn’t work for or even deserve, they had the gall, the ‘boldfaceness’ to turn away from Him! Steups!
And even His punishment for their dreadful disobedience didn’t seem to faze them. As the Good Book relates: ‘I have smitten (stricken) you with blasting (blight) and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm (locusts) destroyed them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.’ (Amos 4:9)
How foolish and insensitive my brethren! And the Good Book continues: ‘I have sent among you the pestilence (a plague) after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses (along with your captive horses); and I have made the stink (stench) of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.’ (Amos 4:10)
Ah Lord eh! One would think that by then they would have gotten the message. But they obviously did not. And the Good Book continues: ‘I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.’ (Amos 4:11)
What fools mih breddren! But in reality we can’t judge the Israelites of old too harshly, because we are doing the same foolish thing in our modern society. The Lord raised us up as great nations, but then, when prosperity set in, we behaved as though we did it all in our strength. Chuh! How foolish!
And I like how Amos describes it later on. ‘Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought (over nothing), which say, Have we not taken to us horns (a symbol of strength) by our own strength.’ (Amos 6:13)
So Friends, we in this modern technological age are just as ignorant, stupid and guilty as the Israelites were in their simple agrarian days. We are hearing the same warnings my people, with all sorts of disasters suddenly raining down on us all over the globe. Old diseases which we thought we had eradicated are coming back – polio, malaria – with new ones ever on the horizon, think of Ebola and Chikungunya.
Even our super drugs, antibiotics are no longer as useful, because superbugs are developing that resist them. Poverty, hunger and homelessness are widespread in a world of plenty. Greed and selfishness predominate. Economic fallout is widespread… And everyday we’re moving further and further away from God with our overly sinful, doh-care behaviour.
Oh Friends, you don’t need me to point out the inequities, the shameful and disgraceful aspects of our society, because we are all touched and afflicted by them to some degree.
And as I contemplate our current disgusting situation, I’ve come to the conclusion that something is drastically wrong with our brains, because as children we were taught, it was drilled into us, that disobedience brought punishment. And we most certainly experienced it when we were foolish enough to disobey the authority in our lives, whether they were our parents, school teachers, the law, or even strangers!
So how now that we’re adults, when we should be wiser, we have turned against our wonderful, ever-LOVING and magnanimous God, Creator and Provider eh?
No wonder Jesus compared those fit for the kingdom of heaven to little children. ‘Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt.18:3-4)
Obviously Friends, from our proud and disgusting behaviour, it’s obvious that we’re not humbling ourselves as little children, which means that our place in heaven is somewhat dicey.
And as the Lord eventually said to His chosen people: ‘Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind (or spirit), and declareth unto man what is his (God’s) thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, the God of hosts, is his name.’ (Amos 4:12-13)
That’s a powerful warning my people! As the scholars declare: ‘4:12-13. Prepare to meet thy God warns that God is not going to visit Israel with salvation, but rather with inevitable and complete judgement.’
And unfortunately my people, He’s established the same destruction for us, if we continue in our evil, ungodly ways down the path of disobedience that we have so unwisely chosen to tread.
Please remember that He is our Creator and Controller, His thoughts and ways are much higher than ours, and He doesn’t play the silly mind games that we play. His patience is long, and He gives more than enough rope to hang ourselves. So let’s consider ourselves warned, and be wise and return to the Lord. That is the ultimate in wisdom! Much LOVE!
…continual .disobedience to God’s Law breeds only one thing…eventual punishment of death and destruction…but true repentance…oh my my… it joyfully brings forgiveness and salvation…
17 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart filled with love, almighty god, Amos, bacchanal, Carnival, chikungunya, Christmas, confidence, confines of heaven, corruption, courage, crush the needy, darkness, deadly Ebola virus, death, demon-filled, depravity, depressed, destruction, disaster, disease, disgruntled, disgusting society, dissolute, doom and gloom, Ebola, economic downfall, economic engines, executing judgement, famine, fellowship, fishhooks, flood, forgiving, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, global village, god unleash His wrath, hooks, indictment, Israel, It's all about Jesus, Jamaica, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice, joy, kine of Bashan, look on the bright side, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, LOVE, Lucifer, lush pastures, make a mockery, mas, may the Lord bless and keep us, merciful, moral perversion, negative aspect, one and only true and living deity, oppress the poor, party down the place, passes all understanding, peace, perverse, positive enablers, posterity, prayer, punishment, put Jesus first, re-offender, relaxation, relent, rest, right choices, safe from harm, sales, Samaria, Scrip-Bit family, sentence, serving, shopping, sincere hearts, splendiferous light, storm, strife, stubborn pride, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the hand of God, the weekend's here, the women of Samaria, wantonness, war, West Africa, wisdom, wives, worshipping, wrath, wreaking havoc, yet you have not returned to me, zenith of wisdom
Amos 4:6B. …yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
So Friends, it’s Friday! What do you have to say for yourselves eh?
And everybody just began rejoicing: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The weekend’s here! Work soon finish, and we going to party down the place! Getting ready for Christmas and Carnival, checking out the parang, (Venezuelan based folk music popular in T&T) and whatever else there is to check out!
Yes Friends, the Christmas scenario is already being played out in T&T, and after Christmas is obviously the epic street party termed Carnival, Mas, Bacchanal, etc. etc. Imagine that nuh, in the middle of October, we already touting Christmas!
Every year it seems to start earlier and earlier, driven by the economic engines of sales and shopping. But my people, we need to remember that it’s not all about partying, or shopping, or any of those worldly related things.
It’s all about Jesus! The One who made it all possible, from a heart exceedingly filled with LOVE for us. So let’s try to put Him FIRST nuh… FIRST in all we say and do, because He is the One who enables us to do anything at all!
