30 Sep 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a complete love, be not afraid only believe, brings us closer to God, brother shall deliver up brother, children shall rise up against their parents, come down unto me, dwell in the land of Goshen, give you the good of the land of Egypt, God hath made me lord of all Egypt, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you today, it pleased Pharaoh well, it was not you that sent me hither but God, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let my muscles relax, my breath deepen, quiet my soul, renewing negative family relationships, slow my thoughts, summer-like weather, tarry not, to preserve you a posterity, to save your lives by a great deliverance, victors in Christ, worldly distractions, your love brh surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Genesis 45:8a. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God:
I can’t believe it nuh, but this lazy-day Saturday, the last day of September 2023, is shaping up to be another glorious day of sunshine and fairly warm temps in my area! The nice summer-like weather just keeps rolling on in these early days of autumn! And who’s to complain eh? Nobody! Not until the other half of the situation hits us, which won’t be as nice. (smile) But chuh! Whenever that comes, we’ll handle it like the victors in Christ that we are!
Now, let’s get ourselves together and say our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Oh mih people, there’s something about that simple prayer that just reaches out and touches me every time we pray it. I guess after a hard week’s work and finally a day of peace and quiet, when we don’t have as many worldly distractions hitting on us, it just brings us closer to God, where we can truly feel His presence. But whatever the reason, it just sets a nice relaxing tone for my Saturday morning. Glory be!
And now it’s time to continue with the climax of Bruh Joseph’s story, where he finally reveals his true identity to his brothers. And after trying to ease their guilt and uneasiness by telling them: ‘And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity (remnant) in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God:’ ( Gen. 45:7-8) I don’t know how much that really eased their guilt and fear, but Bruh Joseph didn’t give them much time to think on it either. He said to them: ‘Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith my son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not (don’t delay).’ (Gen. 45:9)
Wow! We’re now beginning to see the real Bruh Joseph, where all the pent-up memories of his family are finally coming out, and his soul is being set free from any resentment and anger he had hitherto borne towards them. Renewed relationships with family can do a lot to free us my brethren, so please, as much as we can, let’s look to renewing some of our own negative family relationships nuh.
And the good sentiments just keep flowing out from Bruh Joseph’s spirit, as he tells them. ‘And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast. And there will I nourish (provide for) thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.’ (Gen. 45:10-11)
Now that’s the way family should be concerned about each other! Not the travesty or caricature that passes for familial relations nowadays, where, as Jesus so prophetically proclaimed. ‘And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.’ (Matt. 10:21)
Yes friends, such is the terrible state of the family nowadays, that’s where it exists, since, with the new-fangled lifestyle of today, families are no longer the most important group of the society, where you are nurtured and LOVED for an entire lifetime. Unfortunately, we have developed an antipathy, an antagonism or dislike for the family, just like our current antipathy to God. Heaven help us yes!
Anyway, Bruh Joseph in a display of true family relations, continues to his brothers. ‘And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.’ (Gen. 45:12-15)
Oh, how beautiful reunions can be, especially those amongst family! But that wasn’t the best part of the situation, for when our God showers blessings on us, He doesn’t do it stingily, or grudgingly, but lavishly, in abundance, according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. And the Bible tells it thus: ‘And the fame (report) thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade (load) your beasts, and go, get you into the land of Canaan; And take (bring) your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat (best) of the land. Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father and come. Also regard not your stuff (do not be concerned about your things); for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ (Gen. 45:16-20)
Mama oh Mama! Yes mih people, when the Lord pours out His favour on you, it’s not done piecemeal, but lavishly. Only our great God could cause a foreign, idol worshipping king to make such a generous and welcoming offer to a bunch of Hebrews who were generally an abomination to his nation! And we’ll close with this explanation from the scholars, re the land of Goshen, which Bruh Joseph promised to his brothers.
The scholars say, ‘The land of Goshen was an Egyptian region (47:6, 27) in the eastern delta area (47:11) not far from the court at Memphis. It was in the area around the Wadi Tumilat, a valley that was about 40 miles long. It was highly suitable for cattle (47:4-6), but hated by the Egyptians (46:34); thus it provided good seclusion. This isolation would provide for Israel’s distinctive cultural preservation under conditions favourable to their growth and unity.’
And who says our great God doesn’t know what He’s doing eh? Ah my fellow saints, there couldn’t be a more encouraging story in the Bible showing how the Lord prepares for and looks after His people. He set them up in a fertile, secluded part of Egypt where they could grow and become the people He desired them to be. What more can we ask of Him eh, for He does the same for each one of us who sincerely calls upon His name!
But we need to believe, as Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Jairus, whose daughter He was on the way to heal, when his family brought word that she was dead. Jesus overheard the news but said to him: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’ (Mark 5:36) And that’s exactly what we need to do in these trying and very difficult times my brethren: ‘Be not afraid, only believe!’ Much LOVE!
…for he that cometh to God…must BELIEVE that He is…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
23 Sep 2023
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: arise and go again unto the man, beginning of autumn, bring these men home, but to and not die, easing in our troubled spirits, end of summer, Go to God first for answers, God Almighty give you mercy, God is the ultimate controller of our destiny, I am bereaved, I may know you all the more, if I be bereaved of my children, if it must be so now, increase my awareness of you today, later rather than sooner, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let me bear the blame for ever, LOVE, ours is not to question why, peace and calm., peradventure it was an oversight, quiet my soul, slow my thoughts, take also your brother, these men shall dine with me at noon, we may live and not die, your love both surrounds and fills me
Genesis 43:14c. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
Oh boy! Summer is now officially finished, and it went out with a bang yesterday; beautiful sunshine with warm temps! But thank the Lord, autumn is also coming in with a bang today, this Lazy-day Saturday! For there’s glorious sunshine and warm temps in the offing. So, hopefully the change in seasons will just be an official name change, but the weather will stay like that for the next little while. Yes, we know that it’s going to change at some time, for that’s the way the Lord planned it, but we’re just hoping that it will be later rather than sooner. (smile)
But enough inane talk now, let’s turn to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And I can feel a subtle change occurring in my spirit as I pray that prayer; one of peace and calm, and a greater awareness of God’s presence. I sincerely hope that you feel that same easing in your troubled spirit as our God LOVINGLY permeates our souls in response to our prayer. And that’s the basic purpose of prayer; to grow closer to our heavenly Father. And since we’ve now increased our awareness of Him this morning, we can now turn to His awesome story of Bruh Joseph.
