07 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comedy of errors, attention away from God, birth of Christ, black cake, cash registers, cast ye away, celebrations, centre-piece, chiding, conception, consternation, defile not, drinking, eating, every man, Ezekiel, fellowship, Friday chant, frivolous, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, Ham, Happy Holidays, I am the Lord your God, idols, in Jesus' name, Israel, Jesus, jubilant, kaching, like no tomorrow, mating call, Merry Christmas, piqued my interest, pomp, pride, rebellious people, relaxation, rest, shopping party, singing carols, siren, sweet Christmas music, taken aback, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the abomination of his eyes, the best eats, the Good Book, the Lord's wrath, the lure, the ordinary workingman, the real world, the reason for the season, the waters flow, trappings, untenable situation, West Indian delicacies
Ezekiel 20:7. Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abomination of his eyes (which are before his eyes), and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
And then it was Friday…a whole comedy of errors! The sun’s shining brightly, but I’m tired and listless… Why? Because I never truly got to bed until six o’clock this morning. I did something I haven’t done in ages; read a book through the night! Bubba! It was good, though I’m paying for it now. I went to bed around 12.30, woke up about two, and I’ve had this book on my small Kobo e-reader that I usually only use for doctor’s appointments and such, because it’s small and easy to carry around.
But a few days ago I began this book and it piqued my interest, and I’ve been wanting to finish it ever since. So when I got up around two a.m to go the bathroom and feeling fresh, I just couldn’t resist the lure and the incessant mating call of the book siren. (smile) So I sat on the edge of my bed and just read until it was done. And I wasn’t disappointed either. Imagine my consternation though, when I looked at the clock and saw five fifty five. Hn, hn!
Then when I got up just now, I thought I saw the clock saying 8 o’clock…so I thought fine. I’m okay. But just after making my coffee, I happened to look at the clock on the stove and saw it saying after nine. Obviously I was taken aback, and had to look at the clock on the microwave to confirm that it was really after nine. So obviously the Bit will be late… And that’s my story… And I’m sticking to it! (smile)
But out there in the real world all the working people are smiling and jubilant, hugging and kissing and wishing each other Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays, as they write their Christmas lists or get to the stores to fill them! And there’s none more jubilant than the ordinary workingman as he sings his Friday song:
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday…and Christmas is on the way! The merchants will be smiling as their cash registers go …kaching…kaching! But I’ll be enjoying the best part of the season; eating and drinking and singing carols! Let them spend up the money that they don’t have on gifts and all the other trappings!
Me, I’ll just be taking it easy, karaying mih body as the sweet Christmas music washes over me, and the waters flow like there was no tomorrow! And the eats! Mama Yo! Christmas holidays have the best eats ever; the black cake and the big Christmas ham and all them other fine West Indian delicacies! Brother! I’m I ever thankful for Fridays and weekends, especially at Christmas time! That is the bestest!’
And I do have to agree with the workingman; Christmas time is the best time in terms of eats as well as celebrations. But please, let’s not forget the real reason for Christmas; the miraculous conception and virgin birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
That’s what Christmas is supposed to be all about, although, like everything else we’ve turned it into one big shopping party and half of us don’t even know or remember the real reason for the supposed Christmas Holiday! Chuh Poole! That’s my own statement of disgust at that untenable situation!
Anyway, our Friday Chant might not be as frivolous and celebration tinged as the workingman’s song, but it’s what we need to keep us on the straight and narrow. So let’s chant up a storm nuh, just like the workingman did. Altogether 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!’
And not having a Bit for the day, I just opened the Good Book unto an interesting piece of scripture; the prophet Ezekiel chiding the rebellious people of Israel in the Lord’s name. ‘Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abomination of his eyes (which are before his eyes), and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’
Oh my people, I believe the Lord is saying the same thing to us today, re all the idols we’re focused upon, especially in this festive Christmas season. Remember, whatever takes our attention away from God is an idol!
And you can’t doubt the fact that at Christmas time when we’re supposed to be wrapped up in the glorious birth of Christ, most of us are more wrapped up in the trappings and gift buying and the holiday time than that most auspicious occasion, the sacred birth of Jesus Christ, God’s greatest gift to man!
And the sad part is that many of our homes don’t have the aura of Christ floating around as we prepare for this special occasion. Nothing’s wrong with all the celebrations and festivities, but please friends, please, I implore us, let’s put the horse before the cart nuh, let’s make Jesus the centre-piece of our Christmas activity, as it ought to be, so that we don’t incur the Lord’s wrath!
Don’t fool yuh fat nuh, that wrath WILL come eventually, if we keep up the idol worship! The Lord might be long-suffering, but certainly not for ever! Much LOVE!
…remember…Jesus IS the reason…for the Christmas season…let’s acknowledge it…with plenty pomp and pride nuh…
03 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a solitary place, adversaries, all flesh, almighty god, antidote, ask in prayer, aura of love, be anxious for nothing, believing, come unto thee, confidence, confidently, cry out, declare our needs, departed, direct communication, enthusiasm, ever-Loving, evil, faith, friends, give myself, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, grace, guard your hearts and minds, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, iniquities, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, merciful God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, passes all understanding, peace, prevail, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, sins, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, supplications, temptations, thanskgiving, the peace of God, the Son of God, the throne of grace, thou that hearest prayer, to heaven, transgressions, trust, truth, ungodly world, unhappy disposition, vicissitudes of life, wisdom
Psalm 65:2. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
Enough friends, enough with the steupsing and the sad, tired, unhappy disposition just because it’s Monday and you have to go to work. Like all else, and like it does every week, Monday will pass, it will morph into Tuesday and you won’t even realize it.
So I don’t see why we have to get ourselves in such a dither every week when Monday rolls around. Some of us have been working for umpteen years, and every Monday morning we have the same negative response.