Now today I want to ask us to address two serious problems in prayer; that of the deadly Ebola virus that’s wreaking havoc in West Africa and is slowly spreading to other parts of the world. It’s already in Europe and North America, so please don’t think that because we’re so far away from Africa, that we’re immune to it. The very fact of our small, global village world and the ease with which we can travel makes anything very easy to spread.
And I also want us to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Jamaica, who are apparently suffering the wrath of another virus called ‘chikungunya.’ It doesn’t seem to be as deadly as Ebola, and consequently isn’t making as many headlines, but it certainly seems to wreaking havoc in J.A.
I don’t know much about it myself, but as I e-mailed some of you a message earlier on, sent from one of our Scrip-Bit family members, a doctor down there, asking for immediate prayer, because it appears to be taking a serious toll on the Jamaican population, and prayer is ALWAYS the best, if not the only solution to our woes.
Ah mih people, every day something new on the sad and unhealthy scene is raising its ugly head! If it’s not war and strife, then it’s some other natural or even manmade disaster; disease, famine, flood, storm, economic downfall, etc, etc.
We just can’t seem to get it right these days. And why is that? Because we have moved away in foolish, stubborn pride from sincerely serving and worshipping Jehovah God, the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING DEITY; the ONE who created the world and all therein!
And then we wonder why our world is in such a damned state, one of death and destruction, where the positive enablers of peace, LOVE and joy are sadly lacking!
That brings us to the similarity of our current situation to that of Israel, its serious depravity, moral perversion and corruption which the prophet Amos spoke about. And our Bit is simply the end of several punishments that the Lord brought against Israel back then, unfortunately though, without the end He desired.
As the prophet wrote: ‘yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.’
Can you imagine it Friends? Listen to how Amos begins Chapter 4. ‘Hear this word, ye kine (cows, wives) of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters (husbands), Bring, and let us drink.
The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. And ye shall go out at the breaches (breaks in the walls), every cow at that which is before her (each one straight ahead of her); and ye shall cast them into the palace (be cast into Harmon), saith the Lord.’ (Amos 4:1-3)
Now is that the kind of thing a God should have cause to say to His chosen people? Of course not! But He certainly had occasion to say it to the depraved and corrupt Israelites back then.
And unfortunately my people, today, this very day, He’s saying the same thing to us, because we are even more depraved and dissolute than Israel was back then. We just can’t seem to get it into our foolish skulls that a lot of the disaster befalling our world today is the hand of God, executing judgement on an evil, godless, depraved and disgusting society.
Hear how the scholars explain those verses. ‘4:1-3. Ye kine of Bashan is an indictment against the women of Samaria. The “cows” of Bashan were noted for being well fed and strong because of the lush pastures of the area.
The women of Samaria lived in luxurious wantonness, enjoying their luxury because they oppressed the poor and crushed the needy. When the women of the land sink to such a low moral and degraded state, God’s judgement must fall, for the entire land is degraded.’
And that’s exactly what’s happening to day my Friends! Our land is so depraved, depressed, disgruntled, distrustful, demon-filled, perverse, corrupt, beset by such doom and gloom that the true, just and holy God we are supposed to serve, has no other choice but to unleash His wrath, His punishment on us.
Anyway my brethren, enough of that negative aspect for today, let’s look now on the positive side of the ledger. Our God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is a merciful and forgiving God, who LOVES His children dearly, and is only too glad to relent of His anger and punishment, if and when we return to sincerely worshipping and serving Him, as we’ve seen happen on several occasions with Israel.
Yes my people, that’s the answer to all our problems; get out from under the evil darkness of Lucifer, which is currently blanketing our world, and move rejoicing and refreshed into the bright and splendiferous light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
That’s why He left the cozy and comfortable confines of heaven to come to earth and die in our place. And now, if we don’t accept Him, and all that He stands for, then we’re simply making a mockery of His sacrifice, making it all a huge waste of time.
Anyway Friends, let’s hope that calmer and wiser heads will soon prevail, and we will return to worshipping and serving Almighty God with sincere hearts, because that is the zenith of wisdom!
Now let’s go home chanting our Friday Chant. Thought I’d forgotten nuh? (smile) All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now may the Good Lord bless and keep us safe from harm. May He make His face, His favour to shine upon us, and give us His extraordinary peace that passes all understanding, as well as the wisdom to make right and good choices today, as we venture forth with courage and confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us! Much LOVE!
…what’s a judge to do eh…with a proud, stubborn and foolish re-offender…but to hand down sentence…and execute punishment…
15 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man under authority, all things are possible to him that believes, almighty god, as thou hast believed, awesome power, battery operated clocks, because of your unbelief, belief, came to Jesus for help, Capernaum, cast out into outer darkness, comforting, communing with the Father, condemnation, electrical power, electricity, faith, faith can move heaven and earth, flashlight, foolishness of Isreal's rejection, from the east and west, Gentiles, gnashing of teeth, grievously tormented, hope, I am not worthy, I have not found so great faith in Israel, if thou canst believe, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ingathering of the Gentiles, Isaac and Jacob in heaven, Jesus, Jesus had all the power of God behind Him, Jesus' Second Coming, keep on believing, LOVE, loving kindness, magnanimous, magnificent, make a positive difference, Mark 9:23. Jesus, Messiah, my servant should be healed, nothing shall be impossible to you, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, outer darkness, paralyzed, prayer and fasting, preaching of the gospel, punishment, put out the garbage, realm of sickness and death, reassuring, remove hence, second death, shall sit down with Abraham, sick of the palsy, simply believe, so be it done to thee, speak the word only, that's my story, the children of the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, the Roman centurion, to go to bed late is to be up early, unexpectedness of life, warm the cockles of Jesus' heart, weeping, Wiliam Shakespeare, working out things for good, ye shall say to this mountain
Mark 9:23. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Ah mih people, the unexpectedness of life eh! That’s why we have to live and enjoy it while there’s still time. I went to bed last night, or rather this morning, at minutes to two, after being outside on my porch with Jesus, silently communing with the Father, as a gentle, latter autumn rain fell in my area.