We’ve reached the point where the food brought from Egypt has run out, and Jacob wants them to go back down and buy more, but the sons refuse to do so unless he sends the youngest Benjamin with them, since the man (Bruh Joseph), who’s in charge of the food, specifically said that they would get in to see him unless their youngest brother was with them. And while the famine scorched the land, Jacob and his sons disputed the wisdom of sending Benjamin down to Egypt with them.
Finally, ‘Judah said unto Israel (Jacob) his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.’ (Gen. 43:8-10) Judah makes a good point, if they had not spent so much time pussyfooting and arguing about Benjamin going with them, they could already have gone down and come back and food would be plentiful.
But such are the eccentricities of men, and it ofttimes takes much hunger and suffering to bring wisdom and reason to men’s hearts. Thus it happened: ‘And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take (some) of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts (pistachios), and almonds. And take double money in your hand: and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand, peradventure it was an oversight.’ (Gen. 43:11-12).
Ah friends, Jacob’s heart must have been truly hurting for his lost sons and the possible loss of another, but his mind was functioning perfectly, as he gave his children wise advice. Then he came to the crux of the matter: ‘Take also your brother (Benjamin), and arise, go again unto the man. And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.’ (Gen. 43:13-14) Yes, Jacob realizes that food for the entire family was more important than his feelings of loss. If that’s what God desired then, so be it.
And isn’t that the way with many of us in these trying and difficult times? Our hearts are crying out for one thing, but our minds are pressing the wisdom of other stuff on us. And as we said yesterday, in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt; we’re damned if we do, and damned if we don’t. The important thing in such situations though is that we make a decision as quickly as possible, because too much wasted time only makes the consequences more severe.
And as always, the best way to make decisions is with the help of our wise and wonderful God. It’s to Him that we should always go for help…and not the last person, like so many of us do, but the first One, for He’s the ultimate controller of our destiny and thus, always knows what’s best for us. He might send us to ordinary men for help eventually, but let that be His decision, not ours.
And the saga of Bruh Joseph keeps unfurling, as the drama heightens with tension and the great unknown. (smile) The Bible tells us that after Jacob finally agrees to send Benjamin with them: ‘And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.’ (Gen. 43:15) Now can you imagine how the brothers must have been quaking in their boots, not knowing what Bruh Joseph was going to do.
But friends, the greatest dramatist, Almighty God, had everything under control, as He always does. And He further heightens the tension. His Word says: ‘And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house (his steward), Bring these men home, and slay (slaughter an animal), and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph bade (ordered); and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.’ (Gen. 43:16-17)
Glory be, mih people! And all yuh say our God is not a great dramatist! Only He could concoct such a daring and dramatic tale! Can you imagine though how those men felt, when a high-ranking official who had earlier insisted that they were spies, and adamantly refused to let their brother go, suddenly invites them to his home? And I’m sure Bruh Jospeh’s house was not some shabby shack at the side of a hill, but something very worthwhile for the second man in the prosperous land of Egypt.
But my fellow saints, that’s the way our great and omnipotent God goes about His business. He is the Creator and the Controller of the universe and all therein, and thus He has the authority and power to do as He pleases. The important thing for us the created is to know Him and do as He bids us. The whys and wherefores of the situations are not our concern. Our concern is simply to believe His awesome and faithful promises, like He will never leave nor forsake us, and will work everything out for our good eventually. And if we’re obedient and faithful to His Word, then we will fulfill the wonderful destiny He has planned for us! Much LOVE!
…ours is not to question why…but to do…and hopefully not to die…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
16 Sep 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a good attitude, a good leader must be a good follower, Ephraim, fruitfulness, gathered corn as the sand of the sea, get down to the Father's business, God hath caused me to be fruitful, grow in Christlikeness, hard knocks of life, his goodness to the children of men, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you today, it is bitter as gall, it was without number, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, left off numbering, let my muscles relax, LOVE, making forgetful, Mananaseh, Praise the Lord, quiet my soul, slow my thoughts, the earth brought forth by handfuls, the founding of the Jewish people, the goodness of the Lord's hand upon him, the land of my affliction, the presence of our heavenly Father, the seven plenteous years, the true test of faith and discipleship, the worst Christian is a comfortable Christian, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to be lorded over by a Hebrew, to give you an expected end, waiting patiently on God's timing, your peace and love are present
Genesis 41:52. For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
And it’s indeed a cool but wonderful, sunshiny lazy-day Saturday morning friends! Just right for early morning lazing around, which I have already done. (smile) Unfortunately, I can only have so much lazy time in the morning because I have to be about my Father’s work, but once that’s done, I can have as much lazy time as I desire. And with that said, let’s get down to the Father’s business, beginning with our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
As one sincere and humble voice. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Wow! And I hope like me, your thoughts have been slowed, your soul quieted, your muscles relaxed and your breath deepened, so that you can get into the presence of our heavenly Father and rest completely in Him. And all God’s people said a loud and heartfelt: ‘Praise the Lord for His goodness to the children of men!’
Now let’s get back to that amazing and intriguing saga of Bruh Joseph; a story line that only God, our omnipotent dramatist could have imagined and successfully brought to life. And yes, it seems like it’s never going to end, but it’s ever so important to the founding and the fortunes of the Jewish people. So, yesterday we left off where Bruh Joseph was promoted to Second in command of Egypt through the goodness of the Lord’s hand upon him.
The Bible then tells us: ‘And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharoah king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls (abundantly). And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and he laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered corn (grain) as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left of numbering (stopped counting): for it was without number.’ (Gen. 41:46-49)
Ah friends, you will have noticed how diligent and businesslike Bruh Joseph was from the time he entered Potiphar’s employ, all through the tough times in jail, and finally that diligence, as well as the experience in handling people, though only as a servant, now served him in very good stead as the second ruler of Egypt. As the saying goes, you can’t be a good leader, unless you are a good follower. And that is exactly why the Lord had him experience those tough times, otherwise he would not have been able to do the job the Lord had planned for him.
