10 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sin against God, a soft spot in my heart, admiration, adore, advice, appreciate, be grateful, Bruh Paul, bubble-buster, bundle of joy, by the wayside, charles stanley, cherish, compassionately, dire straits, disappoints me, distinction, dote, esteem, exhausting, faith, fallible, favour, forgive, friends, God's saving grace, godless, godly attitudes, godly guidance, good and acceptable before God, Happy Mother's Day, honour, honour thy father and mother, honour widows, in the land God gives you, In Touch Devotional, kudos, labour, left to languish, longevity, LOVE, love uncoditionally, loving kindness, magnanimity, make a big fuss, mercy, Mother's Day, Mothers, my six mothers, no charge, on god's earth, open to mistakes, orphan, overwhelming, painful, piety, pitiful, powerful things, privilege, put on a pedestal, recognition, requite, respect, responsibilities, revere, shirley Caesar, sin, smile, that thy days may be long, the best, the BIBLE, the Holy Spirit, the lifeblood of our society, the Lord has never let me down, the Lord thy God giveth, Timothy, undisciplined, unruly, what a letdowm, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, widows, wisdom, wombs
Exodus 20:12. Honour thy father and thy MOTHER: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
Well a Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful and not so wonderful Mothers out there! That special day of the year, where we specially celebrate Mothers is upon us once again. And you know I’ve been wondering what to write for the last half an hour or so, while researching stuff in the Bible.
And I did come up with a few things. But then, the Lord in His wisdom guided me to read last year’s Mother’s Day Bit. And was I ever surprised, and somewhat disappointed, that last year I had already written about all the things I was now considering. Chuh! What a letdown! What bubble-buster!
Now I have to think about other stuff to say, because I can’t give exactly the same message as I did last year. And even if I do say so myself, I was rather taken with last year’s Mother’s Day Bit, for it covered a lot of ground, some of which is worth repeating.
But this is a different year, and I’m depending on the Holy Spirit to guide me in a somewhat different direction. Have faith Friends, for it will happen eventually. (smile) The Lord has never let me down yet, so why would He choose a day like today to do it eh?
You know it disappoints me some, that today we’ll make a big fuss over our mothers, but what happens to the rest of the year eh? Many of them are forgotten, left to languish as it were by the wayside. That’s certainly not right my people, because mothers are the lifeblood of our society.
They physically bear us in their wombs for nine months, then have a hard time getting us to come out. And even though the labour required for that can be quite painful and exhausting, as soon as we’re out, they forget about the pain and just dote on us, the beautiful bundle of joy they’ve just produced. (smile)
And then they spend the rest of their lives raising and nurturing us with LOVE and all the other good things that mothers do. All of it, for ‘NO CHARGE’ as the Shirley Caesar song I heard on the radio yesterday evening so truthfully declares. So why then don’t we pay more and better attention to our mothers eh?
Look at our Bit: ‘Honour thy father and thy MOTHER: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’
Our God taught it of such importance that He placed that directive in one of His ten most important rules to His people. Now if the Lord, in His great wisdom could make such a declaration, who are we to dispute it and not follow through with it eh? And please notice the last part of the commandment: ‘that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’
Yes Friends, our longevity depends to a certain extent on the way we treat our parents. So you godless, unruly, undisciplined children out there, who treat their parents terribly, especially their mothers, I’d very strongly suggest that you smarten up right now and follow that directive of God, otherwise your days may just be short and pitiful on the earth.
And what exactly does our Bit mean by ‘HONOUR’ eh? I’ve found a whole lot of synonyms for that word, so let’s hear some of them. ‘HONOUR’ means to cherish, show respect, put on a pedestal, give kudos to, show esteem, favour, recognition, admiration and privilege, to look up to, to appreciate, to adore, revere, and show distinction.
Oh my people, there are so many ways to show ‘HONOUR’ to our parents, that we truly have NO excuse whatsoever for not doing so. And that’s one of the reasons why our world is such a mess; ignoring our parents, treating them terribly, especially our mothers, is a sin against Almighty God.
And from the In Touch Devotional message from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) for today, I picked up these wonderful guidelines for honouring our Mothers. First off, we should LOVE them unconditionally, just the way God LOVES us. Now that surely makes a lot of sense, because we can’t be truly godly folks if we’re not practicing godly attitudes and actions.
And then Uncle Charles says to forgive our mothers compassionately. We seem to forget that mothers are humans too and thus fallible and open to mistakes, and will have some baggage from their earlier days that made them a certain way. We’re no angels ourselves, so we should not judge them too harshly.
Then we’re to remember our mothers gratefully, consider all the things she’s done for us over the years; from bearing and raising us to oftimes burying us. And for all she’s done, there’s usually ‘NO CHARGE!’
And finally, we ought to treat our mothers kindly, make them feel LOVED and appreciated, even though in the natural many of them don’t seem to deserve it. But remember we didn’t, and still don’t deserve God’s saving grace, but because of His great LOVE and magnanimity, He bestowed it on us. Thus the least we can do is to also bestow it on others.
Ah Friends, when it comes to mothers, I have a very soft spot in my heart for them, beginning with my biological mother Molly who throughout my whole life showed me what a true mother ought to be like. Aye Molls baby, can you imagine that it’s now four years since you left me an orphan? (smile) But don’t worry sugar, you’ll always have a place of great esteem and respect in my heart and my memory banks. And so too will the five other mothers I’ve had during my lifetime.
And I know that some of you are laughing at that, but believe me people, there were several times when I was in dire straits and the Lord, in His mercy and LOVING-kindness, sent those women into my life to assist, to lead and guide me on the right path. How could I ever forget you eh my six mothers? No way! For without you all I definitely would not be writing these words today. Thank you all so much for showing and showering me with your LOVE and godly guidance.
And we’ll end today’s message with a word of advice, instructions concerning widows, from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews (grandchildren), let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite (repay) their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.’ (1 Tim.5:3-4)
Yes Friends, supporting our parents, especially our mothers, is indeed acceptable and wonderful in God’s sight. So please let’s get a move on and do it nuh, for it’s the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…a mother’s responsibilities are so overwhelming…that very few men can carry them out successfully…and her LOVE…ohhh…it is one of the most powerful things on God’s earth…
P.S. Yuh see mih people, the Lord didn’t disapoint me. (smile) He did guide me to write something somewhat different. That’s why I keep saying, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! He is definitely the BEST! Much LOVE!