Yes Friends, it was Jesus and I out there, for if we say He lives in us, and He is always with us, walking and talking with us, that means everywhere we go, He is there too. And that’s so comforting and reassuring!
So I get to bed at that early hour (smile) – remember Willie Shakespeare’s adage – to go to bed late is to be up early- and a couple of times I wake up to look at the clock radio on the far night table next to the Duchess’ side of the bed. But neither time could I see anything, which left me wondering why she would turn it off or unplug it.
But lo and behold, one of those times I sat up and looked around me, only to find that there was darkness all around. For a few seconds I was mystified… then it dawned on me that there was no electrical power. So obviously all the clocks that worked with electrical power were dead, and I had to grope around to find a flashlight to look at one of the battery-operated clocks.
Oh I have several clocks in my bathroom and bedroom, and all of them tell a different time. (smile) It was then around 5.30. I looked out the window, and out there everything was dark too. With no other alternative, I simply, and gladly went back to bed. What else could I do without electricity eh? (smile)
However, the ole body didn’t surface again until minutes to eight, and then I had to put out the garbage and stuff, because I heard the trucks rolling around the neighbourhood. So it’s not until minutes after eight that I’m starting to write the Bit. Now that’s my story… and I’m sticking to it! (smile)
I had some other stuff in mind to open with, but it seems the Good Lord wasn’t in favour of that, so we’ll leave it for another day. Anyway, we’ll continue with our Bit on faith and belief. ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’
Yes my brethren, through faith and belief in Almighty God, ANY and EVERYTHING is possible! Please don’t ever doubt that, because we have a God who created the universe and all therein, a God who is omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present!
That means He’s all-powerful, as well as being here, there and everywhere at the same time, working out good for those He has called and who sincerely believe in Him. Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve my fellow believers!
And it’s truly sad that more of us don’t truly believe in His awesome power and LOVING-kindness, for then our lives and world would be so much better!
And we’ll continue to check out a couple of instances where faith and belief made a substantial difference in certain people’s lives, as they came to Jesus for help. The first is about the Roman centurion.
The Good Book tells it this way: ‘And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy (paralyzed), grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant should be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.’ (Matt.8:5-13)
Yes Friends, yuh see what faith can do! It can help you move heaven and earth! And per the scholars: ‘8:5-9. The centurion (comparative to a sergeant –major’s rank today) was impressed with Jesus, whom he likened to himself as one under authority. He recognized that in dealing with the realm of sickness and death Jesus had all the power of God behind Him.’
And ‘8:10-13: The words from the east and west, are taken form Psalm 107 (with allusions also to Is.49:12; 59:19; Mal.1:11). Here Christ is referring to the ingathering of the Gentiles through the preaching of the gospel, culminating in their final gathering at the time of His Second coming.
The children of the kingdom refers to those to whom the kingdom really belongs. Outer darkness refers to the condemnation of the second death. There shall be…gnashing of teeth: There (in that place) is used emphatically to draw attention to the fact that such severe punishment is in fact reality.
Even though he was a Gentile, the servant was healed because of the faith of the centurion. The contrast to this incident drawn by Jesus emphasizes the foolishness of Israel’s rejection of Him as Messiah.’
And sadly my people, today we are still perpetuating that foolishness of Israel, by rejecting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour! How foolish eh, after all the examples and pratfalls we’ve experienced over the years?
Anyway, time and space are against us, so we’ll close with these famous remarks of Jesus to His disciples, when they could not heal the sick youth with the dumb spirit that we talked about yesterday.
‘And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible to you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt.17:20-21)
There again we have it Friends, Jesus telling us about the importance of prayer and fasting, albeit in a sincere manner. So today, as we tend to Jesus’ business, let’s go forth in faith, hope, LOVE and belief, so that we can make a positive difference in our fallen world, and thus warm the cockles of Jesus’ heart! Much LOVE!
…the first step is to simply believe…then the next one is to still believe…then to the others…just keep on believing…
16 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a loss for words, Aloha Friends and neighbours, anguish, ask for the old paths, darkness, death, deliverance, disaster, divine revelation, evil, false prophets, familiar spirits, find rest for your souls, for signs and wonders, glorify your father in heaven, good works, hidden under a bushel, history repeats itself, holy spirit, house of Jacob, hungry, Israel, jehovah god, Jeremiah, Judah's destruction, let your light so shine, life, light of the world, lord of hosts, LOVE, Lucifer, male soothsayers, mediums, priest, profane, profane the name of God, prophet Habakkuk, punishment, righteousness., run rampant, salt has lost its flavour, salt of the earth, secrets of darkness, seek God, slippery ways, speechless, spiritism, stand in the ways and see, stubborn refusal, though it tarry, traditional ways, troubled times, truth of the matter, ungodly world, wait for it, wait upon the Lord, way of the ungodly, where is the good way, wickedness, witches, wizards, Zion
Jeremiah 6:16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we shall not walk therein.
Aloha Friends and Neighbours! The ole fella is at a loss for words this Saturday morning. Can you believe that? Chuh!
Well it happens to best of us at times, but I’m sure it won’t be for long, once the Holy Spirit jumps into the breach and shows me what our great God wants to talk to us about today.
Yeh, the anointing is taking a little while to come, (smile) but come it will. As the prophet Habakkuk says, ‘though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Hab. 2:3b)
Yes Friends, the Lord will not leave me speechless for long… then look out! You might end up wishing that He had left me speechless. (smile)
Anyway my brethren, let’s get to our Bit, so hopefully I can finish it up today. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein.’