And according to the scholars: ‘Thutmose III gave the following charge to his newly appointed vizier (Prime Minister or Second in Command): “Look thou to this office of vizier. Be vigilant over everything that is done in it. Behold, it is the support of the entire land. Behold, as to the vizierate, behold it is not sweet at all, behold it is bitter as gall.” And I’m sure that was the very truth, for although Bruh Joseph had Pharaoh’s complete blessing, there must have been those who found it irresponsible and downright disgusting to be lorded over by a Hebrew.
And if it wasn’t his Hebrew background, then simply the fact that the citizens were being told how to handle their food and to bring their grain to the king’s storehouses. You know how we are suspicious of anything or anybody that’s involved in hoarding, especially if some of it belongs to us. But for whatever reason, the job that Bruh Joseph inherited was not an easy one. And he most definitely would not have been able to handle it if the Lord had not put him through the school of the Holy Ghost.
So my brethren, when the Lord places us in some sore spots, before He promotes us, it’s not that He wants to harm us, but more to test and grow us, so we can be ready for the destiny He’s planned for us. Therefore, it’s essential that we go through those tough times with a good attitude, waiting patiently on God’s timing, and keeping Him first place in our lives, not complaining about why such hard times have befallen us while we’re trying to live right, and getting angry at God.
Remember there’s always method to God’s madness; always a purpose behind His actions, for He doesn’t do anything willy nilly, without thinking things through right to the very end. As the prophet Jeremiah records: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) And if we claim to believe and trust in Him, then we must be prepared to wait on His timing and go through whatever lessons or hard knocks of life that He chooses to allow to come upon us. That’s the true test of faith and discipleship!
Now here’s another important aspect of Bruh Joseph’s life in Egypt. The Good Library kindly informs us: ‘And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of the famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh (Making Forgetful): For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim (Fruitfulness): For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.’ (Gen. 41:50-52) Aren’t those names and sentiments behind them just wonderful my brethren? They surely are!
And I like this commentary on that situation by the scholars. They tell us of Bruh Joseph’s two sons and what their names mean. Then say: ‘The reference to all his toil, and all my father’s house only means that the hardship brought upon him by his brothers was a thing of the past. Ephraim, meaning “Fruitful,” signified God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction. What a sweet, pleasant, and thankful spirit he showed in interpreting the events that had transpired in his life! The fulfillment of Pharaoh’s prophetic dreams set the stage for the final scene in the fulfillment of Jospeh’s own dreams.’
Mama Mia! And you won’t’ want to miss the upcoming marvellous episodes in Bruh Joseph’s story! So please tune in next time. And until then, please, let’s try and live the faithful life that Bruh Joseph lived nuh, even while undergoing trials and tribulations. Most of us are not suffering the way He did, so we should be able to show more faithfulness. Although, as they say, the worst Christian is a comfortable Christian. But let’s put the lie to that statement nuh! Much LOVE!
…without trials and tribulations…a Christian won’t grow in Christlikeness…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Sep 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bumps along the way, do not interpretations belong to God, faith walk, God will see us through, God-engineered saga, hang in there, her blossoms shot forth, his God-given role, in God's presence, in the sight of the prison keeper, increase my awareness of you today, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let my muscles relax, LOVE, loving-kindness, out of the land of the Hebrews, Pharaoh's butler and baker, Pharaoh's cup, quiet my soul, shew kindness, shewed him mercy and gave him favour, shine forth valiantly, slow my thoughts, stolen away, that which he did, the going gets tough, the Lord made it to prosper, the Lord was with Joseph, them's the breaks, think on me, threatening dark clouds, took umbrage, trusting in God's faithfulness, various parts of my anatomy, when it shall be well with thee, with a good attitude, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Genesis 39:21a. But the Lord was with Joseph,
Oh friends, unfortunately there’s no bright sun shining outside, just a mess of threatening dark clouds. But the day is still young, and who knows what can happen; the mighty sun can still win the battle against those dreary clouds and shine forth valiantly. That’s the attitude, we believers ought to have, one of constant hope and positivity.
And I guess some of you are wondering what I’m doing up so early on a lazy-day Saturday morning? Well, the truth is, by my standards, I went to bed early, and thus after a certain amount of time in bed, the various parts of my anatomy took umbrage that we were still lying there, and they began to act up negatively. And if it wasn’t for my absolute refusal to get up at such an early hour, despite the pain, we would have been up even earlier.
Brother! What a life when you can’t lie in your warm, comfortable bed for more than four hours at a time without having your aches and pains act up and drive you out of that wonderful cocoon. (smile) But as we say, them’s the breaks, we just have to grin and bear it! Anyway, enough of my griping, let’s say our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as always, that simple, heartfelt prayer touches my soul and calms me, makes me feel like I’m truly in God’s presence. Now, let’s get to that wonderful, God-engineered saga of Bruh Joseph. Yesterday we left him wrongfully cast into prison for sexual assault on his master Potiphar’s wife, but friends, when the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob writes your story, then you can be sure it’s unlike any other. So, let’s hear how the Bible reveals the story after Bruh Joseph was cast into prison.
It says: ‘But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy (LOVING-kindness), and gave him favour (caused him to be viewed with favour) in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison, and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it (it was his doing). The keeper of the prison looked not to anything (did not look into anything) that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.’ (Gen. 39:21-23)
Oh what a mighty and faithful God we serve my brethren! Yuh see, although Bruh Joseph was innocently undergoing some tough times, the Lord still made his life somewhat easier by causing him to experience the favour of those above him. And you’ll notice that in each instance, he was given power over others, so that he could learn the leadership skills he needed if he was to handle his God-given role properly.
And who says our God isn’t a great dramatist eh? He’s the greatest of the great! In fact, He is the Creator of the genre! Just look at His book, the Bible, there’s no other tome in all of history that has so much drama, from Genesis right down to Revelation, thousands of years of history, it’s filled with pure drama, drama like no man can pen! And if yuh think you’d seen drama in Bruh Joseph’s story, believe me, the best is yet to come.