07 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dinner of herbs, almighty god, beloved, Burt Bacharach, but for everyone, Christians, Cousin Sol, Deuteronomy 6:5, Dionne Warwick, disastrous state, down on its knees, earthly pilgrimage, esteem, everyone that loveth, faltering, fatted calf, fellow believers, fighting for its very life, friends, godly emotion, gospel truth, hang all the law, hatred, hatred stirs up strife, holocaust, in Jesus' name, instinctively, is born of god, it's the only thing there's just too little of, Jackie DeShannon, knoweth god, LOVE, Love covers all sins, Love does no harm, LOVE is of God, love is the fulfilling of the law, LOVE one another, Love thy neighbour as thyself, love worketh no ill to his neighbour, necessary, negative things, negativity, not just for osme, on the brink of destruction, our world, prayer, raise the level of love, relevant, resentment, respect, sadly lacking, Selah, selfishness, strife-riddled, teach us to love, testimony, the first and great commandment, the Holy Spirit, the power of the Spirit, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, turn things around, vengeance, walking in LOVE, we confess, we do not always respond, what a crying shame, what the world needs now is love sweet love, wild animals, with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, witness
Matthew 22:37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Aye Friends, the word for this terrific looking Thursday morning is LOVE! Selah.
Yes my people, please thing about that marvellous word for a few moments nuh…
And when you do, you’ll quickly realize that our world is surely and sadly lacking in that wonderful, godly emotion termed LOVE! And because of that sad and severe lack, our world is faltering on the brink of destruction; it’s down on its knees, fighting for its very life.
Oh Friends and neighbours, our world is definitely enveloped in too much negativity. That’s why I’ve brought this simple prayer on the subject from the back pages of my departed mother’s Bible to share with us. I’ve shared it before, but like so many other things in our lives, apparently it needs sharing again.
Please pray with me: ‘Father, we confess that we do not always respond to your LOVE as we should. By the power of your Spirit living in us, teach us to LOVE you as we ought. In Jesus name. Amen.’
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the basis of that prayer is ever so true! We, and I’m talking about supposed Christians here, don’t LOVE the Lord our God, and therefore ourselves and others, as we should. And you just have to look at the way a lot of us behave, spewing hatred, vengeance, resentment, selfishness, etc. etc; all the negative things that the world now favours.
Oh my brethren, in light of all that negativity, we do badly need the Holy Spirit to come amongst us and raise the level of LOVE in our souls, both for God and ourselves. For if we don’t have a high level of LOVE, respect and esteem for God and ourselves, then we’re much worse than the wild animals of the earth, who do have no thinking powers, and thus simply do things instinctively.
What a crying shame my people! It’s obvious that we’re not paying sufficient, if any heed, to Jesus’ reiteration of Deuteronomy 6:5, which constitutes our Bit for today. ‘ Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’
Yes Friends: ‘This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt.22:37-40)
Oh my Christian brethren, that’s gospel truth, because Jesus spoke it!. But we are obviously not doing it to the best of our ability, otherwise our world would not be in such a disastrous state. For as Cousin Sol tells us in Proverbs 10: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov.10:12)
That simply means Friends, that if there was more LOVE in our world, there would not be as much strife. And believe me, I don’t know if at any other time in man’s history, that the world has been strife-riddled and ridden as it currently is.
And Cousin Sol holds LOVE in such high esteem, that later on he declares: ‘Better is a dinner of herbs (vegetables) where LOVE is, than a stalled ox (fatted calf) and hatred therewith.’ (Prov.15:17)
And Bruh Paul chimes in with his two cents worth to the Romans about walking in LOVE. ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour; therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’(Roms. 13:10)
Yes Friends, if we walk in LOVE, as Bruh Paul advises, then we will fulfill the two great commandments as laid down by Jesus. And that fact alone would change the entire look and demeanour of our world. Oh my people, what a glorious place our world would be if we would just choose to actively live and walk in LOVE!
Oh Friends, oh Friends, we are so lacking in true LOVE, that I thought I’d refresh our memory with this most appropriate song, with lyrics by the renowned composer and lyricist, Burt Bacharach. Please listen to it my people, hear it in our mind’s eye being sung by somebody like Jackie DeShannon or Dionne Warwick, or whoever you want, and let it refresh our hearts, souls and minds.
‘What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE, No, not just for some, but for everyone. Lord, we don’t need another mountain, There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb. There are oceans and rivers enough to cross, Enough to last, till the end of time.
What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE, No, not just for some, but for everyone. Lord, we don’t need another meadow, There are cornfields and wheat fields enough to grow. There are sunbeams and moonbeams enough to shine.
O listen, Lord, if you want to know. What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE, It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE, No, not just for some, but for everyone. No, not just for some, oh, but just for everyone.’
Ah Friends, if that doesn’t touch a sad note in our souls, then we’re not true Christians. It was written some fifty odd years ago, and has been recorded by numerous artists, and gotten oodles of airplay, but unfortunately it’s just as relevant and necessary today, as it was back then, possibly even more so now, with our world fast heading to some type of serious, irreversible holocaust, if we don’t turn things around very very soon.
So my fellow believers, let’s allow that song to seep into our consciousness, sub-consciousness nuh, or wherever it will bear the best witness and testimony for Almighty God, as we go out to do His bidding today, and every single day of our earthly pilgrimage. That’s wisdom at its highest and its best. Much LOVE!