And before we go any further, listen to these comments from the scholars. ‘6:16. The people’s stubborn refusal to walk in the traditional ways of true righteousness is often mentioned by Jeremiah (12:16; 18:15; 23:12; 31:21).
Moving in their own paths and following their own way could lead only to Judah’s destruction (cf. Prov. 14:12) The contrast of the way of righteousness and life with the way of the ungodly and death is often made in the Scriptures (e.g. Ps.1; Matt.7:13-14).’
Oh Friends, I shared Jer.18:15 with you yesterday, now listen to this other scripture from Jerry that the scholars identify, which deals with the fate that awaits the false prophets.
‘For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness saith the Lord. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil (disaster) upon them, even the year of their visitation (punishment), saith the Lord.’ (Jer.23:11-12)
Oh my people, how does history ever repeat itself eh? For in these troubled times there are also many false prophets and priests who exhibit wickedness rather than righteousness and profane the Lord’s Word. Don’t worry though, eventually they will pay the price, just as the Lord promised.
But listen to this passage from Isaiah, re deliverance foreshadowed: ‘And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits (are mediums), and unto wizards that peep (whisper), and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead (hard pressed) and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves (be enraged), and curse (by) their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness (gloom) of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.’ (Is.8:17-22)
Now hear how the scholars characterize that scripture: ‘8:19-22. Familiar spirits refers to witches, and wizards refers to male soothsayers. Peep and…mutter is better rendered “chirp and whisper.” In times of distress people often turn to witchcraft instead of God.
The prophet warns them not to seek these mediums for the living to the dead, that is “Do not consult the dead on behalf of the living.” This warning speaks against spiritism and calls the reader back to the law and… the testimony as the only basis for interpreting a claim to divine revelation.’
But unfortunately my brethren, in these sad, troubled and fearful times, those who trade in the secrets of darkness are seeing a renaissance of their evil work, because more and more frightened people are going to these quacks than are turning to Jehovah God, as they should. How sad, my people.
But that’s where we believers come in. As Jesus said, we are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world; therefore it’s our job to bring true flavour and light to those who are still shrouded in darkness. (Matt.5:13-14) But are we doing as He commanded?
I daresay, not to the extent that is needed. We are falling down on the job my fellow believers, that’s why Lucifer and his evil cohorts are having such a field-day in the current world.
Jesus declared to His disciples, and therefore to us: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)
Oh Friends, today I want us to sit down and seriously and truly ponder whether we are being bright lights in a dark world, as Jesus desires. It’s imperative that we fulfill that role, otherwise Beelzebub and his evil buddies will continue to run rampant and roughshod over the earth. And that we definitely can’t allow!
So let us each consider if we’re making a serious and sincere difference in this ungodly world nuh. And if we’re not doing as well as we ought to, then let’s petition the Lord for His help in doing so. You know He will be only too glad to grant our requests in that direction.
But seriously my brethren, we definitely have to do better, if we want to win the world for Jesus. There are no ifs, ands, and buts on that score my fellow believers, that’s just the way it is; simply the truth of the matter. Much LOVE!
… Jesus asked us to be salt and light to a darkened world…but it seems our salt has lost its flavour…and our light is being hidden under a bushel…thus the empowerment of darkness in the world today…
03 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bless the Lord for His goodness, bless the Lord oh my soul, boomerangs back on us, calm, cut off from their mouths, downward spiral, egotistical, Egypt, Elementary my dear Watson, eternal life, everybody's doing their own thing, evil, faith, following Jesus, forgiveness, Francis Hutcheson, fraud, friends, God's people, godliness, gossip, grateful shout of joy, greed, hate, heaven, I shall be your God, imagination, instruction, Israelites, jealousy, Judah's rebellion, lies, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, LOVE, loving, magnanimous god, mercy, messengers, negative things, no respect to God or man, obey my voice, omnipotent god, peaceful, perils of disobedience, prophets, punishment, pursuing the best ends by the best means, salvation, slavery, stiffened their necks, strife, stubbornness, the ends justify the means, the land shall be desolate, the pursuit of heaven through Jesus, the straight and narrow path, the voice of gladness, the voice of mirth, true wisdom, truth is perished, unconditional LOVE, ungodly, voice of the bride, voice of the bridegroom, walk in the ways I have commanded you, warn, warning, went backward not forward, wisdom, you don't listen to god, you have done worse than your fathers, you shall be my people, you walk after the stubbornness of your evil heart
Jeremiah 16:12. And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination (stubbornness ) of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me.
Oh Friends, another wonderful day is in the offing…!
And all God’s people responded with a grateful shout of joy: ‘Bless the Lord oh my soul! Bless Him for His goodness and His mercy, His forgiveness, and above all for His unconditional LOVE, which enables the world to go around!’
Yes my brethren, it’s essentially the LOVE of our magnanimous and omnipotent God that keeps our world turning and our lives on a fairly reasonable keel. And today I have a rather interesting quote to share from Rev. Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746), a Scottish / Irish philosopher.
Francis is reputed to have said that: ‘Wisdom denotes the pursuing of the best ends by the best means.’
Now I find that to be gospel truth Friends! Why? Because it all indicates a high standard of whatever we’re doing. We should always use the best means to pursue the best ends. None of that foolishness that the ends justify the means, because that is exactly what is leading our world on the downward spiral on which it is currently moving.
Too many of us think that it’s okay to do anything to get what we want, and unfortunately are putting it into practice. But that’s a fool’s wisdom, my people. For whatever we do, usually boomerangs back on us at some time or other.
And that quote struck me as being oh so appropriate to our faith! Now it says that we ought to pursue the best end. And what’s the best end? Why, HEAVEN of course!
And we should pursue it by the best means. That’s obviously our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Therefore, Wisdom is the pursuit of HEAVEN through Jesus Christ! ‘Elementary, my dear Watson!’ as Sherlock Holmes would tell his sidekick.