Chuh man! Is time to stop that now, don’t you think? All that doing is wasting yuh time and tying you up in unnecessary knots, making yuh life more complicated than necessary. But all I can do is talk, and if that is the way you choose to live your life, then who am I to say you nay eh?
This I can do though; invite you to pray with me every Monday morning, trill up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to heaven; a sure antidote for whatever ails you.
Just think about this nuh: yesterday the day dawned cold and rainy, but by lunchtime the skies were blue and the sun shining. That same change, from sad and blue, to bright and sunny, can take place in your system if you join with us to cry out to heaven. So altogether now, let’s come confidently before the throne of grace, and declare our needs, to an ever-LOVING, kind and merciful God.
‘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!’
Glory be mih people! I can see the light in your eyes, the confidence in your body language, all saying that you’re ready now to go out and do battle for and with our Field General, Jesus Christ! Wow! Isn’t it great what prayer can do for us? And it should make a difference, because it’s the most powerful tool cum weapon in the universe! It’s God’s explosive answer to the pretensions of the enemy!
And today we just going to look at some scriptures that deal with or simply show the importance of prayer, starting with our Bit, the treasured words of Bruh David. ‘O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.’ What wisdom my people! And that is what we just finished doing, which means we wise.
And why do we come to the Lord in prayer? Partly as Bruh David says in the next verse: ‘Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.’ (Ps.65:3) Yeh friends, when temptations, sins and all the vicissitudes of life come against us, our ONLY hope is Almighty God! Please NEVER forget that!
And as Bruh David says later on: ‘For my (in return for my) LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ (Ps.109:5) Prayer should always be our first response to ANY and ALL situations my fellow believers!
Now listen to Jesus’ advice on the subject: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:11) Yeh friends, you can’t just pray willy nilly, or without conviction, but your prayers must rise up with strong belief that they will be favourable answered.
And just to show that Jesus, the awesome and august Son of God, practiced what he preached, listen to these words of Mark. ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he (Jesus) went out, and departed in a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Now that verse shows two things; (1) Jesus prayed earnestly and persistently before making important decisions, (2) He began each day with prayer. Now if the Son of God thought those things were ever so important, who are we mere mortals, to think otherwise eh?
And we going to make the Bit short today (smile), so we’ll end with these wise, encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:6-7)
So there you have it friends; prayer, our greatest tool in this life, but it must be accompanied by belief, and also with thanksgiving to have the utmost power. So let’s get powerful today by praying thus nuh! Much LOVE!
…prayer…direct communication with Almighty God…what could be better eh…NOTHING…
30 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, Aldwin Roberts, another week of work, Bacchanalian behaviour, be saved, believers, best fruit, black cake, blessings, call upon his name, Christmas, come home to Jesus, Controller, Creator, declare his doings, destructive behaviour, diligence, draw water, enlightening, eternal life, eternal separation, exalt His name, excellence, far out on the limb, fearful, follow God's will, food, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, get moving, get up, ginger beer, God is my salvation, God's mercies, Ham, heavenly Father, idle, in all the earth, inhabitant of Zion, interesting, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, laze about, Lord and Saviour, Lord Kitchener, Moses, most dangerous place, my song, my strength, not be afraid, options, over the boundary, Parang, pastelle, paymee, plenteous, ponchacrema, Praise the Lord, quiet, rejoice and be glad in it, relaxation, rest, safely through, saints, salvation, send forth labourers, sinners, sorrell, spreading God's holy word, sweetbread, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thanksgiving, the Good Book, the harvest, the Holy One of Israel, The Israelites, the Lord Jehovah, the lost, the Red Sea, the waters, the workingman, this is the day the Lord has made, Trini style, trust, we time, weekends, with joy, witness, word of caution, work to do
Isaiah 12:2. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Greetings and salutations my believing brethren from our great God Jehovah, our heavenly Father, Creator and Controller of this amazing universe and all therein! And He has one message for us this somewhat dark and gloomy Friday morning: ‘I have made you see the light of another day, because I have work on earth for you to do. So please do it with a good attitude. And if you follow my will, you will see the blessings that accrue to you and yours!’
What a message friends! We have two options; to either do God’s work with excellence and diligence, or to laze about in idle and destructive behaviour. In other words, what the Lord’s saying to us is ‘This is the day that I have made, please rejoice and be glad in it!’ And we’d be extremely foolish to do otherwise!
But neither do we have to go to the extreme that the workingman does in his Friday song. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! It looks dark and miserable and dreary, like it going to snow. But snow can’t stop we from enjoying we time off on this weekend…especially with Christmas coming soon! Brother! Just imagine how the waters and the food going to flow nuh…all the pastelle and paymee…the sweetbread, the ham and the black cake…with sweet parang ringing out in the Christmas air…
Bubba! Yuh can’t beat a Trini Christmas at all nuh! And wherever we go, we carry it with we! Oh, and doh forget the Ponchacrema nuh. Like Kitchy use to sing in cold England: “Mama Yo…Drink a rum and a ponchacrema…drink a rum…it’s Christmas morning…drink a rum…” So this cold snowy weather not going to stop we from celebrating Trini style nuh. Not on yuh life brother! That’s why we does always say, ‘Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes, because that is we time! Glory be!’
But is true friends, yuh really can’t beat a West Indian style Christmas nuh…and Oh Lord, ah forget the sorrel and the ginger beer! How could I commit such a crime eh? (smile) That’s because it have so much things going on at Christmas time in the West Indies.
And a word of enlightenment here: ‘Ponchacrema is really ‘punch de crème’. ‘A potent brew made at Christmas time, consisting of eggs, milk, rum or brandy, bitters and crushed ice swizzled vigorously.’ And ‘Kitchy’ is the late Lord Kitchener, real name Aldwin Roberts (1922-2000), the ‘Grand Master of Calypso.’ And that was one of his first big hits in the fifties when he lived in England.