…beloved…let us LOVE one another…for LOVE is of God…and everyone that LOVETH…is born of God…and knoweth God… (1 John 4:7)
13 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chosen generation, a holy nation, a holy priesthood, a Master Craftsman, a precious stone, a rock of offence, a royal priesthood, a spiritual house, a stone of stumbling, acceptable to God, an intelligent plan, Anansi stories, be obedient to god's will, be thankful, benefits, birthright of every Christian, Black Friday, chosen by God, confounded, darkness, diligence, elect, explanations, fellowship, for other foundation can no man lay, founded on Jesus, Friday chant, Friday the 13th, friends, fun, generous help, giving of our substance, glorious kingdom, God's own special people, gripe, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, in Jesus' name, integration, into the body of Christ, is made the head of the corner, Israel, Jesus Christ, lead praiseworthy lives, live to see Friday, LOVE, loving, marvellous light, massa work, mercy, New Testament church, nutshell, Old Testament, old wives tales, praying for each other, precious, priesthood, privileged, prospers, put to shame, refreshed in soul body and mind, rejected of men, relaxation, respect, responsibility, rest, reverence, saviour jesus christ, show forth the praises, spiritual sacrifices, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the cross at Calvary, the living stone, the people of god, the power of our Lord and Saviour, the rock of all ages, the stone which the builders refused, the wheel of life, truth, unalterable truth, unique, utter nonsense, which is Jesus Christ, wisdom
1 Corinthians 3:11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Well Friends, the wheel of life has spun again and ended up on Friday. And obviously the workers of the world are going to greet it with opened arms and glorious shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the wonderful weekend is upon us! Oh thank our great God that at last it’s Friday and massa work soon done for a couple days!’
Yeh mih people, I know that many of us just live to see Friday come around to get out of work, but that’s not the right way to live this earthly and potentially wonderful life.
And today some of you are concerned because it’s Friday the 13th, which is recognized in some circles as a Black Friday. Steups! But that’s utter nonsense my brethren, so please pay no attention to it!
Nothing untoward is going to happen just because a Friday falls on the thirteenth of the month. And even if there were some truth to it, the mighty power of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ would be more than sufficient to blast it away.
So let’s just put all those Anansi stories and old wives tales out of our minds and chant our Friday Chant to give us the right perspective on the situation.
As one glorious chanter 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.’
Yes Friends, that’s more like how we ought to view this Friday and the weekend that follows; with God and rest as our priorities. And today is definitely the last day for this Bit. (smile) ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’
Words of unalterable truth my people! For everything in this world is based and built on Jesus, the rock of all ages! And nothing prospers for long unless it is founded on Him!
So let’s listen to Peter as he talks about Christ, the living stone. ‘To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed (rejected) indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively (living) stones, are (being) built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect (chosen), precious: And he that believeth on him shall not be confounded (put to shame).
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed (rejected), the same is made the head of the corner (the chief corner stone).
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at word being disobedient (being disobedient to the word): whereunto also they were appointed.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people (God’s own special people): that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.’ (1 Pet.2:4-10)
Oh Friends, what a wonderful thing Jesus did by sacrificing His sinless life for us on the cross at Calvary! Look at the number of benefits that have come forth from it nuh! How can we not be thankful and lead praiseworthy, obedient and thankful lives eh!
Now here are some valuable explanations from the scholars. ‘2:4-8. Are built up is the main verb in this section. The choice of the word shows that the building is not haphazard, but is according to an intelligent plan brought to reality by a Master Craftsman, which sets forth the fact of our integration into the body of Christ (v5).
The overall design is a spiritual house, which describes the nature of the body of Christ, that is, a house in which God dwells. The material used to build the house is figuratively presented as lively (living) stones.
Christ is also described as a living stone (lit. “a worked stone” or “a precious stone that is living”). Disallowed by Israel but acceptable (Gr. eklekton entimon, lit, “elect and precious”) to God.’
‘2:9-10. The priesthood of the believer and his unique relationship to God are described by the terms a chosen generation… a royal priesthood… a holy nation. Thus, the New Testament church stands in a unique relationship to God as did Old Testament Israel.’
Oh Friends what a unique and privileged set of people we are, with direct access to God, but also a responsibility to be obedient to His Will. That’s the birthright of every Christian! So please, I implore us to use those tools of our birthright with proper reverence, diligence and respect.
Let’s praise His Holy Name, do His earthly work by helping, LOVING and giving of our substance to others and praying for each other. That in a nutshell is what Jesus calls us to do my people. So let’s get out there and do it nuh, wisely and diligently! Much LOVE!
…to be a part of Jesus’ body…His church…is the greatest thing that can happen to a human being…
P.S. Ah Friends, you definitely can’t gripe today about the Bit being long. (smile) Much LOVE!
11 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hearty welcome, a man sent from god, a pattern of success, action movement, another brand new day, anxiety, awe, be on our p's and q's, bear witness, born not of blood, Christ's birth, christianity, Christmas, commercialism, David Thomas, encouraging, excitement, faith, fear, fear not, feel the action of God flowing through us, fight the enemy, forgiveness, friends, fruitful life, full of grace and truth, gain footholds, glory hallelujah, go overboard, heavenly rewards, human form, In the beginning was the Word, indisputable truth, infiltrate our lives, inroads, Jesus Christ, John, keep plugging and plodding on, leading, live a successful life, lot of chances, loving kindness, lustful desires, magnificent and magnanimous God, minding our business, miracle, miraculous birth of Jesus christ, never be thnkful enough, never-ending mercy, our heavenly Father, our Lord and Saviour, power to become the sons of God, power. material things, redeeming sacrifice, respect, reverence, Scrip-Bit family, se;fless act, surrender, Thank you Jesus, Thank You Lord, the biography of souls, the Holy Spirit, the Life. the Light, the light of men, the light shines in the darkness, the most radiant pages in the biography of souls, the Son of God, the things of the world, the Truth, the Way, the will of God, the will of man, the will of the flesh, the Word was God, the word was made flesh, the Word was with God, true believers, trust, ungodly and evil world, unselfish and noble actions, we love you, we shall rejoice and be glad in it, we will follow you to the ends of the earth, wonder, wonders of your glory, worldly trappings, worry, writing from the heart
John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Well a warm and hearty Thursday welcome to all you Friends and Scrip-Bit family members out there in this ungodly and evil world. Fear not, for our wonderful God has provided us with another brand new day filled with His never-ending mercy, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness.
Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous Deity we serve and worship! And all God’s children declared a loud and lusty: ‘Thank You Lord for giving us this new day, filled with all the wonders of your glory! We will praise Your Holy Name and rejoice and be glad in it, just as you desire us to! Amen!’
Yes Friends, it’s time to just keep pressing on and feel the action of God flowing through our lives in a pattern of success. And here’s a quote attributed to one David Thomas. Now I’m not sure which David Thomas it is, because there are so many around.
However, the quote is remarkable and can stand on its own, and highlights and reflects the kind of success we’re talking about. It simply says: ‘Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls.’