And that’s why I can’t understand, can’t fathom or believe the shoddy, evil, egotistical and ungodly way we’re currently living our lives. Our Bit summarizes it so well. ‘And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination (stubbornness) of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me.’
Now how could there ever be wisdom in that style of life eh Friends? It’s impossible to be peaceful and calm and LOVING, when exploding all around us are mostly negative things like strife, hate, greed, jealousy, fraud, gossip and lies. This surely doesn’t sound like wisdom or godliness to me.
Now listen to the scriptures on how we are supposed to live, but instead are doing like the Israelites of old. And here Jeremiah is talking about the punishment for Judah’s rebellion. ‘But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.’ (Jer.7:23)
Oh mih people, mih people, that’s all so plain and straightforward! And after the Lord had brought them out slavery in Egypt, you’d think that they’d be ever so eager to follow His dictates. Hn!
‘But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.’ (Jer.7:24)
Ah mih breddren, that must ring a loud bell in our souls! For that’s the exact way that we are behaving today: everybody’s doing their own thing with little or no respect to God or our fellow man. No society can function properly like that for any length of time.
Now hear the Lord again: ‘Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened (stiffened) their neck: they did worse than their fathers.’ (Jer.7:25-26)
That truly sounds like our world today my brethren! The Lord has been sending, and is still sending His messengers to warn us about the perils of our disobedience, but to little or no avail.
And our God continues: ‘Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction (instruction): truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.’ (Jer.7:28)
And that Friends, is also the state of our world!
Now let’s go home with possibly the most important of our scripture verses today, namely: ‘Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.’ (Jer.7:34)
And we’re already seeing that in our streets and alleys my people. And we all know that the Israelites were taken into captivity again. Our God doesn’t joke Friends. Yes, He is patient and longsuffering, but at some time even His patience will wear out in the face of such gross disobedience as we are showing.
So what’s it to be eh my fellow believers? Shall there be the voice of mirth and gladness in our land, or shall it be desolate? That’s the trillion dollar question we must each ask ourselves, then do whatever we think is wise and right.
Remember though, we WILL pay for our misdeeds at some point, if we don’t hearken to the Word of our God. Much LOVE!
…true wisdom…is following Jesus…on the straight and narrow path…that leads to salvation and eternal life…with Him in heaven…
10 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all day long, anxious, apathetic, aura of love, babe in swaddling bands, be prepared, being destroyed, bounden duty, bow down, buffeted and bombarded, cause people to err, Christendom, church at Laodicea, cold winds, concentrate solely on Jesus, concerned about the opinions of others, confidante, confidence, conquerors, cool sea breezes, crooked, dark and threatening, deprive, desolation, destroyed, destruction, earthly choir, enthusiasm, eventually prevail, evil, evil and corrupt schemes, evil earth, evil minions, evil ungodly world, excitement, exude confidence, faith, fatherless, fearful, flee for help, further your glorious kingdom, get ready right now, gratitude, harmony, his anger is not turned away, his hand is streteched out still in justice, holy, holy spirit, humble servants, humbly ask, interest, invincible, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, justice from on high, keep that fire burning brightly in our souls, keeping lives and families together, lead and guide, Leaders, leads to heaven, leave your glory, level of excitement, lies, listless, living with and working for Jesus, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Lucifer, lukewarm, maority of the planet, meet the enemy in battle, memory, misfortune, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mortal man, mounds of snow, omnipotent god, physical circumstances, power and majesty of Jesus, prey, prisoners, promised, punishment, refereshing, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, sally forth, Second Coming of Christ, Second Coming of Jesus, selfish schemers, selflessly sacrificed, sin debt, sincere feeling, sinless life, spiritual armour, spunk, steadfast faith, straight and narrow path, suffering, surrender, tepid, the enemy's wicked taunts, the Lord's stand, the needy of justice, the slain, travesty of injustice, true friend of Jesus, unjust world, unrighteous decrees, visitation, warrior king, weary souls, widows, wiles, wisdom, Wonderful, workweek, worthwhile inroads
Isaiah 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed.
And now Friends, it’s another Monday morning, but one quite different to what I experienced and enjoyed last week. There is no open balcony, no more lush greenery overlooking a neatly coffered golf course, with cool sea breezes washing over me. Instead, it’s a closed basement, surrounded by mounds of snow, and cold winds blowing the down the avenue and the chimney.
Ah Lord eh! What a bam, bam! And though my physical circumstances have changed for the worse, my spirit has to pick up the slack and keep me moving on, keep me excited about living with and working for Jesus. Yes my brethren, that’s a big problem in Christendom, for its members are not as excited as they should be to have Jesus in their lives. Most of us are tepid, lukewarm, like Jesus said of the church at Laodicea. (Rev.3:15-16)
But after all the wonderful things He’s done, and is still doing for us, we can certainly show a little more enthusiasm than we’re currently doing. We’re too listless and apathetic, fearful and anxious, and more concerned about what others will say and do if we show too much excitement and interest in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the one who selflessly sacrificed His holy, sinless life to pay our large and abominable sin debt.
But Friends, when Jesus comes into our lives, excited is exactly how we ought to live, so that others can see, feel, and then greatly desire to catch the excitement we generate through Him. That’s the only way they will be convinced of His great importance in their lives. So this Monday morning, as the work week looms dark and threatening, let’s forget about that and concentrate solely on Jesus.
Let’s ratchet up the gratitude in our souls, and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a whole lot of spunk, harmony and sincere feeling. As one big, tuneful, earthly choir, let’s sing: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Bravo, mih breddren, Bravo! That was great! And it ought to raise our level of excitement for Jesus. So let’s endeavour to keep that fire burning brightly in our souls all day long nuh, so that we can exude confidence and also show others how refreshing and wonderful it feels to be a true friend and confidante of Jesus, for truly, there’s nothing else in the world like it.
