29 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cloudy day, a parable, an expected end, and not to faint, balance out, boundary less, calamity, Christian brethren, come rain or shine, debtors, debts, decadent, enthusiasm, evil, extreme degree, fellowship, forgive our debtors, form of communication, Friday anthem, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, future, generous help, glory to God, God is in control, have a good time, heavenly Father, heavenly precipitation, high priest, hope, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, lax, lay siege, lecherous, leggo-beast, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving god, Lucifer, men ought always to pray, missing out, oodles of rain, parameters, parched, peace, plans, prayer, purposes, redeeming factor, refreshed, relaxation, relief, renewed, rest, sage advice, showers of blessing, soul body and mind, teach us to pray, temptation, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the enemy, the Lord's prayer, the workingman, thirsty, thoughts, to this end, vikey-vie, week of work, weekend, wisdom, without purpose
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
Ah friends, at long last a somewhat cloudy day in my area! And with it seems to be coming some heavenly precipitation. So far it’s only a slight sprinkle, but it’s better than nothing, for we haven’t seen rain around here in ages.
And although it’s nice to have sunny days, we also need some showers of blessing to balance out the situation. The ground around here is parched and thirsty, let’s hope it gets some much needed relief today.
But yuh see how life can be contrary? Places down south have been having oodles of rain and little sunshine, while we up here have been having lots of sunshine and no rain. The only redeeming factor is that our great and wonderful God is still in control of the universe He created!
Glory to God! So we know that there is a purpose, a plan to every move that happens within it, because our God does not move ‘vikey vie’ (without purpose).
And with all that being said, the workingman has already declared his Friday anthem: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui…even though it look cloudy! But come rain or come shine, we still going to have a good time this weekend!
Partying fuh so mih breddren! Who going to stop we eh? Nobody! Not even God in His high heaven! So we thank Him for Fridays and the weekends!’
Yeh mih people, the workingman, as usual, has gone a tad too far in planning his weekend reverie. All he’s doing there is opening up himself for the always-lurking enemy, Lucifer, to come in and lay siege to his life.
We Christian brethren cannot afford to be so lax and boundary less, since we don’t want the enemy to get even a toehold in our lives. And though our Friday Chant is not as effusive as the workingman’s anthem, it surely serves our purposes better.
So let’s chant it now with supreme enthusiasm 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.’
Yuh see friends, we’re still open to having fun and partying, but just not to the extreme degree that the workingman goes to. It’s also important that we prepare for the upcoming week, so that come Monday, we can go back out into the evil and ungodly world and diligently do the Lord’s work.
And to do that successfully, our Christian lives need to have boundaries set by our Lord and Saviour, our Leader and High Priest Jesus Christ! And if we don’t have them, then we can’t function properly in His economy.
Now please don’t think that we’re missing out on anything because we don’t behave like leggo- beast, (smile) lecherous and decadent, for we still have lots of good, clean fun within Jesus’ parameters.
And one of the main ways we stay within those parameters is by taking His sage advice in our Bit. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’
Yes my fellow believers, let’s not forget that prayer is our ultimate form of communication with our heavenly Father. And if we don’t pray, don’t communicate with Him, then we won’t know what plans and purposes He has for our lives.
And He DOES have a plan and a purpose for every life He creates, as He says in Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
My brethren, our merciful and ever-LOVING God ALWAYS has good thoughts and plans for us. There’s no sense in Him creating us in His own image, then thinking evil towards us. Anyway, we’ll end this series of messages on prayer with the classic example of prayer that Jesus gave us.
The Good Book tells us: ‘And it came to pass, that as he (Jesus) was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1)
And Jesus responded: ‘After this manner therefore pray ye: 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)
Oh my fellow believers, we all know that simple but all-encompassing prayer, but do we pray it, or some version of it? Not enough I believe. On the whole, I don’t think we communicate with our great and wonderful God enough, and that’s only to our detriment. For our sakes, as well as our children’s, let’s try and improve it nuh. Much LOVE!
…wisdom dictates…that a believer prays…always…and forever…
25 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a parable, adrenaline, all night in prayer, antidote, ask in prayer, aura of love, bask in the love of Jesus, believing, Christians, complaining, confidence, conquerors, constant activity, courage, death, deserted place, enthusiasm, evil, fat fannies, friends, get a move on, glorious kingdom, God's attention, good news, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, King of Kings, lies, Lord of Lords, LOVE, men of faith, men ought always to pray, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not to faint, our benefit, patient, persevering, prince of peace, promise, rejoicing in hope, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, resurrection, salvation, share the Love of Jesus, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, steadfast in prayer, surrender, taunts, the four corners of the earth, the Son of God, to this end, tribulation, trust, truth, ungodly world, weary souls, weeping, whining, wiles, wisdom, with God's help, workers of iniquity
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
Awright mih people, it’s that time again, Monday morning! So let’s be up and at ‘em nuh, bright and beautiful! No whining and complaining, just a faithful promise to bask in the LOVE of Jesus all day long, and consequently share that LOVE and the good news of His death, resurrection and salvation to all those with whom we come into contact.