But another word of caution here; although the workingman’s heart is in his song, we believers are not advised to go so far out on the limb. Granted some of the best fruit might be out at the end of the limb, but out there is also the most dangerous place because the limb is thinnest there and the possibility of it breaking on us as we reach for that sweet, succulent fruit at the end is much greater than if we stay somewhere in the middle.
All of that simply means that that kind of bacchanalian behaviour is an open invitation for the enemy to invade our souls and secure an impregnable foothold. And that’s something we don’t ever want to happen mih people! Therefore, our Friday Chant is somewhat more toned down than the workingman’s weekend song. Please chant it with me now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts:
‘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, it’s necessary that we have fun and relaxation too, but not the over the boundary kind, because our Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ isn’t in favour of it and it spoils our witness for Him. And I’m chuckling here, because I got so caught up in the workingman’s song that I have no idea of what our Bit’s going to be. But soon come, going to check the Good Book.
Back in less than a minute, per the Lord’s favour. Opened the Good Book right on it. (smile) Give Him much thanks my brethren! Now hear this most appropriate scripture from the prophet Isaiah re thanksgiving for God’s mercies: ‘Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings (deeds) among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ (Is.12:2-6)
Oh my brethren that reflects the same things that the Israelites prayed under Moses when they crossed over the Red Sea. (Exodus 15) And they are all true! That means we too should be crying out the Lord’s praise and thanksgiving because we are enjoying His earthly blessings with the promise of salvation and eternal life in the near future.
So why are we supposed believers so quiet and fearful in this evil world eh? It’s time for us to get up and get moving, let the world know what Jesus has done for ALL of us, and give them the chance to get to know Him too. That’s the job the Lord had for us at the beginning of today’s writing; spreading His Holy word and bringing people to His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so that they won’t suffer the torment of eternal separation from Jehovah God.
So let’s get with it nuh my people. There’s not that much time left and there’s much work to do. As Jesus so rightly said so long ago, and it’s still so appropriate today: ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-39) Yeh friends, we need plenty of us to go out there and help the lost be saved and come home to Jesus. Much LOVE!
…in a world of so many sinners…there are comparably…only a few saints to witness to them…
P.S. Yeh friends, I know it’s sorta late and long, but it’s certainly interesting and enlightening! (smile)
26 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joy, about God's business, almighty god, at the right hand of God, aura of love, author, Black Friday, catalyst, champions, cheaper, cloud of witnesses, compassed about, confidence, Cyber Monday, despsing any shame, earthly race, easily ensnares us, economic czars, enthusiasm, enticements, example, exciting activity, exhilarating, expectation, faith, finisher, friends, glorious kingdom, God Jehovah, good and faithful servant, greedily, holy spirit, humble servants, in a different guise, in the name of the Lord, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, kaching, keep keeping on, lay aside every weight, lies, LOVE, lures, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my benefit, omnipotent Creator, online shopping, physical stores, race, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, ride the good race, run, run with patience, sales, seeing, selfishly, shop, sin, sincere hearts, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strong voice, surrounded by, taunts, the devil's work, the race set before us, trust, ungodly world, welcome, well done, wiles, wisdom
Hebrews 12:1. Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (endurance) the race that is set before us.
Well a Happy Cyber Monday to all you my wonderful friends and Scrip-Bit family out there in God’s great universe! It is a joy coming to you today in the name of the Lord, but not this early though. (smile) You can thank the medics again for that, because I have an early appointment for a vision test in the city. I’m tempted to cancel it, but the Lord’s telling me that wouldn’t be wise since it’s all for my benefit and no one else’s.
So, ergo, I’m up and about His business this early in the morning. But when and where is it going to end eh? I’m talking about the mad rush for sales that are not really sales, only eye candy to draw you into these business places to spend what you don’t have on what you don’t need. Last Friday was called Black Friday; the day to do the rushing at the physical stores. Today has been aptly named, Cyber Monday; the day for online shopping!
But how much shop can we shop eh people? I know I can’t afford to shop at all! (smile) And what do I really need that’s out there, that’s theoretically much cheaper than at other times eh? NOTHING! I have more stuff than I can already use. Right now I’m in the giving away mode rather than the acquiring one.
But the economic czars are not happy unless their cash machines are continually going, ‘kaching, kaching!’ And they will selfishly and greedily throw out all kinds of enticements to make it happen. But please don’t be taken in by their lures my friends. It’s just the devil’s work at hand in a different guise.
Anyway, it’s Monday, and plenty of us are sad and miserable, so let’s invoke the grace and mercy of our great God Jehovah by declaring our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in strong voice with sincere hearts.
As one 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!’
Yeh friends, that’s a powerful call to our omnipotent Creator! And I’m sure we’re all feeling a li’l lighter and brighter in our spirits now because He has allowed His Holy Spirit to work in us the way we asked. So now, let’s get on our horses and ride nuh, ride the good race for Jesus!
As Bruh Paul says in our Bit: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (endurance) the race that is set before us.’
Yes my believing brethren, we’re all in a race, and the heroes of faith, plus the basic and simple witnesses who have gone before us are looking down on us with great expectation that we should finish it like the champions we’re meant to be. It’s not an easy race to run, but we’ve been gifted with all that we need to successfully run it.
And yuh see, we even different from Bruh Paul; he was running the race, but we’re riding the race, (smile) because we have much improved means of getting around than Bruh Paul had in his day. We can also get the message out further and faster than he could. So although our mode of living and spreading the good news gospel might be slightly different, our big job is still to live it as exemplarily as we can, and spread it as far and wide and forcibly as we have opportunity to.
And the catalyst and example we have for doing all that is none other than our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Listen to Bruh Paul again: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of the God.’ (Heb.12:2)
Yay mih breddren! Jesus set the course of faith and finished it with excellence, despising any shame and other negative stuff that was involved in it. And thus the Lord had Him sit at His right hand after enduring the cross on our behalf without any complaints. Likewise, we are expected to finish our earthly race without too much complaining, looking forward to the great rewards that have been laid up in heaven for those who finish the race successfully.