And that surely is indisputable truth my brethren! For our lives usually shine brighter and brightest when we do unselfish and noble acts, regardless of how small or insignificant they may seem. And even better yet, our heavenly Father notes them and heavenly rewards are attached to our names. Nothing could be better than that my people!
And we wouldn’t be true believers if we failed to mention the most unselfish act ever done in this whole wide world; that of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, leaving His comfortable home in heaven to come to earth in human form and offer His holy and sinless life as a redeeming sacrifice for us and our abominable sins.
And all Jesus’ followers cried out: ‘Thank You Jesus! We LOVE You! And we will follow You to the ends of the earth!’
Oh Friends, for that selfless act on Jesus’ part, we can never be thankful enough; there’s nothing we can ever do to repay that selflessness. But there again, Jesus doesn’t want our thanks so much in words, but more in deeds, for His movement, Christianity, is action oriented.
He wants us to believe in Him, that He is indeed the Way, the Truth, the Life and the Light of this evil and sinful world, and live the way He prescribes. Unfortunately though, His way of living runs counter to that of the world, which glorifies power, material things and lustful desires.
And sadly too, a lot of mankind are more enamoured with the things of the world than with those of Jesus. So what are we believers to do eh? Simply keep plugging and plodding on my brethren, and our great and generous God will give us everything we need to live a successful life and fight the enemy.
There’s not supposed to be any fear, worry or anxiety that keeps us from living a right and fruitful life that glorifies Him and helps us bring others to Him. But then again, these are not always easy things to do, especially in the kind of selfish, greedy and ungodly world in which we now live.
Those things take time, faith, trust and sure surrender. So we need to be always on our p’s and q’s, minding our business, not allowing the enemy to make any inroads into our lives.
And this season of Christmas is one of those times when we tend to go overboard and give the enemy a lot of chances to infiltrate our lives and gain footholds therein.
How you ask? By paying too much attention to the worldly trappings which surround it, and not enough to the cause of and reason for it; the wonderful and miraculous birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here because I have no idea where this is going. I don’t even have a Bit as yet. It’s one of those days that I like, when I’m writing from the heart, writing what I believe the Holy Spirit of God is leading and encouraging me to write.
So hearkening back to our last point, that of paying more attention to the worldly trappings of Christmas than the real cause for it, Jesus’ birth, I admonish us to try and change the balance in that equation. Let’s tone down the commercialism aspect of the situation, which sadly is being increased every year.
Instead, let’s allow the wonder, the excitement and miracle of Christ’s birth to be number one in our spirits, rather than the presents, food, and other trimmings. We obviously can’t disregard the latter stuff, but instead let’s raise up the former to the prominence that it deserves nuh.
For, remember without the birth of Christ, there’d be no Christmas, and thus no family gatherings and celebrations, no gifts, no food, nothing but another uneventful day.
And I think I’ve said my piece, (smile) now let’s see if I can find an appropriate Bit for all that. Soon come!
Oh Friends, it took les than two minutes. Glory Hallelujah! I was just led to share this most important section of scripture in its entirety. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended (apprehended) it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ (John 1:1-14)
Oh Friends, that says it all; all about Jesus! And the season we’re now celebrating, Christmas, is when that Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, the birth of that Light, the birth of the Word that was God, the birth of Jesus Christ!
So please, please let’s show the proper respect, reverence and awe to such an exceptional and miraculous event. Much LOVE!
… the trappings of Christmas are not as important as the reason for Christmas…the birth of Christ…for without Christ’s birth…there’d be no Christmas…and would that be a sad thing…
08 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abuse the weekend, adoration, Amen, Antioch, Apostle to the Gentiles, at the mercy of the enemy, aura of love, Barnabas, blaspheming, Bruh Paul, cast not your pearls before swine, confidence, enjoy life, enthusiasm, free time, friends, Gentiles, give not that which is holy to dogs, glory hallelujah, gratitude, grumbling, harms himself, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus' gospel, Jews, jobs, joy, lies, LOVE, meet the enemy in battle, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, pearls before swine, Praise the Lord, rebuke a wise man, rebuketh a wicked man, reject the message of truth, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, reprove a scorner, resentment, respect, reverance, Sabbath Day, shame, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Word of god, trample them under their feet, turn and tear you, unworthy of everlasting life, wisdom
Matthew 7:6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend (tear) you.
Glory Hallelujah! It is Monday once again! A glorious day with innumerable possibilities! And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’ (smile)
Oh Friends, I wish it was that easy or simple for most of us. But the truth is that we still find Mondays somewhat stifling and hard to come up over. But it’s something we desperately need to do, if we’re going to enjoy life the way that God intends us to.
As the poem from my birthday card that we talked about yesterday told us, each day is a gift from God, and we have to embrace them with gratitude and joy, not resentment and grumbling.
Look here, we know that we have to get up and go to work every Monday morning, so why is it continually so hard for us to do? Because we abuse the two days off over the weekend and don’t prepare properly for Monday.
Why aren’t any of the other working days as difficult to get up for eh? I guess it’s because we don’t have enough free time between them, so we can’t get involved in any unnecessary activities.
So until we make preparing for Monday a special activity on Sunday, we’ll be forever at the mercy of the enemy, grumbling and complaining come Monday morning. Anyway, enough of my speechifying, (smile) let’s sing out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to give us the kick start that most of us seem to need.
Altogether now: ‘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!’
Now that wasn’t too bad Friends, but not as good as it could or should be, heaven didn’t rejoice with us. However, our motors are now purring smoothly, so we can get on with our daily business. In this case, turning to our Bit.
‘Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend (tear) you.’
Remember yesterday, we saw in the scholars’ explanation that dogs and swine referred to people who deliberately reject the message of truth, and were so termed because those two classes of animals were very repulsive to the Jews.