It’s completely different to what our Bit so sadly offers. ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed.’
Oh my brethren, Jesus doesn’t lead people astray and cause them to be destroyed. But right now that statement is very, very true about our leaders, and it’s our bounden duty to help it become much less so. Our current leaders seem to be just a bunch of crooked, selfish schemers, and under their evil and corrupt schemes the majority of the planet is suffering and slowly being destroyed. That includes both human beings and nature.
But my fellow believers, hear the Lord’s stand on the situation, as He makes it known through Isaiah. ‘Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness (misfortune) which they have prescribed. To turn aside (deprive) the needy from judgement (justice), and to take away the right (what is right) from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!’ (Is.10:1-2)
Oh Friends, we all see the great travesty of injustice and oppression being played out every day in our evil, unjust world! But rest assured it will not continue for ever, for the Lord has promised its destruction.
‘And what will ye do in the day of visitation (punishment), and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? Without me they shall bow down under (among) the prisoners, and they shall fall under (among) the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still (in judgement).’ (Is.10:3-4)
Ah mih people, have no fear, for justice from on high will eventually prevail. Our omnipotent God is not going to let Lucifer and his evil minions run roughshod over His beautiful creation for very long. So please be prepared. Get ready today, right now, for we know not when that justice will be delivered. But delivered it will be, through the Second Coming of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And this time it won’t be as a babe in swaddling bands, but as a full grown, fierce and powerful warrior king, coming to claim what is rightfully His. But until He returns, we His followers need to keep His faith and memory strong by living the way He desires, and causing others to want to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour too.
So let’s get to it this Monday morning nuh! Let’s show the world the power and majesty of Jesus, by allowing His Holy Spirit that dwells within us, to lead and guide us along the straight and narrow path that leads directly to heaven. That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…to truly live for Jesus…is the most exciting thing a mortal man can do on this evil earth…
04 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admonish, admonishment, adultery, all aspects, anointed, Bathsheba, Beelzebub, bitter fruit, blameless, blaspheme, blot out, broken spirit, Bruh David, burnt offerings, circumstances, cleanse, confess, confidence, confronted by sin, contrite heart, cried out to God, death, deny sin, depressed, despise, deterrent to willful sin, disrepute, distraught, emotions, enemies of the Lord, evil, fasted, fat of rams, forefather, forgive, forgiveness, forgiving Deity, God of truth and justice, God's only Son, gracious, house of the Lord, hurt, in thy sight, iniquity, integral part, Jesus, judge, justified, kinsman, life, listen, long and short of the story, loving kindness, lustful desire, merciful, mercy, mourning, necessary adjustments, obey, pain, pleas for help, practical application, prayer for cleansing, price to pay, promise, Psalm 51, punishment, remember our God, repentance, repented, righteousness., sacrifice, scot free, seed of sin, sin, Sin does not pay, sinful traps and snares, sinned abominably, situations, Solomon, sonner the better, sordid manner, sorrow, thanks and praise, tragic liaison, transgressions, tremendous price, ungodly behaviour, unrighteousness, walk with god, wonderful god, worshipped, wrongdoing
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh mih people, the Bit will most likely be late today since I had a late night, and the body wasn’t too thrilled about getting up in the early hours of the morning. (smile) But all thanks to our great and wonderful God, we’re finally here and motoring on. Please give Him some thanks and praise for that.
And today we’ll continue with Bruh David’s story, how his life changed for the worse because of that lustful desire he couldn’t control; sleeping with Bathsheba, and the sordid manner and great lengths he went to, to have her for his own.
However Friends, one of the most important things to notice in that story is that when confronted by his sin, Bruh David admitted it. ‘And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.’ (2 Sam.12:13)
Yuh see God’s reaction to Bruh David’s admission; life… not death, as he deserved. But he wasn’t going to get away easily. For Nathan continued: ‘Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.’ (2 Sam.12:14)
So mih breddren, though Bruh David was allowed to live and continue to reign as king, he didn’t get away scot free from punishment for his ungodly behaviour. In fact he ended up paying a tremendous price. Now here are the scholars’ take on those verses.
’12:13. David genuinely grieved and repented (cf. Ps.32:5; 51:3-14) However, the seed of sin was immediately to bear bitter fruit, for the child born of the adultery became grievously ill and died (vv.15-18).
12:14. David’s sin had brought the name of God into disrepute. Such knowledge ought to serve as a deterrent to willful sin on the part of believers (cf. 1 Tim.5:14; 6:1).’
Please read those references Friends, for they are quite informative. And we all know how Bruh David fasted and prayed and cast himself upon the earth during the child’s sickness, and refused to be comforted. His people were even afraid to tell him when the child died, figuring that he would become even more depressed and distraught.
But Bruh David sees them whispering and figures out that the child has died, and when they confirm it: ‘Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required (requested), they set bread before him, and he did eat.’ (2 Sam.12:20)
Ah Friends, in all of that sorrow, Bruh David still remembered His God, and the first thing he did after cleaning up himself was to go to His house and worship Him. In our times of sorrow we ought also to remember our God.
And please note too his logic when asked by his staff about his strange behaviour; sort of mourning when the child was alive and coming out of mourning when he died.
‘And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God, will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.’ (2 Sam.12:22-23)
The long and short of the story though my people, is that SIN DOES NOT PAY!
And though we will always receive forgiveness for our repentance, the Lord will usually require, or requite some punishment for our transgressions. And usually the sooner we own up to the wrongdoing, the better. The worse thing we can ever do is deny our transgressions.
That’s the beauty of Bruh David’s walk with God; though he sinned abominably, he came clean when confronted with it, and the Lord was merciful and magnanimous enough to not take away everything from him. In fact He even gave him another child from Bathsheba, Cousin Sol (Solomon), the richest and wisest king ever to sit on Israel’s throne, and in the end Bruh David was a kinsman, forefather of God’s only Son, Jesus.