Jesus is standing at the door to heaven to greet us with a big hug and a bright and exhilarating: ‘Welcome and well done, thou good and faithful servant!’ Just imagine that wonderful greeting in your mind’s eye nuh, and it will help you to keep on keeping on! Much LOVE!
…riding for Jesus…Wow…it’s the most exhilarating and exciting activity on earth…
23 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sad world, a tad grouchy, all the nice things, an easy mark, another week of work, be in the world, Black Friday, black up, body soul and mind, boundaries, brought nothing, Bruh Paul, Canada, carry nothing, Christians, clothing, confession, contemplating life, contentment, coveted after, crooked, deceitful self, destruction, disrupt our souls, drown men, earthly life, economic czars, enthusiasm, erred from the faith, essentials, eternal life, every step, fellowship, fend him off, fight the good fight, food, foolish public, frantic attempts, Friday chant, full mih belly, full mih eyes, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, godliness, great gain, I will rejoice and be glad in it, idols, in Jesus name, LOVE, lying awake, many arrows, meekness, money, never gives up, not of the world, on sale, on the lookout, patience, pierced themselves, raiment, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, righteousness, ruin, rush to shop, seek first, slave work, sober, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, Thanksgiving Day, the devil, the folly, the kingdom of God, the LOVE of money, the root of all evil, the trend, the workingman's song, this is the day the Lord has made, Timothy, witnesses
1 Timothy 6:6. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Well friends, it’s that big day, Friday…but unfortunately the ole fella’s not in great shape. I went to bed late last night and my sleep was disturbed so many time by getting up to go to the bathroom and just getting up and lying there awake so many times that I eventually lost count. Chuh! I was even up for about half an hour contemplating life before I finally got out of bed.
So you must know that I was a tad grouchy, and to make matters worse that slimy crook, the devil, who’s always on the lookout for an easy mark, was there on my shoulder whispering all sorts of nonsense to me, until I shut him up by telling him: ‘Listen here nuh devil, I might be feeling somewhat low this morning but I’m not the easy mark you think I am eh. I still know that this is the day the Lord God of Israel has made, and yuh know what…I will rejoice and be glad in it, despite how I feel, so be gone with yuh ole lying, crooked deceitful self!’
Wow! And he was gone! Sometimes friends we just have to tell the ole deceiver where to get off. But he’ll be back later to try again. We constantly have to fend him off, because he NEVER stops trying to get into our souls and disrupt them! And I’m saddened not only by lack of proper rest but also because today is what has become known as ‘Black Friday.’
Steups! The day after Thanksgiving Day in the U.S has now become the biggest shopping day of the year in North America, overshadowing even the Boxing Day charade! Hn! Hordes of unruly human animals line up at all ungodly hours of the morning to rush and push and run over each other in their frantic attempts to get into stores that advertise a few things on sale; things that most of them don’t really need, neither can afford, but because it’s on sale…Ah Lord eh!
The economic czars are lowering everything to their lowest denominator, so they can catch the foolish public into making their cash registers go kaching…kaching! And the saddest part is that Thanksgiving is no longer about really giving thanks, but much more about Black Friday. Everything seems to be rushed so that we can get ready for it. Even in Canada now the trend has caught on, because if the shopkeepers here don’t adapt, our foolish citizens will head to the U.S. to participate in the folly.
And I really heard more about Black Friday than Thanksgiving in the last week or so, on the t.v and in the newspapers. Everybody had an ad out for it. Truthfully, if a friend hadn’t written me yesterday morning and reminded me, I would probably not have mentioned Thanksgiving at all in the Bit. What a sad world we’re living in eh mih breddren, where the LOVE of money and useless stuff is all the rage.
And the workingman doesn’t do us any favours in his song either: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Black Friday to boot! Where we shopping to kill! Buying up all the nice things in the stores and dem! Brother! Look at that nice big t.v on sale for only three hundred dollars nuh! And that tablet computer for only a hundred! Ah mih people, ah full mih belly yesterday, Thanksgiving Day, now today ah going to full mih eyes and dem. And no slave work until Monday morning, if ah not black up still… Who say ah not thankful for Black Friday and weekends eh?’
Ah friends, what a sad tale. And people have indeed been killed in the rush to shop…but it continues nonstop. Thankfully though, as believers in Jesus Christ, we’re not allowed to go so far out on the limb. We’re restrained by more sober boundaries. So let’s chant our Friday Chant with just as much, if not more enthusiasm than the workingman did in his song nuh. (smile)
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, there’s something to be said for being sober! (smile) And we’ll end today with a sermon from way back when, from Bruh Paul to Timothy that addresses the problem they faced two thousand years ago, and which we still face today. He’s been talking about all the strife and evil that’s been happening in Timothy’s surroundings, and finally declares:
‘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 be therewith 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, and pierced themselves through with many arrows.’ (1 Tim.6:6-10)
Ah friends, food and clothing and money are essentials in this earthly life, but it’s when we go overboard and let them become our gods, our idols, that we fall into trouble. There’s nothing wrong in wanting to be rich, but it’s the path we take to fulfilling that dream that causes problems. Jesus says that we should seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first, then we’ll get all the earthly things we need. (Matt.6:33)
And Bruh Paul tells Timothy: ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience and meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim.6:11-12)
Yes my fellow believers, we too have confessed a good confession before many witnesses as to our trust and fellowship in the body of Christ, so please, let’s do as Bruh Paul says nuh, and stop behaving like the rest of the world! That’s our bounden duty as followers of Christ! Much LOVE!