The Lord writes it that Pharoah’s butler (cup-bearer) and baker offend him, and he places them in the same prison with Bruh Joseph. ‘And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward (were in custody for a while.’ (Gen. 40:4) Now the plot thickens. And the scholars explain that ‘when the captain charged Joseph with them, he gave Joseph control over administrative affairs in the prison, not merely over high-ranking prisoners (cf. 41:12).’
So, we know that Bruh Joseph was literally running the prison, while the captain of the guard merely enjoyed the title and perks that came with the position. But then, as the Lord would have it, both the butler and baker dream a dream the same night about Pharaoh. And when Bruh Joseph came in the next morning, they were totally sad and downcast. And he asked them ‘Wherefore look ye so sadly today? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.’ (Gen. 40:7-8)
Now the scholars make a significant point here, when in response to the dreams of the perplexed baker and butler, they say that ‘Joseph’s immediate response was do not interpretations belong to God?’ And they point out that God was always the immediate response of his mind and give these references to prove it. (Gen. 39:9; 41:16, 51-52; 45:8) And if you look them up, you’ll see that yes, God was always uppermost in Bruh Joseph’s mind, just like it ought to be uppermost in ours.
Now, let’s take a gander at the dreams of the butler and the baker. The butler dreamed that there was a vine before him: ‘And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes. And Pharoah’s cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: yet within three days shall Pharoah lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place (position): and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.’ (Gen. 40:10-13)
Now that was certainly good news for the butler, and after interpreting the dream, Bruh Joseph made this request of him. ‘But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.’ (Gen. 40:14:15)
And finally, we have the first recorded complaint of Bruh Joseph in all of his misfortunes. No doubt the unfair situation was eating away at his soul like a venomous cancer, but he never appears to complain about it before. How many of us would have borne such unfair misfortune so doggedly eh? Not many. We would have been up in arms crying out about the unfairness and injustice, the unfair restriction of our rights, and whatever other complaint that came to our minds.
But my fellow saints, sometimes when we’re doing God’s will and the going gets tough, He expects us to hang in there with a good attitude, trusting in His faithfulness, in His promises that he will never leave nor forsake us, and always make a way for us where there seems to be no way. That’s what it means to walk faithfully with God! Much LOVE!
…our faith walk will always have bumps and potholes along the way…but we must be trusting enough…to know that God will see us through those rough periods…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Aug 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pathway that led directly to God's presence, a simple heartfelt prayer, blessings can both be bestowed and taken away, brought up my soul from the grave, despise not the chastening of the Lord, get too big for our britches, give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness, hast not made my foes to rejoice over me, health to your navel, hear O lord and have mercy, humble and obedient, I will extol thee O Lord, I will give thanks unto thee for ever, increase my awareness of you today, joy cometh in the morning, kept me alive, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord be thou my helper, LOVE, marrow to your bones, not too proud to beg, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, quiet my soul, shall the dust praise thee, sing unto the Lord O ye saints, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, that I may know you all the more, the Lord is no respecter of persons, thous hast lifted me up, turned my mourning into dancing, weeping may endure for a night, what profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit, whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth
Psalm 30:5b. …weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
And it’s a cool and windy but sunshiny lazy-day Saturday! So there’s nothing to complain about; just oodles of time to laze around in good weather. (smile) Unfortunately though, some of us don’t have that luxury, we have to be about our Father’s business. And since my lazy time has been cut short, I’ll be selfish and take you along with me. So please accompany me as we declare (yesss!!!) our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
Altogether now. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And without fail, that simple, heartfelt prayer touched something in me, opened up a pathway, as it were, that led directly to God’s awesome presence. It’s the kind of thing that happens when you open up your heart to the Lord and pour out all that’s in it. When you pray for things like God’s unceasing nearness, His awesome LOVE and peace, and the ability to know Him more, His presence just naturally shows up and quietens our hearts. It’s like Bruh David cried out in Psalm 30 – Praise for God’s Holiness.
He unashamedly proclaims: ‘I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave (Sheol, the place of the dead): thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit (grave).’ (Ps. 30:1-3) Yes friends, it’s the Lord who keeps us and our souls alive and refreshed, and not mired in the pit of unrighteousness.
Therefore, as Bruh David continues: ‘Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness (His holy name). For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.’ (Ps. 30:4-5) And how wonderful is that eh my fellow believers? It certainly is, for there’s no other god like our God, who doesn’t retain His anger at us, or hold our sins over our heads for ever and ever. But for that very reason we have to be humble and not boast or be prideful when we receive the Lord’s favour.
As Bruh David said: ‘And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved (shaken). Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication. What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit (grave)? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord be thou my helper.’ (Ps. 30:6-10)
Ah my fellow saints, you see how quickly the Lord can take away His favour if we allow His goodness to make us become proud and haughty. Regardless of how much favour and LOVING-kindness our God pours out on us, He expects us to remain humble and obedient to His every word, not get too big for our britches and stop considering or forget where our prosperity came from.
But sadly, that’s something way too many of us do. The Lord blesses us, and we are joyful at the moment, but soon forget it, or become so accustomed to His blessings that they longer move us the way they ought to. But please remember that just as blessings can be bountifully bestowed, they can also become non-existent if our behaviour becomes inappropriate. Remember too that the Lord is no respecter of persons; be we big or small, weak or strong, our positions in life doesn’t matter. It’s all about how we react to Him and His favour.
So, apparently Bruh David got a li’l too big for his britches and the Lord removed His favour, which troubled him, and he came back crying for help, for mercy. But even that shows the kind of person Bruh David was. He wasn’t too proud to beg when he’d done wrong. But some of us are so proud and arrogant, that even when we know we’ve done wrong, be it before the Lord or our fellow man, we refuse to apologize and/or ask for mercy. We’re just so full of ourselves and our supposed importance that apologizing or asking for mercy and help are beneath us. But that’s why we suffer so many setbacks and disappointments.
Meanwhile those who drop the false pride and ask for forgiveness and help, usually receive it, because our God is a forgiving and merciful God when He sees the sincerity of our hearts. Consequently, Bruh David could afford to write: ‘Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth (the ragged clothes of my mourning), and girded me with gladness. To the end that my glory (my soul) may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.’ (Ps. 30:11-12) And that’s how it ought to be my people!