Nothing could be better than that! We’d be enjoying ourselves as well as telling others about our wonderful Lord and Saviour, the ONE, the ONLY Son of God, Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Mighty Counselor, etc. etc! Who else has as many names as our Master eh? NOBODY! That just goes to show how far reaching is His influence and power.
However, He wants us to take his glorious message to all and sundry, to the four corners of the earth. And He’ll give us the ability and energy to do so, but we have to get up off our fat fannies and get a move on. So, if by chance, you are feeling the after effects of a tiring weekend, don’t worry, we have the antidote for your problem; our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Let’s belt it out now nuh, so we can get the adrenaline flowing and our spirits lifted.
‘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 friends, that prayer surely woke us up, boosted our spirits and gave us the courage to get a move on, to be about Jesus’ work. And why do you think that prayer energized us eh? Because prayer is the effective medium of communication between us and our heavenly Father. That’s what He commanded; we talk to Him through prayer.
No wonder Jesus made the connection in our Bit, during His earthly sojourn. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’ Obviously Jesus knew the connection of prayer between God and man, and also the power that sincere prayer possessed.
Consequently, after He cursed the fig tree and caused it to die, He said to the disciples. ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22) But please note, the most important word in the sentence is ‘believing.’ Unless you believe, you won’t receive.
And Jesus did practice what He preached, for Luke tells us: ‘And it came to pass that in those days, that he (Jesus) went out into mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.’ (Luke 6:12) Meanwhile Mark records: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
So friends, if the Son of God, needed to pray to communicate with His heavenly Father, who are we not to need the same eh? And please remember, it’s ALL FOR OUR GOOD, OUR BENEFIT! God doesn’t need prayer. Who is He going to pray to, Himself? And in these perilous and turbulent times we need prayer more than ever. And all the great men of faith, both told us to pray, and prayed fervently themselves.
Let’s check out a few examples. Hear Bruh Paul on the topic of prayer to the Romans, as he explains how Christians ought to behave: ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer.’ (Rom.12:12) Prayer was to be a constant activity in their lives.
Now listen to Bruh David. In Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection, he declares: ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning; O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell (sojourn) with thee.’ (Ps.5:3-4)
Then in Psalm 6 – A prayer for mercy, he warns his enemies: ‘Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.’ (Ps.6:8-9)
Ah friends, sincere prayer is the ONLY way to get our God’s attention, as evidenced by Jesus, Bruh David and many other great men of faith. So let’s review our prayer scene and try to improve it nuh, obviously with God’s help, since we can’t do much without Him. Much LOVE!
…without prayer…man is totally lost…
18 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a big splash for Jesus, a day in the life, a useful purpose, abide with you for ever, adrenaline, ambassadors, another comforter, aura of love, bear witness, Christians, confidence, conquerors, enthusiasm, famine, friends, get a move on, get excited, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, grace, harvest, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, humble servants, in christ, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, number one job, our Lord and Saviour, perfect remedy, plan, pray the Father, promise, purpose for our lives, rain, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, snow, spiritual armour, spreading the gospel, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, thanks and praise, The Day of Pentecost, the good news, the Spirit of truth, the will of God, truth, ulitmate priority, wiles, wisdom, working for Jesus
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.
Come on down friends and neighbours, it’s Monday morning, time to get excited about simply living. Time to give some thanks and praise that we haven’t seen our pictures or read our names in the obits this morning. Mama Yo! That means the Creator still has some plan and purpose for our lives down here, otherwise we’d be gone up on high, or down low, already.
So let’s get up and get a move on nuh. It’s going to be another glorious day in the life, regardless of what happens. And how do I know that? Well it’s obvious; because we are in Christ, and He is in us, which means we can handle anything that comes against us with His awesome help. Glory be mih people!
And for those of us who are finding it difficult to get up and get going, we have the perfect remedy for you; our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It’s guaranteed to put you in the groove. So let’s declare it right now, in loud, harmonious and enthusiastic voice.
‘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 Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes mih breddren, yuh see we weren’t lying when we said it would pick you up. So now that the adrenaline is flowing and your engine is purring like a well-tuned and well-oiled machine, let’s go out into the mish-mash world that we currently live in and make a big splash for Jesus, as He desires of us, His earthly ambassadors.