…Christians…be in the world…but not of the world…
19 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversaries, air of sadness, almighty god, an abomination, arsenal, ask in prayer, aura of love, awesome power of prayer, believing, boldly, Christians, Confess your faults, confidence, conquer the world, die for us, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fervent prayer, for my love, friends, fun and frolic, glorious kingdom, God's creation, God's delight, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, I give myself, in Jesus' eyes, invincible, jaded, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, lift our spirits, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, most powerful tool, permeates our society, pray, pray without ceasing, prayer, prayer of the upright, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salt of the earth, salvation, Seasonal Affective disorder, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sufficient light, taunts, the angel of the Lord, the Good Book, the light of the world, the throne of grace, trespasses, trust, ungodly world, unto prayer, weekend, were yet sinners, wisdom, ye shall receive
Psalm 109:4. For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
So once again it is Monday friends; that day that so many of us dread without just cause. (smile) And no doubt, in these northern climes it’s also going to be another dreary and gloomy looking day, like the last few have been…Steups! No wonder an air of sadness permeates our society in the winter months, something which we’ve finally recognized to be a serious problem and now term ‘SAD -Seasonal Affective Disorder,’ or something to that effect. (smile)
And it happens a lot when the human animal is not getting sufficient light in their diet. And for sure we haven’t gotten enough in ours in the last little while! But the worse day for it to happen is on a Monday, when we’re already jaded and miserable over having to get up and go out to work after a weekend of fun and frolic.
But fear not my people, for we might not have the physical sun at our disposal today, but we have a bigger, better and even brighter light than that dwelling within us; that’s our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus…the LIGHT OF THE WORLD! His Holy Spirit is there to shed inner light on the darkness of our souls, which we are supposed to let shine on the outside to the rest of the world. For remember, we are the salt and light of the earth in Jesus’ eyes.
So what if we shaking it a tad rough this Monday morning eh? Please don’t let it get us down, instead, let’s join together in prayer, the most powerful tool in God’s creation, and allow it to lift our spirits, let them soar right up to the dark, dreary clouds above. (smile) So altogether now, with confidence, for remember we have to approach the throne of grace boldly but humbly.
‘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!’
Yuh see friends, yuh see the awesome power of prayer? Yuh realize now that your mood has suddenly lifted and you are now rearing to get out into the evil world and give it all you’ve got for Jesus! Mama Yo! That’s why as believers we need to pray, we’ve been instructed do so, and to do it continually, without ceasing. (1 Thess.5:17)
And that’s why Bruh David wisely declared in our Bit: ‘For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ He realized that on his own, he had no sway, or hold over those who came against him, but through prayer, with His omnipotent God by his side, he could be a mighty conqueror. And the same thing applies to us my brethren, if we would only give prayer a chance.
Now let’s look at some instances in the Good Book where prayer was greatly utilized. But first, hear these immortal words of Jesus on the subject to the disciples. ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22) However, please note the most important word in that sentence is ‘believing.’ You have to believe; otherwise it’s a waste of time!
Now hear Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.’ (Prov.15:8) Yeh friends, our wonderful God takes great pleasure in hearing from those who believe in Him. So much so that James could confidently say: ‘Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:6)
Then He goes on to give the example of how Elijah, a man just like us, prayed earnestly that it shouldn’t rain and it didn’t rain for three and a half years. Then he prayed for rain…and wonder of wonders…rain came tumbling down! (smile)
And I like this particular occasion when prayer worked its wonders. That’s after Herod kills James and locks up Peter, intending to bring him out after the Passover and make a public spectacle of him. The Good Book says though: ‘Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.’ (Acts 12:6) And that same night the angel of the Lord came and escorted him out of the prison without a soul being the wiser.
However, we also see here the problem of believing. For when Peter caught himself and realized what had happened, he made his way to the house of John Mark where people were praying for him. But when he knocked on the door and a lady who recognised his voice went and told the others that he was indeed free and outside, they foolishly claimed: ‘It is his angel.’ (Acts 12:15) So what’s the use of praying if you don’t believe that God can, and will answer your prayers eh? None whatsoever!
So friends, let’s ‘wisen’ up nuh, believe what our faith says, and above all, trust in the Lord God Almighty who LOVES us more than we can ever imagine, and who, while we were yet sinners, sent His One Son, Jesus Christ to die for us! Much LOVE!
…with LOVE and PRAYER in his arsenal…the believing Christian…can conquer the world…
P.S. And bringing it even closer to home. Yuh think I could write such wonderful Bits over such a long period of time without sincere prayer and belief? Not on yuh life! (smile) Much LOVE!
16 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accusations, adversity, after one time is two, all the while, allegations, as long as breath is in me, as long as I live, bacchanalian way, Bacchus, be of good cheer, black up, Christians, cohorts, desktop, doh give a darm, drink on an empty stomach, enjoy the fruit of your labour, enjoy yuh weekend, evil, fellowship, forget about work, freedom, Friday chant, Fridays, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, God forbid, hardship, hold fast, i have overcome the world, in Jesus' name, in my nostrils, infinite wisdom, judgemental, justify you, laptop, let the alki flow, LOVE, make of mess of everything, man's penchant, messed up the moon, Microsoft Outlook, my lips shall not, of good integrity, off kilter, on the blink, pittance, pure, refreshed, relaxation, remove mine integrity, renewed, reproach me, rest, righteousness., sense of purpose, sincerity of heart, slave driver's whip, snowfall, soul body and mind, speak wickedness, terrestrial place, TGIF!, thank God, Thank God is Friday, the bulb blew, the god of pleasure, the Good Book, the slave labour, the Spirit of God, the workingman's song, till I die, tired, tribulation, truthful, turned on the light, unsullied by man, utter deceit, virginal, weekend, when Monday comes, working-class breddren
Job 27:3-4. All the while (as long as) my breath is in me, and the spirit (breath) of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
Ah mih friends, as the ole people would say, when is not one thing is two yes… and sometimes even three, as happened with me this morning. Steups!