And we’ll end with some passages from one of Bruh David’s greatest psalms, Psalm 51; A prayer for cleansing, something he wrote after His tragic liaison with Bathsheba.
‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified (be found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest…. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps.51:1-4, 15-17)
Oh Friends, that’s possibly another reason why the Lord LOVED Bruh David so much and kept blessing him. He never shied away or tried to hide his hurt, his pain, his sin and whatever emotions he was feeling at a particular time. He always cried out to the God of his fathers whether in a good or bad situation with thanks and pleas for help.
And that’s how the Lord wants it with us too, my people. We need to cry out to Him with praise, thanks and pleas for help under any and all circumstances, good, bad and/or indifferent, for the Lord wants to play an integral part in all aspects of our lives.
So let’s remember that, and don’t try to hide or run from Him, but come to Him with confidence with whatever is troubling us, for He has promised to cleanse and forgive us once we confess our wrongdoing. And He is ever-faithful to keep His promises.
But please remember too that there’s usually a price to pay for wrongdoing, for though our God is a great, merciful and forgiving Deity, He is also a God of truth and justice, and disobedience must be paid for if He is to retain His righteousness, as Bruh David notes in the psalm above, (vs.4).
That brings us to the end of this promise Friends. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Let’s hope we learned from it, especially from the practical application of it in Bruh David’s life, and will make the necessary adjustments to our own lives, so that we don’t fall into the same sinful traps and snares of Beelzebub.
For that will only further complicate our lives, bring God’s Word into disrepute and cause Him to admonish us. And if there’s one thing we can certainly do without is His admonishment. Much LOVE!
…to obey is better than sacrifice…and to hearken (listen)…than the fat of rams… (1 Sam.15:22b)
26 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admonition, afraid, allergies, authtoritative statement, bastards, believe in Jesus, bet yuh bottom dollar, chasten, chastening, chastisement, children, chosen people, Christian story, commands, common cold, compilation, complimentary, consequences, contrite, corporal punishment, correction, death, deliverance of Israel, depth of learning, despise, Deuteronomy, discipline, discouraged, disobedience, displeasure, divine dispensation, divine wisdom, ever-faithful promise, exhortation, exodus, face of the earth, faint, fair share, faithful, fear not, fruit of righteousness, god, God's principle, gospel truth, habakkuk, healing, healing powers, heartfelt pleas, Hebrews, holiness, I am with you, illegitimate, Israel, Jesus, joyous, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, machinations, medication, merciful, mercy, miserable, mortal, obliterated, pleasure, Praise the Lord, profit, proven fact, Proverbs, punishment, rebuke, respect, Revelation, reverence, scourge, sons, spare the rod, spoil the child, spoiled brats, subjection, training, trustworthy, unpunished, victory ode, wages of sin, weak, wrath, wrongdoings
Psalm 38:1. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s shaking it a tad rough thus cold Tuesday morning. My allergies seem to be acting up. Let’s hope it’s just that and not a full-blown cold. Thankfully, I haven’t had one of those in a long time. However, between the man-made medicine and the enabling powers of our healing God, I’m bringing whatever it might be under control. ‘Praise the Lord!’
But isn’t it strange how a simple thing like the common cold, or allergic sniffling, sneezing and blowing can make a body feel so weak and miserable, while supposedly greater illnesses don’t have us feeling so lousy all over? Anyway, the important thing is that we try to rise above whatever ails us through God’s helpful healing powers and whatever man-made medication He directs us to.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which through the Lord’s mysterious machinations (smile) has turned into a three day affair, when it was originally planned for only one. But that’s how the Lord operates, because of His higher thoughts and ways. And if that’s how He wants his Word to be exposed, who am I, a puny mortal, to say Him nay eh? I’d eventually be crying out like the psalmist: ‘O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.’
And today, we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that deal with heartfelt pleas, healing and chastening, that we didn’t finish yesterday. First off, for the benefit of all those who didn’t take the time to check it, I’ll quote the Habakkuk verse from the scholar’s reference yesterday.
‘O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.’ (Hab.3:2)
That prayer precedes a victory ode recounting God’s deliverance of Israel during the Exodus from Egypt. But again my people, we’re reminded of the mercy the Lord needs to show us, otherwise we’d just be obliterated from the face of the earth in His anger over our numerous wrongdoings.
However, here is the Lord’s ever-faithful promise to His chosen people Israel, and to all those who subsequently believe in His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus. This is also from the scholar’s reference yesterday.
‘Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure (as is right); yet I will not leave thee wholly unpunished.’ (Jer.46:28)
Ah mih breddren, thankfully we will not be obliterated, but bet yuh bottom dollar, we will receive our fair share of punishment. Now originally I was going to quote Jer.30:11, which basically says the same thing, but I preferred the ‘Fear thou not,’ start of the quoted scripture. (smile)
And please remember Friends, that the Lord, our great, faithful and trustworthy God is ALWAYS with His people! That’s not only gospel truth, but also a proven fact!
And we’ll end with a scripture we all know, but foolishly try to run from. It is the brilliant compilation of words from Proverbs, Revelation and Deuteronomy, plus some of his own, that the author of Hebrews gives us on the subject of chastening.
And having read Hebrews, I truly don’t see how the author could be any other than Bruh Paul, for the depth of learning and huge amount of divine dispensation that it entails, and even more the language used therein, he is the only one in the Christian story that seems to have had them all.
Anyway, let’s check out this most important bit of scripture my fellow believers. Please note that wherever the passage says ‘son’ it can be also read ‘daughter’ if you’re female.
‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as children (sons), My son, despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord LOVETH He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then ye are bastards (illegitimate), and not sons.
Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence (respect): shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us, after their own pleasure (as seemed best to them); but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ (Heb.12:5-11)
Oh mih people, that says it all! It’s the authoritative statement on the subject! However, I want to add some important explanations from the scholars. (smile)
’12:6. Whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth: God’s principle of disciplining His own people is completely congruous (in accordance with) human practices. This quotation from Proverbs 3:12, stating God’s practice, corresponds to the commands gave to fathers:
“He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly)” (Prov.13:24; cf. 22:15; 23:13). LOVE and corporal punishment are not incongruous (incompatible); they are two complimentary and necessary aspects of training.’
Sadly though Friends, we as fleshly parents have seriously disregarded that godly admonition, and thus have reaped the consequences, poorly trained, disobedient children.
However, let’s just remember not to get too upset and carry on like spoiled brats whenever the Lord hauls us up on the carpet, because He WILL be merciful, if we are contrite and accepting of our punishment. And that’s definitely divine wisdom! Much LOVE!
…if you have problems with being chastened…hn!…then just remember the other option nuh…for the wages of sin is death…
26 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 1 corinthians 13, absolute truth, awesome truth, Beatitudes, believers, blessed, born again, brave, Christ's representative, Christian attitude, Christians, compassion, confess wrongdoing, divine Love, divine majesty, divine undestanding, divine wisdom, embrace Jesus, enemies, faults, fool's wisdom, forgive our debtors, forgiveness, frailities, generosity, God's grace, God's mercy, good news, good things, gospel truth, holy spirit, illness, in tune with God, Jesus Christ, kind, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, lost, merciful, mercy, offspring, poor and needy, punishment, shortcomings, show mercy, sin, sleeping in, Society of the Little Flower, spiritual strength, St. Therese, St. Thresa of Avila, the Lord's prayer, the right way, time of trouble, troubling circumstances, unfortunate masses, unregenerate men, wonder-working spirit, you reap what you sow
Matthew 5:7. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Well hello there you beautiful believers in Jesus Christ; King of Kings and Lord of Lords! How goes it this wonderful Saturday morning eh? I guess many of you are enjoying a rare morning of sleeping in, that is until your young offspring start clamouring for food and attention. All I can say there though, is better you than me yes. (smile) I went through that many moons ago.
Anyway, today I want to share a poem I got from the Between Friends Magazine published by the Friends of the Society of the Little Flower. It comes from an article written by its Director, Father Bob Colaresi. He himself was quoting a Spanish Carmelite Nun, St. Teresa of Avila. She’s different to the society’s patron Saint, St. Therese, also a Carmelite Nun, but of French origin.
It’s claimed that St. Teresa taught this poem. ‘Christ has no body but yours, No Hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.’
And that Friends, is the gospel truth, because Christ left us here on earth to do His work; to spread the good, exciting news of His gospel; the wonderful rewards of salvation and eternal life, if we embrace His Deity. It’s now our duty to go around the world, with our eyes, feet ears, hands and bodies, be His representative, and let the lost and unfortunate masses know of all that He’s accomplished on our behalf.
But again, to do Jesus’ work successfully, we need physical, mental and spiritual strength backed by divine wisdom, which can only be had by being in tune with Almighty God. Today’s Bit, another Beatitude, tells us: ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.’
And that is absolute truth in more ways than one. First of all, like Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer; ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt.6:12) If we don’t forgive we won’t be forgiven. The same goes for mercy; if we don’t show mercy to others, neither will the Lord show us any. It’s basically the universal motto of, you reap what you sow.
You cannot be neither merciful nor forgiving and yet expect to receive forgiveness and mercy. Hn! Although that seems to be the prevailing wisdom in our world today. Generally speaking, forgiveness is NOT getting the punishment we deserve, while mercy is getting the good things that we DON’T deserve.
Then we have this take from the scholars: ‘5:7. Those who are merciful…shall obtain mercy has reference to those who have been born again by the mercy of God. Because divine LOVE has been extended to them, they have the work of the Holy Spirit in them producing a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men. Jesus Himself became the ultimate example of this when He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)’
Oh Friends, I like that part about ‘a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men.’ And that’s the God-awesome truth! For mankind still can’t figure out or understand how Christians can be so merciful and forgiving when faced with serious and troubling circumstances. But it all depends on that Holy Spirit of His Divine Majesty dwelling in us, which shows us the right way.
Unfortunately, mankind will never understand the Christian attitude unless and until he wholeheartedly embraces Jesus, and consequently receives that wonder-working Spirit in his own soul. It all bolls down to, NO JESUS, NO HOLY SPIRIT, and therefore no divine understanding!
And when we talk about God’s mercy, there’s no better example in receiving it, than Bruh David. Listen to him from Psalm 41, Abuse and Assurance. ‘Blessed is he that considereth the poor (helpless, powerless): the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing (his bed of illness): thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness (restore him in his sickbed). I said, Lord be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.’ (Psalm 41:1-4)
Oh my people, two things are evident there: One must be kind and/or show mercy to the poor and needy, and secondly, one must confess one’s own wrongdoing to Jehovah God. Bruh David knew that, and tried to live that way. That’s why the Lord was so merciful to him, in spite of all his shortcomings and wrongdoings.
Unfortunately though, today, many of us figure that confessing our wrongdoings is for the birds, therefore we lose out on God’s precious grace and mercy. And sadly my people, that’s a fool’s wisdom!
Oh Friends, the Lord doesn’t expect us to be perfect, because He never made us that way. But He does expect us to be man and woman enough to own up to our faults and frailties.
Please, let’s be brave and admit our wrongs, so we can receive God’s generous grace, forgiveness and mercy. Now that’s truly divine wisdom! Much LOVE!
…O give thanks unto the Lord…for He is good…for His mercy endureth for ever… (1 Chr.16:34)
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