Now the scholars tell us that there’s no certainty of when and for what purpose the Psalm was written, but ‘In later Judaism the psalm was used in the celebration of Hanukkah (the Jewish festival at Christmas) and at the presentation of firstfruits. The main idea of the psalm, in any case, is clearly expressed: Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing (vs.11). The joy and thanks voiced in the final two verses, however, are only the aftermath of David’s thanks (vs. 1-5) for the Lord’s chastening hand on a boastful servant (vs. 6-10).’
Please friends, let’s remember God’s awesome truth this lazy-day Saturday. ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto 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 LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:5-6)
Now that’s a most appropriate scripture for us to end on today. So, I implore us to spend some of our lazy-day Saturday meditating, contemplating and pondering on it. ‘It shall be health to our navels (bodies), and marrow (strength or refreshment) to our bones.’ (smile) (Prov. 3:8) Much LOVE!
… as our dear departed Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) would say…the best way to live this life…is to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
05 Aug 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a father of the fatherless, a judge of widows, can't burn the candle at both ends, David danced before the Lord, deepen our intimacy with God, extol him that rideth upon the heavens, extol our great God, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you today, Jah, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let God arise, let his enemies be scattered, let the righteous be glad, let them rejoice before God, let them that hate him flee before him, LOVE, no longer a spring chicken, Pan Alive Festival, Pan Fantasy, poor planning, prepared of thy goodness for the poor, quiet my soul, reflect on God's goodness, setteth the solitary in families, sing praises to his name, sing unto God, slow my thoughts, sound system problems, the ark of the covenant, the rebellious dwell in a dry land, The Triumphant God, what a fiasco, your love both surrounds and fills me
Psalm 68:1. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
Oh friends, it’s Lazy -day Saturday…and do I ever need it, after a rough outing at the Pan Alive Festival last night in Toronto. What a fiasco that turned out to be, especially after my pardner and I got there early, about six o’clock, when it was officially scheduled to begin. The only thing on time was the box office, an improvement over last year. The doors weren’t even opened, but that was not a big problem because the crowd was still very sparse. I guess they learned from previous experience that it never starts on time.
Then at 7.15, they promised to begin at 7.30. Somewhere in the eight o’clock vicinity they opened with some Indigenous drumming, and then a Nigerian drummer did his thing. Then as happens every year, they couldn’t find the judges. The first panside didn’t play the first note until 8.30, and then it sounded terrible because they put it through the sound system which wasn’t properly set up for the pans. The whole night we were plagued with reverberations and problems with the sound system, where the pans were concerned. And nobody in the crew thought to do something about it.
So the next three bands played through it, but then the fifth band, Pan Masters, walked off the stage and they were forced to fix it. That meant the last three bands Pan Masters, Pan Fantasy, and Afro Pan sounded more like they should sound. And as far as I’m concerned, Pan Fantasy mash them up again! (smile) Ah Lord eh? When are we going to learn to plan things properly and have them set up on time? That’s why our reputation for putting on functions is so terrible.
Anyway, when they got the sound problem fixed for the pans, D.J Bad Lad began playing some old tunes and the partying in the stands truly began, with a crowd that had by then increased substantially. In the beginning I vowed that would be my last Pan Alive Concert, but by the end, at 12 am. I might have changed my mind, (smile) because the vibes are usually beautiful at the pan festival. It’s sad though, that after their boast of putting on the show for fifty something years, they still can’t get it right.
Enough of my jabbering though. Let’s get serious and invoke our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And do I ever need that refreshing of the Lord’s Spirit this Saturday morning. It just reminds me that I’m no longer a spring chicken and I can’t try to burn the candles at both ends at the same time. (smile) And today we’re just going to keep things simple and extol our great God through these marvellous words of Bruh David in Psalm 68 – subtitled – The Triumphant God.
The scholars tell us that the psalm probably details the moving of the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Obed-edom to the new location on Zion’s mountain in Jerusalem. (2 Sam. 6:2-18) That’s when Bruh David danced before the Lord with all his might; an expression of spiritual joy, although his wife Michal saw his conduct as unbecoming of the king. In the psalm Bruh David reflects on the blessings of God on His people, Israel, and the conquest of her foes.
Please proclaim with me: ‘Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. Sing unto God: sing praises to his name: extol (praise) him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, (a shortened form of Lord), and rejoice before him.’ (Ps. 68:1-4)
Yes friends, that’s how we, the righteous of the land ought to extol and praise the name of the Lord! And even when we come griping and complaining to Him, our first words must always be of praise and reverence, of respect for His overwhelming sovereignty, His dominance over the universe He so wonderfully created. In this case, after Bruh David gave thanks and praise, he then proceeded to elucidate the goodness of our magnificent Creator on His people’s behalf.
Let’s read again: ‘A father of the fatherless, and a judge (defender) of widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary (lonely) in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains (into prosperity): but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.’ (Ps. 68: 5-6) Please note that my people, our God is a defender of the poor, the downtrodden and lonely. He stands up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. So please be careful how you treat any who fall into those categories, for you will have the Lord God Almighty to deal with.
And Bruh David continues his exaltation of the works of Jehovah God on Israel’s behalf. ‘O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: The earth shook, the heavens also dropped (rain) at the presence of God: even Sinai (Mt. Sinai) itself was moved at the presence of the God, the God of Israel. Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.’ (Ps. 68:7-10)
And that’s no lie friends, the Lord always prepares of His goodness for them that fear and reverence Him. So please, on this lazy-day Saturday, let’s take a little of that lazy time and reflect on God’s goodness in our own lives nuh. I guarantee that it will open our eyes wide with surprise at the amount of goodness He has actually bestowed on us, and that will oh so joyfully deepen the beautiful feelings of intimacy we each share with Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…ALL believers enjoy the tremendous goodness of God…it’s just that we don’t acknowledge it like we should…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ask and it shall be given to you, communicate with our heavenly Father, God is more present and available in the little things, God spiritually interacting with us, God's unerring hand at work, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul, if thou shalt seek the Lord thy God thou shalt find Him, increase my awareness of you today, knock and it shall be opened unto you, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, one body of Christ, pursue unity, quiet my soul, seek and ye shall find, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, slow my thoughts, spread the good news of Christ's gospel, The Christian life is one of action, the hand of God moving in your life, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, united as one church, we seek God with our whole hearts by surrendering our lives to him, we tend to look for God in the big things, what an awesome and amazing God we serve, ye shall call upon me and pray unto me, ye shall search for me with all your heart, ye shall seek me and find me, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
And it’s a cool, cloudy morning, with rain in the offing, but it’s the perfect kind of atmosphere for a lazy-day Saturday my bredrin! Where you don’t need to do anything or go anywhere, but just relax and laze some time away in idle but not evil thinking. (smile) Hopefully though, within that lazy time, we will communicate with our heavenly Father, for although doing nothing is sometimes an option, disregarding Him, is never one!