Remember, that working for Jesus is our number one job, our ultimate priority as Christians, and it’s not something we can do when, and if ever we feel so inclined. It’s something we have to be constantly working at. The good news of Jesus, like the mail, has to be declared to mankind each and every day, be it snow or rain, harvest or famine.
For we know not when Jesus is coming back, but whenever He does, those who are not living under his saving grace won’t ever have a chance to do so again. That’s why we have to get moving, get seriously working on Christ’s LOVE Revolution, so that hopefully none will eventually be lost, as our heavenly Father so earnestly desires.
And we are able carry out those desires because of the promise Jesus made to the disciples and also to us as He was getting ready to go back to heaven. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.’ And that Comforter was His Holy Spirit which began indwelling ALL believers from the Day of Pentecost.
Jesus knew that His followers would be helpless without Him around, but He, as a man, could only be in one place at any time. However His Spirit could exist in each and every man at the same time. And listen to the end of Jesus’ monologue when He told the disciples about how the world would hate them because they knew not God. (John 15:18-25)
‘But when the Comforter (Helper) is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.’ (John 15:26-27) And by extension my people, the Comforter , the Holy Spirit, the Helper, sent from Christ, is also beside us as we bear witness of Christ. What a magnificent assurance of God being with us with each breath and step we take in this confused and crazy, strife-filled world!
Now here is some interesting info from the scholars re the Procession of the Spirit. ‘15:26. The action of the word translated “proceedeth” is “in the process” – “continually proceeds.” The eternal procession of the Spirit means that He continually proceeds from beside, not out of, the Father. If the Holy Spirit came out of God, He would be less than God. To be more specific, the Holy Spirit not only proceeds from the Father, but also from the Son. This means the Father and the Son continually send the Holy Spirit.
This in no way suggests the Spirit is less in deity than are the Father or Son. Instead it explains the relationship among the three eternal persons of the Trinity. Illustration: Just as Jesus came to do the will of the Father, so the Holy Spirit is sent to speak not of Himself, but of Christ (16:13). Application: In this sense the Holy Spirit is the Promise of the Father who has been given to every Christian (Acts 1:4; 2:39).’
Ah friends, I do hope that somewhat lengthy explanation clears up some the mystery of the relationships of the Holy Trinity. Nevertheless, let’s go out and do diligent and excellent work in spreading the gospel and the LOVE of Jesus, as we are called to do nuh. Much LOVE!
…without the Comforter…the Holy Spirit…to lead and guide us…Christians would be completely lost…
11 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little child shall lead them, accepting Christ, adrenaline, antidote, apathy, aura of love, beasts of the field, blues, break the bow, confidence, covenant, crapaud smoke them pipe, enthusiasm, eternal harmony, faithfulness, fowls of heaven, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's promise, holy spirit, Hosea, humble servants, invincible, Israelites, Jesus Christ, joy, judgement, justice, kingdom work, lies, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative derivatives, no crying, no more death, no sorrow, pain, passed away, peace, primary purpose, redemption, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, sin, sleeping bags, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, tears of joy, the fatling, the former things, the leopard lie down with the kid, the tabernacle of God, the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the young lion, trust, ungodly world, unsaved souls, wipe away all tears, wisdom
Isaiah 11:6. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Come on friends, it’s Monday, time to roll out of our sleeping bags and get ourselves together to go and labour. We had the chance to rest and relax over the weekend, and it’s our fault if we didn’t do so. Now both the Master and massa are calling out our names for work this morning.
Oh, I know Mondays are hard for many of us, that’s why we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to liven us up. So let’s sing it now with as much enthusiasm as we can muster. You’ll be surprised at how it will drive away your Monday morning blues.
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!’
Yes friends, that’s the antidote for Monday’s apathy! (smile) And as the adrenaline is now rushing through our bodies, let’s take advantage of it nuh and get going, for there’s plenty kingdom work to be done.
Ah mih people, the times they are rough, and getting rougher by the minute, and there are still lots of lost and unsaved souls in the world. That means we have plenty work ahead of us; convincing the many unbelievers that accepting Christ as their Lord and Saviour and living for Him is the wisest thing they can do. One of the things we can point out to them is the everlasting peace that will envelop the world when Jesus sets up His eventual kingdom.
Our Bit paints such a lovely picture of those times. ‘The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.’ How beautiful that is to the mind’s eye! That’s the total opposite to what’s happening today. And even we believers can take heart from that awesome promise of our great God.
And if you believe that is just ‘jestering,’ on God’s part, then hear Him promise the same thing through Hosea to the Israelites as He woos them back, because of His great LOVE for them. ‘And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break (shatter) the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.