Listen to how Cousin Sol put’s it in Proverbs 9 – Wisdom’s Invitation. ‘He that reproveth a scorner (scoffer) getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot (only harms himself). Reprove not a scorner (scoffer), lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will LOVE thee.’ (Prov.9:7-8)
Yes Friends, those are the responses to wisdom’s invitation by the scoffer, the mocker and the wise man. Hopefully the people we rebuke today will all be wise men and women. (smile)
And here’s a living example of what we’re talking about. Back in the days of the early church, while Bruh Paul was on his missionary journeys, he and Barnabas rolled into the city of Antioch and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, where Bruh Paul preached a magnificent sermon and several people believed. (Acts 13:14-43)
Obviously that brought opposition from some of the Jewish residents of the city. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against (opposed) those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed (grew) bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should have first been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you (reject it), and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.’ (Acts 13:44-46)
Ah mih people, how foolish can we get sometimes eh? The Jewish response was definitely that of the scoffer and mocker, not the wise man.
Now hear the scholars’ explanation. ’13:46. Paul’s missionary principle was always to go to his own people, the Jews, first (Rom.1:16), but he always went to the Gentiles too, and indeed was known as the Apostle to the Gentiles (Gal.2:7-8; Eph.3:6-8).’
Oh Friends, let’s thank God that the wonderful news of Jesus’ gospel has been sown in our Gentile hearts, and that we neither scoff nor mock at it, but like the wise people that we are, we hold it dearly, treating it with much reverence, adoration and LOVE, for that is the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…if you don’t respect and revere God’s Word…then you can’t respect and revere Him…
24 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accumulation of things, acknowledge God, as we forgive our debtors, awesome power, be content, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, Commit thy way to the Lord, contentment, Cousin Sol, deceitful thoughts and attitudes, deliver us from evil, desire to be rich, destruction, don't overwork, erred from the faith, esteem, eternal life, faith, favours, fight the good fight of faith, fly away as an eagle, focus, food and clothing, for thine is the kingdom, forbearance, forgive us our debts, forsake friends and families, forsake God, fortunes, give us our daily bread, goal of our lives, godliness, godly and righteous service, goodness, gospel truth, great gain, greediness, hallowed be thy name, headaches, heavenly rewards, holiness, Jesus, judgement, justice, lead us not into temptation, light, lost fortunes, LOVE, loving kindness, made fortunes, majesty, man of God, material wealth, meekness, meritorious benefits, moth and rust destroy, Our Father, pain, patience, perdition, physical riches, praise and thanks, priorities, Psalm 37, raison d'etre, respect, reverential awe, rewards, rewards for faithful service, riches have wings, righteousness., root of all evil, ruin, shun money, significant teaching of jesus, slaves to riches, snare, sorrows, stupidity, supernatural sight, teaching of Jesus, temptation, tender mercy, the LOVE of money, the power and the glory, thieves break in, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, Timothy, treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, true motives of our hearts, trust in the Lord, where your treasure is there is your heart, wings, wisdom
Matthew 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin, destroy), and where thieves break through and steal.
Aye mih Friends, it’s Thursday, what’s new, what’s on the agenda for today eh? I know that all of us have lofty plans for the day, but just remember, for them to succeed, we have to commit these plans to the Lord, link them with His plan and will for our lives.
As Bruh David so wisely advises in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps.37:5-6)
But first things first my brethren; let’s give our wonderful God a mighty shout of praise and thanks for causing us to see another marvelous day here on earth, for without His goodness and tender mercy, His LOVING-kindness and forbearance, that wouldn’t be possible.
So please pray with me, this prayer that Jesus taught us. ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt.6:9-13)
Yes my people, it’s always best to acknowledge our heavenly Father before we begin asking Him for this and that. It just shows our respect, our reverential awe for His holiness, His spectacular majesty and awesome power, and that we’re not merely interested in whatever good things He might have to offer us.
For also remember that He can see, and does read the true motives of our hearts, so any hypocrisy we try to hide from Him WILL BE exposed to His supernatural sight. Consequently, I don’t understand how so many of us still come to God with deceitful thoughts and attitudes, thinking to fool Him. Absolute stupidity!
Anyway, that brings us to our Bit, a very significant teaching of Jesus. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin, destroy), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:19-21)
Oh Friends, what a very instructive and hopefully convincing passage of scripture, that all of us will sincerely and confidently take note of!
And the scholars have this to say about those verses. ‘6:19-21. The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term treasures implies the addition or accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven).
The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather of rewards for faithful service, as illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’
Yes my brethren, unlike the world’s theory that we should aggrandize ourselves with the worthless physical riches of the earth, Jesus is advising us to store up the favours and rewards for godly and righteous service in heaven.
And it’s a proven fact that wherever the choice things of our heart are located, that’s where our attention will be focused. So if the treasures of the world hold the place of highest esteem in our lives, then that’s where our focus, our priorities, will lie.
However, if the rewards and riches found in heaven speak more to us, then it’s on heaven and heavenly things that our focus and priorities will be trained.
And though the riches of the world are nice to have, running behind them, making ourselves slaves to collecting them is not a very wise idea. For that path only brings immense headaches and pain, in the long run causing us to forsake our friends and families, and most importantly our God.
Now let’s look at some scriptures that support our Bit. And the first comes from the pen of wise Cousin Sol, where he unequivocally declares: ‘Labour not (do not overwork) to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? (Will you cause your eyes to fly on it, and it is not?) For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.’ (Prov.23:4-5)
And who should know the effect of riches my people, better than the richest man ever eh? And it is the gospel truth, as we can see from the many who have laboured long and hard to attain material wealth, then lost it all, in no time at all.
And there are also many stories of people who have made and lost several earthly fortunes in a lifetime. So it’s essentially easy to amass earthly riches, but the problem is keeping them.
And we’ll end today with those wise, famous and memorable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us therewith be content.
But they that will (desire to) be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds of) evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things (shun a LOVE of money); and follow after (pursue) righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim.6:6-12)
Oh my people, that passage of scripture says it all! So please, I implore us, let’s all look seriously today at our attitude towards material wealth, and wisely place it at the nether end of our priorities, not make it the goal of our lives.
Instead, let’s make the accumulation of heavenly rewards our raison d’etre, our reason for living. Now that’s the wisdom of everlasting life! Much LOVE!