The first thing is I woke up late, about nine o’clock, because my sleep schedule was somewhat thrown off kilter last night. Then when I came down to write the Bit, I couldn’t get on to Microsoft Outlook, which is where my stuff is.
The server has proper access and good strength, but Outlook seems to be on the blink. For those of you who use it, the circle at the bottom of the stylized ‘O L’ just keeps going around in circles. So after about fifteen minutes of trying, couldn’t even get to it through Firefox, I decided to try the laptop upstairs.
And wonder of wonders, the third thing happened; as I turned on the light to go up the stairs, the bulb blew. Hn, hn! I couldn’t do anything else but laugh. But upstairs on the laptop, the same nonsense happened.
Now at eleven o’clock I’m back downstairs on my desktop, and still can’t get through to Outlook. I can get everything else but that. And without it, I can’t send off the Bit.
So finally, the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, put the brilliant idea to just write it in Word, like I always do anyway, and then transfer it whenever Outlook becomes available. Now why couldn’t I have thought about that two hours earlier eh?
And I would hate to think that the little snowfall that happened yesterday afternoon and overnight has put the great Microsoft system down for the count! Well, in fact it wasn’t a li’l snowfall, but the first big one for the season. (smile)
And during the night it looked so beautiful; pure, virginal and unsullied by man, covering the rooftops and the trees in a perfect white blanket. But then the morning comes, and man gets into it…and it gets all dirty and ugly, as man’s penchant is to make a mess of everything his hands touch.
Look at the mess we’ve made of God’s great earth…and how we’ve messed up the moon and are in the process of messing up any other terrestrial place we happen to land. But the most refreshing action of the morning is the workingman out there singing his song of weekend freedom, despite the snow and the hard times.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes mih working-class breddren! The weekend is here; two days of freedom from the slave driver’s whip! And don’t mind the snow nuh, because we don’t have to go outside to party, we can do it inside just as well.
So let the alki flow…and bring on all the food, because yuh know a man can’t drink on an empty stomach…is not a wise thing to do! And just forget everything about work and the slave labour we involved in for the next couple days…And besides, if when Monday come yuh still black up and tired, then don’t go to no blooming work!
What the slave massa going to do eh? Fire yuh… so what! Yuh go to work for another slave driver. It have plenty ah them out there who willing to hire you for the li’l pittance they willing to pay.
The important thing though, is to enjoy yuh weekend and the li’l free time as much as possible and doh give a darm about anything else! Just thank God for Fridays and weekends so you could enjoy the fruit of yuh labour like the Good Book says!’
And as always, the basic thing that’s wrong with the workingman’s song is his worship of the god of pleasure Bacchus and his bacchanalian ways. We as believers in Christ are not allowed to go that far because then the enemy will delightedly grab the opportunity to invade our souls and cause enormous confusion.
Thus our weekend song, our Friday Chant, is not as liberal and essentially borderless as the workingman’s song. Please chant it here with me now nuh, in sincerity of heart and a strong sense of purpose.
‘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!’
Oh friends, it is important to realize that as Christians, we too are entitled to have fun, to rejoice and enjoy the fruit of our labour, but not to the extremes that the workingman takes it to. We still have to keep a level and sober head, because the evil leader of this evil world and his evil cohorts are just lying in wait to destroy us.
And here, I opened the Good Book to these wonderful words of Job that comprise our Bit. His spirited response to the overly judgemental accusations and allegations of his supposed friends. ‘All the while (as long as) my breath is in me, and the spirit (breath) of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.’
Yeh friends, those are words that we should both think and utter whenever life seems to come against us. Despite hardship and adversity we should always try to be truthful and of good integrity.
As Job continues: ‘God forbid (far be it from me) that I should justify you (say you are right): till I die I will not remove (put away) mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach (reprove) me as long as I live.’ (Job 27:5-6)
Ah my fellow believers, that’s the attitude we need to have in this evil world. As the scholars explain. ’27:6. In spite of the loss of family, wealth, and health and the accusations of his friends, Job maintained his integrity to the end.’
Please let that be said of us in these tough and trying times nuh! Much LOVE!
…in the world ye shall have tribulation…but be of good cheer…I have overcome the world… (John 16:33b)
P.S. At 12.45 I’ve published the Bit on the Blog, but I still can’t send it out by email! Steups! But what can one do eh, now that we are slaves to technology! Much LOVE!
12 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a decent livelihood, a job, a roof over our heads, alive and kicking, almighty god, aura of love, Bless His Holy Name, Christians, confidence, desperate situation, doh break no bone, down in the dumps, drunk or sober, dumb sheep, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, food on our table, for the sheep, forget thy commandments, gives his life, glorious kingdom, glorious promise, gone astray, good advice, gospel truth, Granny's warning, griping, hellfire, holy spirit, humble servants, iniquity, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, laid on him, lies, like lost sheep, LOVE, loved us, mercy, mind yuh business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, praising the Lord, prayerful song, raise our voices, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., sacrifice, salvation, save the lost, seek thy servant, sheep, sinless life, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, the Father's request, the good shepherd, the name that's above every other name, the only hope, the other side of the coin, trust, truth, ungodly world, vitality, we have Jesus, wisdom, wonders never cease, worldly stuff
Psalm 119:176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep: seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
Wonders never cease mih breddren! Monday has quickly rolled around again…Praise the Lord! (smile) And some miserable, disturbed body is wondering why we praising the Lord for Monday? Well because we’re alive and kicking; we have strong, healthy families, a roof over our heads, and food on our table, and a job to go to that pays us money so we can sustain our earthly lives…and I can go on and on.
But what we need to thank God most for on this Monday morning is that we have Jesus! Bless His Holy Name! Yes friends, please bless that name that’s above all other names, for without Him we might have some of the worldly stuff we now have, but we wouldn’t have salvation and the glorious promise of eternal life. And that’s worth more than anything in this world.