And if there’s one thing our heavenly likes better than one on one communication is corporate worship, because it shows Him that there is unity in the body of Christ, and with the general state of the world, that most certainly warms the cockles of His heart. So, let’s communicate with Him right now through our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Oh my people, that prayer never ceases to touch me! I guess because it brings home to me the awesome presence and wonder of our great God spiritually interacting with us with amazing compassion and kindness as we humble ourselves and ask for His grace and mercy. Wow! I hope we realize what an awesome and amazing God we serve, one full of LOVE and tenderness towards His most precious but disobedient creation!
Yes friends, when you truly seek to know the Lord, you’ll be surprised at the unusual and unexpected places you’ll find Him, see His unerring hand at work. It’ll be so unnatural that you’ll know without a doubt that it’s the hand of God moving in your life! Likewise with little things that will suddenly jump out at you. In the greater scheme of life, they’ll be small and insignificant, but somehow or the other they will make a big impact on you, opening your eyes to miraculous and mysterious ways in which our God moves.
And one of the reasons I believe we don’t see out God more, or appreciate Him more, is because we tend to look for Him in the big things of life. However, He is more present and available, easier seen in the li’l, seemingly unimportant, everyday aspects of life. And a lazy-day Saturday is just the time to look for Him, to seek Him in all the most unusual and unexpected places.
Remember what Moses said to the Israelites about repentance and seeking the Lord. ‘But if from thence (their disobedience and idol worship) thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” (Deut. 4:29) And many years later, on the Lord’s behalf, Jeremiah gave the Israelites the same warning, or solution for their problems during their captivity in Babylon.
‘But I know the thoughts that I have toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord…’ (Jer. 29:11-14)
Ah friends, the message is still the same today. When we are in distress, when problems overwhelm us, or we’re simply lonely or aimless, whatever the situation, seeking God with our whole hearts is the wisest decision we can make! And how do we seek God with our whole hearts? One commentary gives us this answer: ‘When Jesus gave His life for us on that cross, when God prioritized our salvation above everything else, it wasn’t for us to make Him a side thought. But for us to surrender our lives to Him and embrace the one He has for us. This is how we seek God with our whole heart.’
And this other commentary encourages us: ‘God is a God hearing prayer; he listens to the requests of his people, and answers them in his own time and way; which is no small encouragement to pray unto him.’ That’s for sure! If He is our Creator, our Provider, our Heavenly Father and controls all that happens in our lives, it’s only logical and sensible that we need to seek Him out for help in our topsy-turvy lives.
Seeking and searching are ever so important in our Christian faith my brethren. Jesus set the stage for that when He warned: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Then He followed it up by later declaring (yesss!!!) ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8)
That undoubtedly means that Christians should always be asking, seeking and knocking, looking for the truth in all situations, as well as seeking to open the hearts of others so that they too can know Jesus and seek and serve Him with their whole hearts. Oh my fellow saints, our Christian life is supposed to be one of action, always moving along a path that leads to Jesus, doing our best to personally seek and serve Him, as well as spread the good news of His gospel to the many who have never heard it.
And we can only do that successfully if we are united, united as one church, one body of Christ. So, let’s begin today by seeking unity amongst ourselves nuh, let’s ask for it, knock on closed doors for it. Let’s desire and actively pursue a unity that will propel Christ’s church to the forefront of this world, its rightful place! Much LOVE!
…to seek…to search…to find…that is the Christian’s duty…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
08 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accept God's grace and mercy, an offering or forgiveness, as for me and my house, blessing and cursing, choose life, enter ye in at the strait gate, eternal life, eternally separate from God, few there be that find it, God commendeth his own love toward us, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, God is not willing that any should perish, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, I have set before you life and death, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you today, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, offer and olive branch, on the other side of the flood, our Comforter, peace, place of refuge, quiet my soul, reconciliation, slow my thoughts, take up our cross every day and follow Him, that all should come to repentance, that both thou and thy seed shall live, the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, the transgressors shall be destroyed together, the wicked turn from his way and live, turn ye from your evil way, unconditional LOVE, we will serve he Lord, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction
2 Peter 3:9b. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Thank the Lord for lazy-day Saturdays! Yes, without them we’d be totally flummoxed; confused and perplexed about this life we’re living. But these lazy-day Saturdays give us a chance to sit back and relax, to think and reason, as well as to do nothing, to just allow the senses and the body to drift wherever they may desire. (smile) And that’s why they say B.S baffles brains!
Anyway, I’ve already used up most of my lazy-day time, so let’s get back to reality. It’s nice to be lazy, and the Father does give us some leeway for it, but the facts be known, without exception, He still expects us to take up our cross every day and follow Him. So let’s get down to the Father’s business. And we’ll begin by declaring (yesss!) our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Oh my fellow believers, that’s such a beautiful and heartfelt prayer; just wishing us closer to our great God, our Comforter, our Provider and Place of Refuge! And there’s nothing that we can ever desire that’s more useful and beautiful than getting closer to God! In fact, that’s one of the main reasons He created us; for close and intimate communion with Him. But unfortunately, for whatever reason, many of us have unwisely decided to turn away from Him, and that hurts His heart and seriously disappoints Him.
And wouldn’t it hurt your heart too if after your children went astray, you gave up your best possession, your only Son, to offer them an olive branch, an offering of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation and they totally refuse your offer? Oh, you most certainly would! So let’s put that in our pipe and smoke it nuh, and consider how God feels after He sacrificed His one Son Jesus, for a bunch of ungrateful sinners, who are now blaspheming His holy name and trying to kick Him out of the universe that He created.