And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgement (justice), and in LOVING-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord. (Hos.2:18-20)
What awesome promises friends! Only the omnipotent Creator of the universe can make such promises! And if you’re thinking, well that was oh so long ago, who says it still hold true? Then listen to the Lord’s promise in Revelation.
John confidently declares in his vision of the new heaven and the new earth: ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev.21:3-4)
Oh my brethren, if that doesn’t touch you deep down in your soul and bring tears of joy to your spirit, then I don’t know what will nuh! For that means all sin and it’s ugly, negative derivatives, would have been wiped out and we’d be living in peace and eternal harmony with our wonderful God right there with us! Mercy, mercy me! I really can’t think of a better situation than that!
And according to the scholars, when that takes place: ‘A primary purpose of redemption will be accomplished: the complete fellowship of God with His redeemed people. In the eternal state, there will be no tears, death, sorrow, crying or pain. Everything will become new. God’s promises are true, and He is always faithful to His Word (cf.19:11).’
Beelzebub can’t promise anything remotely resembling that friends, so please let’s wake up and get a move on for Jesus, as the time for His return is drawing nigh – it gets closer every day. And who isn’t saved by then… well… crapaud smoke them pipe! Much LOVE!
…to live and work for Jesus…is the wisest decision ever…
04 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, blessings, Brooklyn, Caribana, carnivals, celebrations, confidence, conquerors, donkey's years, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, Eastern Parkway, enthusiasm, friends, glorious kingdom, gold, gospel truth, Granny's warning, holy spirit, honour, hope, humble servants, idols, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, Labour Day, legacy, length of days, lies, LOVE, Lucifer, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pagan wives, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, riches, rights, shame, silver, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, struggle, surrender, taunts, the Big Apple, the principal thing, the promotion of fools, the wise shall inherit glory, Toronto, truth, understanding, ungodly world, weary souls, wiles, wisdom
Proverbs 3:35. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.
So people, Labour Day Monday is here at last, and there’ll be celebrations all over the world, ostensibly in honour of the ordinary working men who fought and died for the rights that we so blessedly enjoy today. The sad part is that lots of the young folks don’t know, were never taught about the arduous struggle their forefathers had to go through to bring us to where we currently are.
All they know is that Labour Day is a time to party, and for many others, an occasion to make mas on the Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. And I can’t complain too loudly because at one time I also made the Parkway my Labour Day Monday haunt. But like most of the other carnivals around the world, back then it was much more colourful and entertaining, with real mas costumes, not a bikini bra and bottom and a headdress of feathers.
There would also be many big music bands, not mostly D.J’s. It was an opportunity to see people you hadn’t seen in donkey’s years, (smile) and reminisce about old times. But then everything began changing; the music and the costumes weren’t as nice, I could no longer handle the physical walking, and I hardly saw anybody I knew. So I eventually stopped going to the Big Apple for Labour Day, just like I stopped going to Caribana here in Toronto for the same reasons.
Anyway, enough of my whatever you call it, it’s Monday and some people still have to get up and go out and labour to keep our 24/7 world humming along smoothly. So let’s help those unfortunate folks get going with a rousing rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘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!’
And as always, the voices of those who are not going to work are the loudest and hoarsest from too much partying already. (smile) Oh, and before I forget, let me include Granny’s warning here. I’ve been remiss in not mentioning it so far on such a big weekend. So here goes: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’
And though it sounds ‘jokified’ friends, it’s a rather serious warning, because if we don’t pay attention to our activities and behaviour, the always lurking Lucifer will undoubtedly find an open spot to infiltrate our spiritual defenses. So please take it seriously. And that segues quite nicely into our Bit. ‘The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.’
Oh my brethren, what words of indisputable truth from the pen of Cousin Sol! And who should know better than him, since he was once the wealthiest and wisest man in the world, but then experienced foolishness and shame when he revoked the Lord God of his fathers for the many idols of his numerous pagan wives and concubines. But he wasn’t the first, and won’t be the last man to listen to a female and go astray….easy now ladies easy, it’s simply the truth. (smile)
And Cousin Sol had plenty to say on wisdom. Let’s hear a couple his statements on the subject. ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her (wisdom), and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.’ (Prov.4:7-8) Absolute truth friends!
And hear Cousin Sol once more. ‘Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding: For the merchandise (gain) of it is better than the merchandise (profit) of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.’ (Prov.3:13-16)
Ah mih people, yuh see the great benefits of pursuing wisdom! And you have to actively seek it, for it won’t just come to you naturally. So today, please let’s seriously start seeking wisdom nuh…that is God’s wisdom, not the world’s. Much LOVE!