…earthly wealth can easily be lost…and in any case we leave it all behind…when we go to collect our heavenly rewards…so why doggedly pursue it eh…
19 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joy forever, a thing of beauty, advertisers, afraid, all hot and bothered, almighty god, anarchy, batting an eyelash, be not afraid, belief, believing in jesus, bequeath, Bethany, borders, boundaries, breakneck speed, care, comforted, death's door, destruction, down through the ages, Endymion, experience, faith, familiy, forked tongues, giver of eternal life, God will give you, God will read the truth in our hearts, grace-filled, guided by our beliefs, guidelines, have life more abundantly, heirlooms, I believe, Jairus, Jesus Christ, John Keats, knowledge, Lazarus, lies, life, LOVE, loveliness, Martha, Mary, mature, meaningfulness, missing a beat, never pass to nothingness, New Year's resolution, on the inside looking out, one day morphs into the other, only believe, prosperity, questions, respect, roadblocks, safety, Saturday, separate us from God, simple, spiritual beings, straightforward, strife, Thank you Father, the heareafter, the Life, the resurrection, the Son of God, tho art the Christ, thy brother shall rise again, traditions, value of art increases with age, whatever you ask god, wisdom, worldly artifacts
Mark 5:36b. Be not afraid, only believe.
And then it was Saturday; a bright, vibrant, radiant day, made by Almighty God so that His people could rejoice and be glad in it! And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful, ‘Thank you Father!’
Oh my people, can you believe that we’re more than halfway through July already, and also this year of 2014? I swear that the days are running faster than they usually do. And most of you will no doubt agree, because your lives also seem to be moving at breakneck speed, where one day just morphs into the other, without any apparent break.
And though I don’t remind us as often as I should about our New Year’s resolution of following Jesus more closely, I do hope that you are faithfully adhering to it. And you can tell me what you will, but the Father will read the truth in your hearts.
Anyway mih lovelies, this morning I want to share with you the opening couple of lines of the poem Endymion by the English Romantic Poet, John Keats (1795-1821) It reads: ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass to nothingness.’
Now we all know that the value of art usually increases with age, but so too do people. As the days go by on our earthly journey, we get more mature and grace-filled, so that increased knowledge, experience and wisdom make us more valuable. The only problem is that unlike the physical works of art, we pass away to nothingness.
But that’s just our physical bodies. Our spiritual beings are still alive and kicking, especially in the LOVED ones that we have left behind. They continue to hold dear the traditions, the respect, the care and the LOVE that we lavished on them when we were alive. So all that and any other physical heirlooms we might have bequeathed to those around us will continue to live on, to survive, as they pass those things to others down through the ages.
So in essence, like the physical art, we too never pass into nothingness either. And here’s the end quote on the subject from the One More Day Devotional, Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness. It bravely declares: ‘I am comforted by the traditions of family and faith and by the meaningfulness they add to my life.’
And that’s how it ought to be my brethren, for when we approach death’s door, it’s usually family we want to see, and faith we hold on to, so we can easily transition from this life to the next.
And it all boils down to one word: ‘BELIEF!’ We live a life guided by our beliefs. Hopefully the major belief is that in Jesus Christ, for it is the best belief to build your life around.
And I just LOVE how Jesus puts things so simple and straightforward, as He says to Jairus in our Bit: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
Nothing to it Friends, just believe. And it is truly that simple, we just like to make a fuss over it. We believe the nonsense, the lies that the advertisers tell us in their forked tongued messages without batting an eyelash. Hn! But when it comes to believing in Jesus, the most important belief in our lives, the one that will either separate us from God forever, or keep us on the inside looking out, we get all hot and bothered, ask a whole lot of questions and put up a whole lot of roadblocks. Why eh, my people?
I think that it’s generally because we’re afraid. It seems to be such a big decision to make, for it deals with our lives in the hereafter, something we don’t want to think about just yet, plus the worldly artifacts are so beautiful to look at and possess, and we erroneously believe that believing in Jesus means we can’t enjoy the good things of earthly life. But that’s a fool’s wisdom Friends, for Jesus said He came so that we could have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
The problem is that we don’t want any borders, any boundaries placed on our activities and behaviour, but yuh see what that desire is causing all over our world; strife and destruction. But my people, this life can only be lived in prosperity and safety if we adhere to certain strict guidelines. Anything else will only bring anarchy, as we’re seeing in so many places nowadays.
However Friends, I’m running out of space and time, so let’s get to some scriptures where Jesus highlighted belief in God. And there’s none better than the story of Him raising His friend Lazarus from the dead.
Jesus was out of town when he got the message from the sisters, Martha and Mary, saying ‘Lord behold he whom thou LOVEST is sick.’ (John 11:3) But despite His great LOVE for Lazarus and his sisters Jesus remained a further two days before He went to Bethany where they lived. By the time He got there Lazarus was already dead for four days.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she ran to meet Him and rebuked Him, saying, ‘Lord if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.’ (John 11:21-22)
Now is that strong belief, great faith or what my people! She just knows that whatever Jesus asks of God, God will grant. How many of us are even willing to say that today, much less believe it eh, even though we have much more info and insight than Martha did?
The Good Book continues: the conversation: ‘Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?
She saith unto him, Yea Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ (John 11:23-27)
What a powerful passage of scripture my brethren! Note the interplay between Jesus and Martha: He claiming to be the giver of eternal life, and she believing without missing a beat! That’s how it ought to be in all believers’ lives my Friends!
So today, please let’s sit and consider our personal response to Jesus’ question; ‘Believest thou this?’ And hopefully, we shall all blurt out without hesitation: ‘Yes Lord: I BELIEVE!’ Much LOVE!
…it all begins with…believing…and it all ends with…believing…only believe…
08 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, ambiguity, Amen, assumptions, believing in God's promises, Blessed be God's name, Blessed be the name of God, communication, communication guidelines, communication skills, communication styles, confidentiality, counsel, Daniel 2:20. Daniel, deceived, deceiver, deliver us from evil, depth of riches, don't worry, el numero uno, empathetic, ever-Loving, extol the Lord, forgiving, fruit of his doings, glory, God's omnipotence, gospel truth, head honcho, infinite, inquity, Jesus, judgements, keep in close contact with God, lifts up the humble, look to Jesus, lord of hosts, loving kindness, magnificent God, merciful, might, never leave nor forsake us, perceptions, ponder, praise, Praise the Lord, Psalm 147, respect, respite from cold weather, responsibility, sensitive, sing unto the Lord, stand tall, strength, strong points of God, temptation, thanksgiving, the final word, the mind of the Lord, the power and the glory, thine is the kingdom, think before you talk, tolerate, true believers, trust God, understanding, wisdom, wise, work out all things for good
Daniel 2:20. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his.