And the sad part of the whole situation is that our reluctance to accept God’s grace and mercy, seems to hurt Him more than it does us. He has nothing to lose by our unwise actions, and we have so much to gain, but because of His abiding great and unconditional LOVE for us, it breaks His heart when we turn down His offer of salvation and eternal life. The Bible tells us: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
And remember what we read in the scriptures yesterday? That God is ‘not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:5b) Yes my friends, the Lord doesn’t want any of His most wonderful but ungrateful creation to perish in hellfire with Satan and thus be eternally separated from Him. It’s just like when our children choose an unwise path to tread, we feel sad and distraught, because we know that that path can only lead to heartache and destruction.
And it’s even more heartbreaking when we offer our sincere help and it’s refused. Just think how that makes us feel, and multiply that terrible feeling several times, and it might just give us a li’l insight into how our heavenly Father feels about our turning away from His overtures of grace and mercy. And it’s not only with the coming of Jesus that the Lord was unhappy with our behaviour and desired eternal life for us.
No, from way back in the time of the prophet Ezekiel, He also made clear His express desire on the subject, when He said to Ezekiel: ‘Say unto them, as I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked: but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?’ (Ezek. 33:11)
Oh my people, it’s the very same question the Lord is putting to us today; why should we die when we can live eternally with Him in paradise? It makes no sense whatsoever! And how often has this same question been posed to us eh? Moses posed it to the children of Israel, when he said: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19)
That obviously didn’t hold the Israelites for long because they continued with their rebellious behaviour and complaining, never contented attitudes. Then later on, Joshua in his last years again warned the Israelites: ‘And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood (the Euphrates river), or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other Gods.’ (Josh. 24:15-16)
But they did forsake the Lord, all down through the ages, for which they suffered serious consequences. Now friends, our situation is very similar to theirs; we have the option of choosing to live for Jesus or to go down the destructive path that Beelzebub has set before us. And the latter option is fraught with danger and destruction, not to mention eternal separation from God, the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
It’s like Joshua said to his people. ‘If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt (harm), and consume you, after that he hath done you good.’ (Josh. 24:20) And that’s exactly what happened to them on several occasions, and what will happen to us if we forsake the Lord and serve Satan. All throughout the Bible the Lord warns about the destruction of the wicked.
Psalm 37 tells us: ‘Mark the perfect (blameless) man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps. 37:37-40)
That says a whole lot friends, re the ends of the wicked and the righteous. And in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Himself warned: ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow (difficult, confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt. 7:13-14)
Now, in light of all we’ve said, the best and wisest option we have here on earth is obviously living for Jesus, following the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life. And as for me and my house…we will serve the Lord! Much LOVE!
…to live for now…or to live for the hereafter…that is the question…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
01 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lazy-day Saturday, an outward miraculous manifestation, apostasy, beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, come unto the knowledge of truth, esoteric quest for truth, ever learning, Happy Canada Day, hereby knoweth ye the Spirit of God, how many baskets ye took up, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in the last days perilous times shall come, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let my muscles relax, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, men shall be lovers of their own selves, never able to come, O ye of little faith, prey upon silly women, quiet my soul, remember Almighty God, Sadducees, slow my thoughts, take heed, thank you for this tenderness, that I may know you all the more, the five loaves of the five thousand, the Pharisees, the seven loaves of the four thousand, warnings of smoke, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Matthew 16:6. Then Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
HAPPY CANADA DAY!
Well friends, this Lazy -day Saturday has certainly opened into a bright and sparkling summer’s day, although with some warnings of smoke. But, despite that negative attachment, it promises to be a wonderful celebration of our country’s birthday! So, a Happy Canada Day to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and families! May the Lord bless us with all we need to enjoy this memorable weekend, as we remember that Canada is still one of the few countries you can move around with a fair amount of freedom and without too much provocation re racial and religious and political matters.
And most of all, let’s remember the One who gave us all the good things that we have; Almighty God, and give Him the proper thanks, praise and reverence that He deserves. Now, as one sincere voice, let’s say our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Oh my faithful brethren, every time we say that prayer, it touches something deep within me. I guess it just seems to bring us closer to our heavenly Father in real time. And it seems to be ever so appropriate for a lazy-day Saturday, where we have no pressing commitments, so we can afford to relax and spend some satisfying quiet time with our Creator and Provider, our Comforter and place of Refuge. And I hope you all feel the same way, and do spend some quiet time with the One who LOVES us so much that He sacrificed His only Son Jesus for our benefit.
And do I ever LOVE the Good Library, for as always, when I don’t know what to say and I open it, it always points me to something interesting. And today it opened unto the 16th Chapter of Matthew where Jesus had just finished berating the Pharisees and Sadducees re asking for a sign from heaven, an outward miraculous manifestation, then left them standing in awe and confusion. (Matt. 16:1-4) Then He went on to warn the disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The Good Library relates it thus: ‘And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them. O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many baskets you took up?’ (Matt. 16:5-10)
And it is indeed amazing that the disciples could forget the two miracles Jesus did with little food to serve a multitude and then have plenty left over. And those miracles you can find in several of the gospels, but for easy access, I’ll just quote them from Matthew; Chapter 14:15-21 and Chapter 15:32-38. So they should have realized that it really had nothing to do with them not bringing bread, for if the situation truly warranted it, Jesus had the awesome power to provide actual bread for them, to fill all their physical needs and still have much left over.
But their young, uneducated minds never considered those things, thus Jesus had to explain it further to them. ‘How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, but that ye should beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Then understood they how he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine (teaching) of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ (Matt. 16:11-12) And yuh know what my fellow believers, that warning of Jesus still holds true for all of us today, because there are still many out there who are teaching a false or incorrect gospel, one slanted to their own unscrupulous desires.
That leads us to these prophetic words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-7)
Oh my bredrin, I don’t know if these are the last days or not, because there are many arguments over the signs etc., but what I do know for sure is that all those things Bruh Paul warned Timothy about are very rampant in our current world. And if you don’t see them, then you’re living with your head in the sky or in the dirt. Lawlessness and irresponsibility are at unbelievable heights. Promises are made and broken without remorse. Pleasure is our number one activity. And we boast so much about what we don’t have that it’s shameful.