…you can get everything…if you have wisdom…but everything won’t necessarily give you wisdom…
01 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a few pennies, alertness, back to school, benefits, bless the Lord, blood, chanting up a storm, Christians, cold weather, common sense, comrades, cottage season, deceit, direction, eagles, earthly journey, enthusiasm. week of work, evil attributes, evil soul, fellowship, forget not, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, hard done by, heavenly Father, in Jesus' name, iniquities, intercession, judgement, knowledgeable guide, labour day weekend, lay the eggs, leggo beasts, lies, LOVE, loving-kindness, massa . take advantage, measly pay, merciful gracious, mercy, motivating, mount up with wings, navigate, no rights, not be weary, not faint, on the same page, perilous waters, relaxation, renew their strength, rest, rewarded us, righteousness, run, September, sincerity, sinful properties, sins, slow to anger, stability, sweat, tears, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the children of Israel, the east is from the west, the forefront of our thoughts, the workingman, transgressions, wait upon the Lord, waiting on god, walk, walk in tandem, we are dust, wiles
Isaiah 40:31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Ah friends, it’s Friday already! Can you believe it? And not only that, it’s also the first day of September! Glory Be! The days sure are passing rather quickly. Labour Day is here, meaning it’s back to school, and also that the cold weather is just around the corner. Hn!
But we should not be too surprised, or it should not make much of a difference because it has not been a really hot summer. The important thing here though is that this is the last long weekend of the summer. Cottage season will soon be over, and thus the workingman is chanting up a real storm today.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The weekend is here…the Labour Day weekend to boot! That’s when we celebrate all our fallen and hard-done by comrades over the years, where massa take real advantage on him!
Them days he even had to work the weekend…for the same measly pay. But through plenty blood, sweat and tears we manage to wrestle two days off from massa evil soul, and a few pennies more in pay.
That’s why this weekend we going to laugh and play, dance and sing and make merry, behave like leggo beast, in remembrance of them real rough days earlier on! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Oh my people, it’s important to remember those who have gone before us and weathered the awful stormy times when the ordinary workingman had no rights and was treated rather harshly by the powers that be.
But as sincere Christians, we should not be behaving like leggo beasts, because that only gives the enemy openings into our spirits to lay the eggs of his evil attributes, like deceit and lies and a host of other sinful properties. We need to be extra careful how we conduct ourselves in all situations.
And for the weekend, our Friday Chant offers a much better alternative to the workingman’s song. Let’s declare it now nuh, with suitable sincerity and enthusiasm.
‘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.’
Yeh friends, wherever we are, and whatever we’re doing, we should always have Jesus in the forefront of our thoughts and hearts, for it is only through His intercession, the working of His Holy Spirit in us, that we can truly handle the enemy and all his wiles and lies.
After a long week of work, both our bodies and souls get tired and need refreshing if we’re to handle the upcoming week with any degree of alertness and success. That’s why our Bit is such a powerful and motivating piece of scripture.
‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’
Waiting on God and being on the same page with Him is essential for our very well–being my brethren! If we’re not in sync with Him then our lives will be wishy-washy and we’ll be drifting hither, thither and yon, rudderless, and also without a pilot.
Now that’s definitely not a good way to live this life. We need some stability and direction and a knowledgeable guide to help us navigate the perilous waters of this earthly journey. And there’s no one as qualified for the job as the One who created us in the first place.
Listen to how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 103 –Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies: Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:2-5)
How wonderful is that eh friends? Who else looks after us like our Creator eh? NOBODY! Because NOBODY cares for us like He does! So if we’re not wise enough to surrender our souls to Him, and place our complete trust in His all-knowing hands and ever-LOVING heart, then we’ve nobody to blame but ourselves.
Hear some more of Bruh David’s words from Psalm 103. ‘The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).
He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remebereth that we are dust.’ (Ps.103:6-14)
Oh my people, what else can we truthfully expect from our great God eh? Nothing really, because He gives us all that we need when we walk in tandem with Him.
So if we’re not having our needs fulfilled, then it possibly means that we’re not walking hand in hand with our heavenly father, and only we, as individuals, with His help of course, can fix that. Much LOVE!
…walking in step with Christ is simple common sense…since He created and controls us…
25 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a flood, a good report, a mature Christian, a no-brainer, a rewarder, Abraham, according to your faith, an inheritance, ancestral home, another week of work, ark, as for me and mine, be it unto you, believe in Jesus, blessings, builder, Christians, conviction, crossing boundaries, damnation, diligently seek him, faith, fear, fellowship, fiasco, forgiveness, foundations, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, glory hallelujah, God's economy, godly action, grace, Hades, heir, hell fire, impossible to please God, in Jesus' name, in yuh face, interaction, Jesus Christ, licentiousness, Lucifer, maker is God, massa, mercy, my time, Noah, on safe ground, only begotten Son, our heavenly Father, overboard, put the enemy to shame, realization, reassuring words, relaxation, rest, restrained attitude, reverence, righteousness, seeing is believing, sincerity, spiritual ability, strength, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the cross at Calvary, the evidence, the evil world, the Father of all believers, the land of promise, the promise of God, the substance of things hoped for, the weekend, the Word of god, the workingman, things not seen, trucking on, true believers, understanding, vulgarity, we will follow the Lord, wisdom
Matthew 9:29b. According to your faith be it unto you.