Ah Friends, at last it seems like we’re going to have a brief respite from the exceedingly cold temps that’s been overwhelming us the past few weeks. This weekend promises to be above freezing – not all that much- but anything above freezing is surely welcome. (smile) Praise the Lord!
But who knows how long that will last eh? However, as true believers, we need to take whatever comes against us in our stride, faithfully believing in God’s promises that He will never leave nor forsake us (Heb.13:5), and to work out all things for our good when we walk in obedience to Him. (Rom. 8:28)
Therefore, let’s stand tall, and though the weather or other things might be getting to us, let’s just look to Jesus as He desires. It’s not always easy to do, but do it we must. And how did Jesus handle His earthly problems? Basically by not worrying, doing what He was supposed to do, keeping in close contact with the Father, and trusting Him to make things right. And so should we, my brethren.
Now hear are some respectful communication guidelines that we can all use. I got this from my pastor at a recent Advisory Board Meeting, and was guided to share it. Apparently it has been copyrighted by Eric H.F. Law in 1995. It’s laid out in acrostic form, and the letters spell RESPECT, but because of our format we have to do it otherwise.
And it says: ‘R = take RESPONSIBILITY for what you say and feel without blaming others. E = EMPATHETIC listening. S = be SENSITIVE to differences in communication styles. P = PONDER on what you hear and feel before you speak. E = EXAMINE your own assumptions and perceptions. C = keep CONFIDENTIALITY. T = TOLERATE ambiguity because we are not here to debate who is right or wrong.’
Now they all are useful parameters, though I have a slight problem with the last one, tolerating ambiguity, since sometimes you do need to make decisions and distinctions as to who or what is right and wrong. But I do believe that if we put those practices to work, our communication skills will improve a whole lot. Now that includes communication with Almighty God too. (smile)
But it’s time to turn to our Bit: ‘Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his.’ Yes Friends, wisdom and might are among the numerous strong points of our wonderful God!
And today we’ll continue looking at scriptures which uphold Daniel’s contentions. Let’s begin with Job, when he answers his supposed friends’ harsh accusations, acknowledging God’s omnipotence in the process.
‘With him (God) is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up (imprisons) a man, and there can be opening (no release). Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.’ (Job 12:13-16)
And oh my fellow believers, there’s absolutely no doubt about the power and wisdom of our majestic and magnificent God to do all those things!
Now listen to the psalmist extol the Lord from Psalm 147: ‘Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (Lit. innumerable). The Lord lifteth up the meek (humble): he casteth the wicked down to the ground. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.’ (Ps.147:5-7)
Now that’s exactly what we ought to be doing my brethren – giving much praise and thanks to our ever-LOVING, merciful, forgiving, wise and powerful God!
And Jeremiah proclaims in his prayer: ‘Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard (too difficult) for thee: Thou showest LOVING-kindness unto thousands, and recompensest (repay) the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them:
The Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work (deed): for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.’ (Jer.32:17-19)
Jeremiah really poured it on quite thick there. (smile) But it’s all gospel truth, my people!
And this testimonial wouldn’t be complete without a word from Bruh Paul. To the Roman church, he declares: ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.’ (Rom.11:33-36)
And as we LOVE to do whenever possible, we’ll give Jesus the final word on the topic. In His teaching us to pray, He concludes: ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt.6:13)
Yes my brethren, our God is the great I AM, the Head Honcho, El Numero Uno, Number 1 in all the universe! Let’s NEVER, NEVER forget that! Much LOVE!
…if Jesus says that the Father is the GREATEST…then it must be so…since He cannot lie…
15 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, acclamation, all flesh is grass, assembly of saints, awe, big snowfall, black ice, born again, Canada, children's sake, Christian dedication, Christmas Season, claim to fame, climate change, compared to God, congregation of saints, control, Controller, corruptible, Creator, darkness, deity, depths of our souls, disciple, endless praises, endures for ever, Ethan the Ezrahite, extremely special, faithfulness, falls away, fear, fellowship, fervently, flower of grass, foolish, friends, gather in church, glorious majesty, glory of man, gospel, grow, heaven, holy spirit, impatient, imperishable, impetuous, in heaven, in the beginning, incorruptible, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, just desserts, justification, leaps and bounds, life, light of men, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, make known God's faithfulness, motivating force, number one, obeying, on earth, one true God, persihable, Peter, ponder, praise and worship, Praise the Lord, proof, pure heart, purified souls, raise our voices, raise the roofs, reconciled to God, relationship to God, respect, reverence, rightful due, sanctuaries, sincere, sing of God's mercies, sinless life, skids, Sunday, tell others about God, the Word, to all generations, total agreement, traumatized, truth, undying gratitude, universe, veneration, withers, wonderful god, wonders
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, at last my neck of the woods has received its first big snowfall of the season! Granted, it’s not as big as some of those experienced up north, or in places like Dallas and Philly recently, but it’s certainly big enough to get me going. (smile)
You know we’ve become so spoiled over the last few years with comparatively small quantities of snow in the winter time, that when we do get a fairly large amount, some of us get sort of traumatized. (smile) But we need to remember that this is the North Country, good old Canada, where in these days of climate change, anything is possible.
And though the snow made the roads slippery and icy, people were still driving as though they were clean and dry. I guess there will always be the impetuous, impatient and foolish amongst us.
I drove my wife’s car instead of mine because hers has on snow tires and mine doesn’t, but I don’t know if that was any better, because I feel more comfortable in mine, and on two stretches of relatively clean, clear, straight road, not going very fast, I still had two small skids, possibly meaning that there was black ice on the road, although it looked okay.
And the amazing thing is that there were still oodles of vehicles on the road. One would think because it was Saturday, with not as many people having to go to work, and the snow still falling, the roads would be fairly empty. I was only out there because I had to be.
Anyway, enough of my rambling about the snow, for it’s still out there, it’s still mucho cold, and nothing I say or do will change that. (smile) So let’s turn to something that we have some say in, our Bit; most likely on its last legs today.
‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
Now that my Friends, is something we have much control over! And isn’t it just great to praise and worship our wonderful God, and tell others about Him? It sure is, especially on a Sunday when many of us gather in church to fellowship and sing His endless praises.