Oh friends, apostasy, that’s abandonment and renunciation of our religious beliefs is definitely alive and well. You see people all over the place turning away from God, and there’s even a foolish movement afoot to try and completely rid our society of God. Hn! That’s undoubtedly a fool’s wisdom! For it will never happen, because God will never allow it. He might allow us to do all sorts of other nonsense, but rid the society of His awesome presence…NEVER!
And we’ll close with a couple of explanations from the scholars on those verses above. They say that ‘A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from those false teachers who prey upon silly women laden with sins, who are especially susceptible to false teachers. Ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth condemns not intense study, but some esoteric quest for truth apart from God’s word.’
And is there ever much questing for truth today my fellow saints. Never knew there could be more than one truth. But everybody seems to have their own truth in these perilous times. And those who don’t have it, are unfortunately searching for truth in all the wrong places, when it’s right in front of their very faces, in the Word of God! Much LOVE!
…hereby knoweth ye the Spirit of God…every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh…is of God… (1 John 4:2)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
17 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crying shame, cheap imitations, Christ died for us, created us to have fellowship with Him, free will, getting to know the Father better, God commendeth his own love toward us, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God so loved the world, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, I am the good shepherd, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you today, it is certain we can carry nothing out, Jesus is the only true way, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let my muscles relax, LOVE, materail wealth, monye, obeying God's word and will, only interested in what god can do for us, prideful arrogant, quiet my soul, slow my thoughts, stubborn, take some sacrifice, thank you for this tenderness, that I may know you all the more, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the world through him might be saved, there are always consequences to our deeds, we brought nothing into this world, while we were yet sinners, you can't be contained, your peace and love are present
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And finally lazy-day Saturday has arrived! Yes. The day that many of us dream of, where we do absolutely nothing, or a little as possible. And it’s a beautiful though a tad cool day. But sadly, some of us only have so much lazy time at our disposal, and unfortunately, I’ve used up all of mine already, so now I’ve got to be about my father’s business. (smile) And with that in mind, let’s say our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Ah friends, what a beautiful prayer, and oh so appropriate to a day when we don’t have to do much of anything, where we can just relax and spend some worthwhile time with our wonderful heavenly Father, getting to know Him better, and who gets so much pleasure when we spend sincere time with Him. But that’s one of the reasons He created us, to have fellowship with Him, so why wouldn’t He be joyful when we do it out of a deep and abiding LOVE for Him.
The unfortunate thing though is that many of us are not really interested in God Himself, in enjoying who He is and what He stands for, but merely in what He can do for us. And is that ever a crying shame, for then we miss the true joy that can come from a tight and faithful union with our heavenly Father.
I guess it’s just like so many of us with our earthly father’s; we’re not particularly close, and we don’t really want to get close to them, we’re simply interested I how they can help us; provide a roof over our heads, food on the table and whatever else we need to go our merry way. And though that kind of relationship is never really beneficial to either side, sometimes it can be understandable by the way our human actions play out in this evil, ungodly and confused world, as some of our earthly fathers don’t care much for us either.
But our heavenly Father…why are we against Him? Why do we refuse to truly connect with Him eh? He’s never done us any wrong, and LOVES us with such a powerful LOVE that there’s no stronger LOVE in this whole wide world. And He’s made us so many wonderful promises if we just obey His Word and LOVE Him the way He desires us to. And even when we disobey and turn away from Him, His LOVE still persists, even to the point where the Bible says: ‘But God commnendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Wow! What a powerful LOVE that is, that instead of waiting for us sinners to come to Him and repent, God went ahead and made an easier way for us to come back to Him, where before there was no easy way. But yet still, with the free will He granted us, we chose to keep rebelling against Him, being prideful, arrogant and stubborn, believing that we know the world and all therein that He created, better than Him. But that’s such utter foolishness my people. We are allowing the enemy, the devil and his demonic cohorts to turn us against the One who’s prepared such a wonderful life for those who truly LOVE and obey him.
And the sad part is that the devil has nothing really to offer us but hellfire and damnation, for all he does is lie and deceive. But Jesus said: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that’s exactly what He did: give His life so that our miserable sinful souls could be saved from eternal separation from our Creator. And what has the devil done for us eh? Nothing but steal and lie and deceive us. But yet still we refuse to turn to Jesus and run behind the foolishness the enemy tells us, like material wealth and money, which we cannot do anything with when we’re dead.
As Bruh Paul so wisely reminded Timothy. ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ (1 Tim. 6:7) So why run down the things that the enemy and the world think are so important when all we do is leave it all behind for others to misuse and/or fight over.
For as the wisest and richest man who ever lived, Cousin Sol discovered in his search for wealth and wisdom says in Ecclesiastes. ‘Yea, I hated all my labour, which I had taken (toiled) under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. and who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have tule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity (futility, useless).’ (Eccl. 2:18-19)
And that has a whole lot of truth in it. For we see it played out in the world every day, where some wealthy person who spent most of his life accumulating earthly riches only for it to be passed down after his death to complete wastrels and fools, who just use and abuse it until there’s nothing left, or to those who fight each other tooth and nail for some portion of it, and finally most of it ends up in the hands of lawyers and other officials as fees or whatever.
And the sad part is that if we so badly want material wealth the best place to get it from is God Almighty, who owns it all anyway, and gives it generously to those who LOVE and obey Him. The devil can never give you foolproof wealth, because he owns nothing. He’s just the biggest scam and fraud artist around. But we so desire the easy way out, that instead of obeying God’s word and will, which might take some sacrifice, we fall for the enemies lies and deceptions.
Oh friends, please realize that like us, Satan is one of God’s creations, who in foolish pride and arrogance tried to overthrow God and got kicked out of heaven to walk the earth in grief and shame, and be eventually destroyed in the lake of fire So why do we insist on following him eh when he has absolutely nothing of value to offer, only fake baubles and bangles, that look nice but are just cheap imitations of the real McCoy that God has to offer?
And I can’t think of a better scripture to close with today, than this monumental one. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
Now therein lies the truth of it all my people, and it’s up to us to believe it or not. But please remember that there are consequences, either good or bad to each side of the equation. Much LOVE!
…you follow the enemies lies and deceptions…to your own travail…for Jesus is the way…the ONLY true way…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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