Oh my beautiful friends, it’s a brand new day! Glory Hallelujah! A new day filled with all the good stuff that our wonderful heavenly Father prepares for us daily. Things like, mercy, blessings, forgiveness, grace, strength, wisdom, understanding etc. etc.
And I believe today is Friday… But yuh know what? After the fiasco of a couple of days ago, let me just check the computer to make sure that it is Friday, because I don’t go and mess up again. (smile) Awright, the computer says that it is Friday, so we are on safe ground there.
And that’s why the workingman is going around singing, ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Thank God is the weekend! My time will soon be mih own, not controlled by massa. And I can eat and drink and party all I want to, with him not being able to say a darm thing! In yuh face massa! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends oui!’
Now, as usual, the workingman’s Friday song does go somewhat overboard, crossing boundaries that we Christians should not exceed, but our Friday Chant displays a more restrained attitude to the weekend.
Let’s chant it now in unison and sincerity 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.’
Yeh friends, as true believers in Christ, we need to refrain from the vulgarity and licentiousness allowed by the workingman’s song. We need to at least dial it back a few notches like our Friday Chant, because that kind of wanton behaviour is not a part of Christ’s manifesto.
Rest and fellowship are two important parts of the believer’s weekend, so that we can go back out next week in great shape and put the enemy to shame! Wow!
And we can use these simple but reassuring words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from our Bit to help us do that. ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’
Yeh mih breddren, faith is what keeps us trucking on in Jesus! Without it, we won’t see a lot of godly action in our lives, however, as our faith grows, so will our godly interaction.
And the Good Book explains: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1)
In other words, faith is simply believing stuff, or for stuff before we actually see it or them. Unlike the evil world, which says, seeing is believing, God’s economy stresses, when you believe it, then you’ll see it. So to be a mature Christian, one has to be strong in faith.
And as the Good Book continues: ‘For by it (faith) the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds (ages) were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible).’ (Heb.11:2-3)
Ah mih people, it’s only through faith that we can believe in Jesus, whom, unlike the disciples, we never saw, or that God created the universe and all therein from nothing.
That’s why the Word further tells us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6)
So if you don’t believe that God exists, then you obviously can’t believe in Him, or His rewards for obedience and walking in His will. And that’s why a lot of people today discount and discredit our Christian faith; they don’t have the mental and/or the spiritual ability to believe in stuff they can’t see, they’re too spoiled by the world’s belief system.
Anyhow, enough about all of that, let’s point out some concrete examples of strong faith. Hear the Good Book again. ‘By faith Noah, being warned of (by) God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear (reverence), prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out not knowing whither he went (where he was going).
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange (foreign) country, dwelling in tabernacles (tents) with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked (was waiting) for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.’ (Heb.11: 7-10)
Yeh friends, those two men were asked to do things they could not understand; Noah to build an ark in preparation for a flood, and Abraham to leave his ancestral home and go to heaven knows where just on a promise of a God he did not know.
But yuh see how it all worked out properly through their FAITH! Noah’s family was the ONLY one saved from the flood, and Abraham became the Father of ALL believers…through FAITH! They didn’t see in reality what God was talking about, but they BELIEVED!
And that is what many of us need to do right now friends; truly believe in God; that He exists, and wants the best for those who believe in Him, so much so that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross at Calvary to redeem our abominable sins.
Now why would such a powerful world-creating Deity do that if He didn’t truly care eh? No reason whatsoever! He could have simply said: ‘Chuh! They like Lucifer so much, well let them go down to Hades and suffer hell-fire and damnation with Him!’
But He didn’t. And that’s where faith comes in. Much LOVE!
…it’s a no-brainer…as for me and mine…we will definitely follow the Lord…
21 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fortress, a paycheck, a refuge, all my fears, amenity filled, assurance, aura of love, buoyed spirits, Christians, confidence, deliver him, diligent soldiers, enthusiasm, evil, for Jesus' sake, for our good, friends, God's work, good cheer, he delivered me, he heard me, holy spirit, honour him, humble servants, I sought the Lord, in our hands, invincible, ironic situation, Jesus Christ, jobs, join the fray, keep a roof over our heads, Knowing God Intimately, lies, light, live high on the hog, long life, LOVE, modern day life, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no work no eat, overcome the world, problems, raised spirits, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, salt, salvation, satisfy him, servants, set him on high, spiritual armour, spread the good news, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, the answer to everything, the enemy's ranks, the LOVE of Jesus, the oppressed, times of troubles, tribulation, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wine and roses, wisdom, work
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
And now it’s Monday friends, so what’s the action eh? And everybody throws their hands in the air and excitedly shout: ‘Work! Monday means it’s time for work! Work! Work! Work!’