Oh my people, today when we raise our voices in praise and worship, let’s make it something extremely special nuh, let’s raise the roofs on our sanctuaries! Let the feeling of acclamation come truly from the depths of our souls!
Let’s get in agreement with the psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite, as he proudly proclaims: ‘And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him.’ (Ps. 89:5-7)
And in total agreement, all God’s people shouted a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes my Friends, there is NONE mightier or more worthy of praise than the ONE TRUE GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Creator and Controller of this mighty universe!
And there’s absolutely no doubt about that, for as John so wisely puts it: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended (apprehended) it not.’ (John 1:1-5)
Ah mih breddren, what a magnificent description as it refers to Jesus and His relationship to Almighty God! No other supposed deity can lay claim to such fame, to such distinction! So please, my people, please let’s start paying Him the proper respect and reverence He so awesomely deserves nuh.
Not the wishy washy way too many of us currently behave towards our wonderful Lord and Saviour, who gave up His sinless life for us, so that we could be reconciled to the Father. That fact alone deserves undying gratitude and LOVE!
And we’ll end with further proof and justification of His glorious majesty, through the words of His staunch disciple, Peter, as He calls for true and serious Christian dedication.
‘Seeing that ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned (sincere) LOVE of the brethren, see that ye LOVE one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible (perishable) seed, but of incorruptible (imperishable), by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.’ (1 Pet.1:22-25)
Oh Friends, I can’t put it any better than that, so I won’t even try to clarify it. I’ll just say that it would be such a pleasure, such a motivating force, if more of us could truly rise up and give Jesus His just desserts; put Him first in ALL we do, with the awe and veneration that’s His rightful due.
Then His church and His LOVE Revolution would surely grow by leaps and bounds, and consequently, our world would be a much better place to dwell.
Let’s ponder that today Friends, and for our children’s sake, put it into action, as soon as possible. Much LOVE!
…to all believers…this Christmas season…let’s truly show our LOVE and adoration for Jesus…let’s truly make Him NUMBER ONE…on all the earth…as well as in heaven…
13 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: awesome majesty, bear burdens, Bruh David, called to courage, change, Christmas Season, contemplation, covenant, cry in distress, deliver us from sin, descendants, do not be afraid, eternal death, eternal life, Ethan the Ezrahite, ever-faithful God, everlasting faithfulness, faithful, faithful promise, faithfulness, fear, fellowship, Firday 13th, for ever, forgiveness, foundation of the earth, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generations, generous help, God's sure promises, gospel truth, grace, greatest gifts to man, grow old, heaven, Jesus Christ, jesus name, joyfully shouting, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving, loving kindness, magnanimous god, make known, merciful, no labour, omnipotent, perseverance, pilgrims, proudly, ravages, refreshed in soul, relaxation, renewed, respect, rest, right track, salvation, seed, smoke, sojourn, stand strong, steadfast faith, superstition, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Lord's mercies, time to sing, true, true believer, ungodly earth, vanish away, veneration, weekend, wisdom, work of thy hands
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday…Friday the 13th! Now does that raise fears in your spirit, re it being an unlucky day? I surely hope not, because there’s absolutely nothing to fear from a Friday that falls on the 13th day of the month.
It’s just a bunch of superstitions dating back to who knows when and where! They can’t even decide where it originally came from. So we’ll repeat, there’s nothing to be afraid of on this Friday 13th December 2013, or any other Friday 13th at all!
And that’s especially so if you’re a true believer in Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord and Saviour. He’s faithfully promised to save us from any evil, so there’s nothing to be afraid of. And just in case you’re one of those who have difficulty handling a Friday 13th, then you’re probably suffering from ‘Paraskevidekatriaphobics.’
Yes Friends, it’s a big word for a fear that ought not to exist! So please keep joyfully shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ because whether it’s called black, or misfortune, or unlucky Friday, it’s still the day before the weekend, and there’s no labour for two, whole, big, long days! (smile)
And to keep us on the right track, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much affirmation nuh. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that’s the right way to view the weekend my people! And in conjunction with our Bit, we shall certainly stand strong this weekend.
Our Bit comes from Psalm 89, which deals with God’s sure promises to Bruh David. It’s a contemplation written by Ethan the Ezrahite, a man of much wisdom, (1 Kin.4:31) and also one of the singers in Bruh David’s band. (1 Chr.15:19)
So he was well qualified to declare in the opening verse: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
And this Christmas season my brethren, is certainly a time to sing of and make known to all and sundry, the great mercies and the everlasting faithfulness of our omnipotent and magnanimous God!
Look, He promised to deliver us from sin and its ravages, death eternal, and in response sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to do it, thus giving us the two greatest gifts ever known to man; salvation and eternal life! Wow! Now how can we not jump and shout for joy at those two life saving and life giving situations eh?
And as the psalmist continues: ‘For I have said, Mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.’ (Ps.89:2-4)
And all of that is gospel truth my Friends! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to these scriptures which declare and establish that LOVING-kindness and faithfulness of our eternal God.
Psalm 102, a cry in distress, puts it thus: ‘Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed (descendants) shall be established before thee.’ (Ps.102:25-28)
Who says our God isn’t merciful, LOVING, faithful, omnipotent and true eh! He certainly is my people, as all of us can attest to in so many aspects of our lives!
And we’ll end today with this outstanding verse from Isaiah, where the faithful are called to courage. ‘Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax (grow) old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished (broken).’ (Is.51:6)
Oh my people, please hang on tightly to those words of our ever-faithful God, because it’s in His words, His promises, that we find courage, perseverance and steadfast faith to bear our burdens as pilgrims on this evil, ungodly earth!
And we’ll have more corroborative scripture on this topic tomorrow to boost our spirits, provided the Lord’s in favour, of course.
But till then my Friends and fellow believers, please, please, let’s stand steadfast and strong, and sing staunchly and proudly of our God; of His mercies, His LOVING-kindness, His forgiveness, His grace and all the other wonderful stuff that He’s so faithfully and LOVINGLY provided to help us on our short sojourn here on earth. Much LOVE!
…when God’s people stand strong…in faith…LOVE…and mercy…the whole world takes notice…and stands up in respect, in veneration…of His awesome majesty…
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