So instead of griping about having to go to work, let’s look on the other side of the coin and consider those who don’t have a decent livelihood, and would just LOVE to have what we have. So let’s be thankful for all that we have and are, and if we feeling a bit low and down in the dumps this morning, then please join us as we raise our voices in prayerful song to heaven, soulfully and sincerely declaring our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
In unison 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!’
Yes my fellow believers, that will cure all your Monday morning ills! And I have to laugh because, as always, the loudest and croakiest voices were those of the people who do not have to go to work today. It’s not a full public holiday, but for some, because Remembrance Day fell on a Sunday, they get the following day off.
And for those of you who have already begun celebrating, getting into your cups, judging from your hoarse voices, please remember Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober please mind yuh business.’ That’s wonderful advice friends. And yuh know what the ole people say about that? ‘Good advice doh break no bone.’ Gospel truth that! And I just happened to hear it in a calypso on the radio yesterday afternoon. And all it basically means is that you can’t go wrong with good advice.
So now that everybody’s up and about, in good spirits, LOVING Jesus and each other, let’s concentrate on doing His will nuh, whatever plan(s) He has for each of our lives on this November day. And we going to follow some more good advice from the psalmist, that surely won’t break any bones, but more likely mend them, as we humbly cry out in our Bit to the Lord: ‘I have gone astray like a lost sheep: seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’
And is that ever the truth my people! So many of us have strayed from the straight and narrow path like, dumb, lost sheep, it’s not funny. And the only way to get back on the straight and narrow is for the Lord to search us out and bring us back.
And it’s not like we have forgotten His commandments, but for one reason or another, we’ve let them slide. And that’s not very wise. And sadly, we’ve been doing that for a very long time, which led Isaiah through God’s Spirit, to pen: ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is.53:6)
Yes friends, mankind was in a desperate condition, totally sinful, lost without a Saviour, until the Lord laid our heavy and abominable sins on the strong shoulders of Christ, the ONLY ONE who had the parts to bear them. And Jesus willingly took our sinful burden and compassionately gave us His righteousness in return. Wow! What an awesome Saviour He is!
As He said: ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt.18:11) And also: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that is exactly what He did my brethren; gave His sinless life for our sinful ones!
That’s why we ought to be everlastingly grateful to Him! He could have refused, but He knew that He was the ONLY hope for mankind, and He just could not refuse the Father’s request, because He knew how much the Father LOVED us, and it would break His heart if He lost even one sheep to the enemy. So let’s have no more questions about why we should praise God and thank Him for Jesus on this cold November morning! Just do it! (smile) Much LOVE!
…without the Good Shepherd Jesus… the dumb sheep…mankind…would be lost in hellfire for ever…
09 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hard week, a man should rejoice, advantage, all are of dust, another week of work, another wet morning, beat we too, boundaryless partying, bring him to see, carnal behaviour, destiny, do as we please, downward, drink, drive we plenty, drizzles, eat, effervescence, encourages the enemy, enjoy this good life, enthusiasm, eternity, faithfully serve God, feast on our souls, fellowship, flooded out, followers of Jesus christ, Friday chant, fun, further God's kingdom, generous help, God's LOVE, goodness, heritage, I perceive, in heaven, in his own works, in Jesus name, in soul body and mind, learn sense, let the waters flow, like beasts, like no tomorrow, like oxen, limitless, LOVE, massa, new times, nonsense, of the sons of men, one breath, party, people that fight, pittance, pouring rain, pre-eminence, refreshed, relaxation, Remembrance Day, renewed, rest, return to dust, sacrifice, safely through, selfless, slave driver, so does the other, spirit, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thanks and praise, that is his portion, the British Isles, the estate, the one dies, the spirit of man, the workingman, there's nothing better, to heaven, to the earth, Triune God, upward, we time, weekend, what shall be after him, yoke we up
Ecclesiastes 3:22. Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion (heritage): for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Can you believe it people…another wet morning! Chuh! I’ve lost count now. But thankfully, it has been mostly drizzles and not pouring rain, else we would have certainly been flooded out by now. I thought it was only in the British Isles that you had that kind of weather! (smile) And despite the cold, rainy weather this Friday morning, like the post office delivers be it rain, sleet, or snow, the workingman is out there singing his song.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! This week’s been a hard one; the massa really drive we plenty! Steups! He must be think we is oxen or something; the way he want to yoke we up and drive we. Chuh man! Ah sure he would beat we too, if he could get away with it. And all for the li’l pittance he pay we when the week done!
But these is new times, we learn sense, and we don’t put up with that kinda nonsense no more! But enough about the slave driver oui! This is we time to do as we please, to eat and drink and party like if there was no tomorrow…for who knows if we’ll see another day eh?
So let the food…and the waters flow…and remember this is Remembrance Day weekend…so we have to remember all them good people that fight so that we could enjoy this good life. So lift them up…and doh forget to treat the ones that still alive right eh! So leh we thank God for Friday’s, weekends and Remembrance Day, that we not warring no more, and we still around to remember!’
Yeh friends, the workingman was really worked up this morning! (smile) But as usual, he got most of it right, except the limitless, boundary less partying, which only encourages the enemy to feast on our souls.
That’s why as believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ, we institute limitations on our natural, animalistic, carnal behaviour. And that’s why our Friday Chant is different to the workingman’s song.
So please chant it now with me, bringing the same enthusiasm and effervescence that he brought to his praise offering. As one 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 my fellow believers, we also have the right to enjoy life, because that’s one of the things Jesus came and died for; that we might have life, and even have it more abundantly, till it overflows. (John 10:10) We only have to be careful we don’t go overboard and keep Jesus first in all that we do.
And there’s no better scripture for our Bit today than Cousin Sol’s immortal words on man’s destiny and heritage. As the richest and wisest man ever, in his search for fulfillment – and he had plenty time, money and opportunity to do so – he finally came to the conclusion: ‘I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest (test) them, and that they might see that they themselves are (like) beasts.