And I know that some of you might think me crazy to even come up with such a scenario, since nobody ever behaves like that, but technically speaking that’s the way it ought to be. Why is that, you demand?
Well for one it gets us out into the world to spread the good news and LOVE of Jesus, and secondly it earns us a paycheck so we can buy food and clothing and keep a roof over our heads. As Bruh Paul says, ‘no work, no eat.’(smile) (2 Thess.3:10) So as true Christians, anyone of those reasons should get us excited enough to want to go to work.
But unfortunately that’s not the case; very few of us even want to go to work, much less get excited at the thought, but we still expect to eat heartily and otherwise live high on the hog. This easy, amenity filled, comfortable modern-day life has certainly spoiled us. And the sad part is that many who want to work, can’t find any – another ironic situation in our screwed up society.
But for those of us who are blessed to have jobs, please let’s get it together and go out and do our best, as Jesus desires of us. And if you’re not feeling up to scratch this particular Monday morning, then please sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with me, it’s guaranteed to lift your spirits and get your adrenaline running.
So all together 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 was surely encouraging! I can already feel your buoyed spirits, so let’s get a move on and join the fray on behalf of Jesus. Let’s be strong and diligent soldiers in His army. Let’s go out there and be worth our salt, let our lights shine brightly in the darkness of this evil world. It would be so wonderful if we could illuminate the entire world with the brilliant light that’s Jesus!
That’s what the Father desires of us, so that He doesn’t even lose one of His magnificent creations to the enemy. It’s all in our hands my brethren, so please, let’s make it happen nuh…for Jesus’ sake.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ What wonderful assurance emanates from those words my fellow believers! Bruh David lived them personally, which means we can do the same.
As I’ve been saying over the last couple of days, seeking the Lord is the wisest and most important decision we can ever make in this life, for what happens in the next life all hinges on what we do now. But enough preaching, (smile) let’s hear what the Word has to say about it all.
First hear Bruh David from Psalm 9 – Praise for God’s justice. ‘The Lord also will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps.9:9-10) Words of absolute truth my fellow believers! NOBODY who has ever put their sincere trust in God can say He has forsaken them!
Now listen to these words from Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and a fortress. God says: ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps.91:9-16)
Powerful words my brethren, though we can’t expect to have no problems in this life. Remember following Jesus is not all wine and roses, but as He said: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33b)
So let’s go out this Monday morning with raised spirits and complete assurance, while we enthusiastically and diligent do God’s work, knowing that despite the problems which may come, He’ll eventually work them all out for our good. Much LOVE!
…knowing God intimately…is the answer to everything…
14 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenaline rush, aura of love, breath is in his nostrils, Christian faith, Christians, confidence, confidence in princes, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, cursed be the man, disbelief, enthusiasm, enthusiastic, esteemed, faith, faithfulness, forgiveness, glorious kingdom, glory to God, gospel truth, grace, holy spirit, hope, human, humble servants, I will sing praises unto my God, invincible, it is better to trust in the Lord, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no better way, passion, passionate, peace, put confidence in man., rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, rest, righteousness., salvation, saviour, sincere, spiritual armour, spread the good news of Jesus, steadfast faith, the blessedness of trusting God, the Son of man, to be happy in Jesus, trust, trust and obey, truth, ungodly world, whose hearts departs from the Lord, wisdom
Psalm 118:8-9. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
Monday, oh Monday, How I LOVE thee! Let me count the ways! Oh boy, I can’t wait for you to roll around each week. I get so excited on Sunday, knowing that you’re just round the corner! And why is that you ask? It’s simple: so that I get back out into the evil, ungodly workday world and work hard to spread the good news of Jesus to all and sundry.
Yeh friends, please remember that bringing people to Jesus, or rather causing them to come to Jesus, through talking about Him and living a life that sincerely mirrors our talk is a major priority in our Christian faith. And we can only do a good job at that when we are sincere and enthusiastic, passionate and energized, truly believing what we preach.
That’s why proper preparation for Monday on the weekend is ever so important. But since we are all human, fragile, sinful and weak, we don’t always do the right thing. Consequently, we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to jolt us out of Monday morning emotional dilemma. (smile) So let’s sing it now nuh, putting all the enthusiasm and passion we have into it.