For that which befalleth (happens to) the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence (advantage) above a beast: for all is vanity (futility).
All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth (knows if) the spirit of man that goeth (goes) upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth (goes) downward to the earth?
Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion (heritage): for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?’
Wise words indeed my brethren! As we saw above that’s one of the reasons Jesus came to earth; enjoying earthly life while we worked towards heavenly eternity. And He also answered one question of Cousin Sol’s; that regarding whether man’s spirit goes upward or not?
And we can say with a joyful shout that the spirit of ALL true and sincere believers go UPWARD, to enjoy a rich and glorious life with the Triune God in heaven until time eternal! Glory to God my people! Give Him much thanks and praise for His wonderful goodness to us, for He undoubtedly deserves it!
What would we be without God’s LOVE and the selfless sacrifice of Jesus eh? Absolutely nothing but dust and hell bound spirits! Thankfully now though, we’re still dust, but heaven bound spirits! Glory Hallelujah! So please friends, let’s remember all that we’ve spoken about today and work it into our earthly lives, so that we can enjoy eternity with God, for that’s our destiny! Much LOVE!
…a glorious heaven… patiently awaits…those who sincerely LOVE God…and who diligently and faithfully serve Him…down here on earth…
02 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disicplined soul, a sound mind, a spirit of fear, a true believer, abolished death, accustomed to it, afford that luxury, am persuaded, attitude of jesus, be not ashamed, boundaries, brilliant sunshine, brought life, carefree, cause havoc, character, discipline, each step I take, eat and drink, Ephesus, eternal life, everyday lives, evil world, fellowship, followers of Jesus christ, forgiveness, Friday chant, full steam ahead, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, Gentiles, Glory be, God has not given us, grief, heartfelt plea, hold back, hold fast, immortality, in Jesus name, infiltrate our souls, laid back, lead and guide us, let the good times roll, LOVE, massa work, mercy, on our p's and q's, partaker of the afflictions, party time, power, power of God, qualities, rain, relaxation, rest, safely through, salvation, Satan, saved us, share the sufferings, slave mih life away, small pittance, sound words, stand strong, steadfast, steady diet, stop complaining, straight and narrow path, swing and sway, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, that good thing, the enemy, the gospel, the Holy Spirit, the testimony, the weekend, Timothy, week of work, win souls to Jesus, words of reassurance, workingman's song
2 Timothy 1:7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind (discipline).
Hear me calling: ‘Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day!’ That’s a heartfelt plea my brethren, because since I’ve come back from Jamaica, it’s been a steady diet of rain and more rain…and today looks like it might be more of the same. I guess the Lord’s reasoning is if we could have two weeks of brilliant sunshine, what’s wrong with a few days of rain eh?
And as the duchess recently informed me, in her usual frank manner: ‘Stop complaining. You’ve been here for forty years. You should be accustomed to it by now!’ (smile) But who ever gets accustomed to the cold October and November rains eh? I know one person whom it doesn’t seem to bother though, that’s the ordinary workingman, once it’s Friday he’s happy regardless of the weather. His primary focus is having two days off from work to party.
Hear him sing: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! And though the rain falling, and the place cold and miserable, I don’t care, because I don’t have to go to the massa work and slave mih life away for a small pittance and all the grief he want to cause me! Glory be! It’s the start of the weekend, that means is party time; time to swing and sway, eat and drink and let the good times roll! No holding back, just full steam ahead! Party, party, party! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’
Ah friends, don’t you wish we could be as laid back and carefree as the ordinary workingman? We all surely do. However, as believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we can’t afford that luxury because then the enemy, the evil Satan will joyfully infiltrate our souls and cause serious havoc therein. That’s why we need some boundaries in our everyday lives, points beyond which we won’t go, and that’s also why our weekend song, our Friday Chant is so different to his.
Chant it with me now 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!’
Yes my people, we need to be always on our p’s and q’s when dealing with this evil world we live in. We’re workers for Jesus and thus must show the character, qualities and attitude that’s becoming to His glorious name! And yes, it is difficult sometimes to stay on the straight and narrow path that Jesus recommends, but we do have the reassurance and wherewithal to stay the course.
Listen to these fruitful and famous words of reassurance from Bruh Paul to Timothy when the youngster was going through a rough time in his ministry in Ephesus. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind (discipline).’
Ah my people, each of us has been imbued with the Holy Spirit of Christ, which is supposed to lead and guide us in our daily lives; giving us that spirit of power, LOVE and a disciplined soul. However, it can only do its job if we listen to it and allow it to work its grace, mercy and forgiveness in our lives. So we do have what it takes to do Christ’s work, but most of us are not using those tools wisely.
Remember, the Lord, through the Holy Spirit can’t work properly in our lives unless we give up ALL aspects of our lives to Him. Many of us hold back some areas and only give over those we think the Lord might be interested in. But that’s a sure fallacy friends, the Lord’s interested in EVERYTHING in our lives. He doesn’t want bits and pieces of it, He wants it ALL!
Now listen, as Bruh Paul continues his reassurance to Timothy and to us. ‘Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions (share with me in the sufferings) of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (time).
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and LOVE which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.’ (2 Tim.1:8-14)
Oh friends, just a couple of points before we close. If we truly believe, then we cannot be ashamed of the gospel as so many of us are. And remember, Christ has abolished death and given us salvation unto eternal life. And that is assured! No one can take it from us. But we have to stand strong and steadfast in faith and do whatever it takes to win souls to Jesus and keep ourselves on the straight and narrow.
Let’s hope that these words of Bruh Paul will reassure us and remind us of all the power and LOVE and discipline that we do have through the Holy Ghost, from the work of Jesus Christ. Amen. Much LOVE!
…a true believer…should not be ashamed…of whatever he believes in…
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