As one voice 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!’
Awright mih breddren, I can see that brought on an adrenaline rush! Please don’t lose it, but allow it to catapult you into your day, as you walk with Jesus ever and always behind, beside and before you. Oh glory to God friends that we have such a wonderful Saviour!
And why do we do what we do? Because we have such an impeccable, unbreakable, heartwarming trust in Him! We fully and rightfully believe what our Bit says: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’
Only a fool, or one wholly committed to evil would deny the awesome truth of those statements, which were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, who is incapable of lying. That means there can be no doubt as to their wisdom. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s see if these scripture passages can change your mind. (smile)
First up are exceedingly wise words from Psalm 146 – The blessedness of trusting God. The psalmist unhesitatingly proclaims: ‘While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not you trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:’ (Ps.146:2-6)
Oh friends, please study those very convincing words very carefully, (smile) for they contain the utmost truth. Now listen to the prophet Isaiah, who corroborates the psalmist by simply saying: ‘Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of (why should he be esteemed)? (Is.2:22)
And why should man really be esteemed eh, especially above God, when he has nothing infinite to offer. The day he stops breathing his flesh dies and returns to the earth and he is no longer a viable entity. Meanwhile Almighty God was there even before the beginning, and will still be there after the end! He has power and might, trust and faithfulness, grace, mercy, LOVE, forgiveness, etc. etc! So wouldn’t it be wiser to put our absolute trust in Him rather than man?
And all God’s faithful saints declared a loud and sure: ‘Obviously!’
And we’ll end with these pointed words from the prophet Jeremiah. ‘Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man (strength), and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath (a shrub) in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness; in a salt land and not inhabited.’ (Jer.17:5-6)
Oh my people, I can’t say any more than that. Those are the words of our God, and we chose NOT to believe them at our peril. Please remember that our God does not make idle promises, so whatever He says He truly means. And if you fall on His negative side through your own fault or disbelief, then, crapaud smoke yuh pipe! Much LOVE!
…trust and obey…for there’s no better way…to be happy in Jesus…than to trust and obey…
11 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abideth forever, ambassadors, be not conformed to this world, be transformed, behave like the world, burn out, carefree, circumspection, commandment, disciples, dissolute, do a good job for Jesus, enjoy the weekend, enmity with God, enregy, enthusiasm, fellowship, followers of Christ, foolish thinking, free up yuhself, Friday chant, friendship with the world, fun, further God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glory to God, idolize, in Jesus' name, let it all hang out, licentious, limits, LOVE, love not the world, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, Mammon, mandate, material wealth, obedient children, our major calling, party hearty, pride, pride of life, relaxation, rest, resuscitation going downhill, righteousness, seek ye first the kingdom of God, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the christian way, the love of the Father, the new man, the renewing of your mind, the things of God, the things of the world, the way of the world, the weekend, the will of God, value systems of the world, you cannot serve God and mammon, you may prove
Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Oh friends, the week finally finish! Glory to God! And for us Canadians, after the Caribana weekend, it was indeed a short week. So now we have a li’l time to rest and recuperate from all that exhilarating action. (smile)
But for some really exuberant folks, the weekend will always be the time to totally celebrate the couple days off from work. Consequently they are now excitedly shouting: ‘TGIF! TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! The Lord give us two days to party, so leh we party hearty nuh!
We can’t afford to waste the li’l time we have for weself in foolish thinking about work and all the other nonsense. Just let it all hang out, free up yuhself and doh worry about nothing till Monday! That’s why we have the weekend! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend yes!’
And I dare say that many of us believers would like to let it all hang out on the weekend, (smile) but we know that is not the Christian way; that is the way of the world. Now that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the weekend, but just that we need to put some limits on the ‘carefreeness.’
We definitely don’t want to be dissolute and licentious and give Lucifer any opening whatsoever to come against us. We need to think more like our Friday Chant says: ‘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.’
Yeh mih breddren, that’s the Christian way; we enjoy the time off, get some rest, relaxation and fellowship, so that we can handle the upcoming week with new energy and enthusiasm.
If we don’t apply some limits to our life with some resuscitation along the way, we’ll just keep going downhill until we burn out completely, and worst of all, won’t be able to do a good job on Christ’s behalf, which is our major calling.
So though we may feel to let it all hang out on the weekend, let’s hang in there, persevere with some circumspection, remembering that we are disciples of Christ, ambassadors for His kingdom and we can’t afford to behave like the world does.
That’s why Bruh Paul was so emphatic to the church at Rome as our Bit declares: ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
That’s only basic common sense friends, for the world does not recognize the things of God nor His kingdom. So if we want to be true followers of Christ we need to abstain from a lot of things which the world thinks is right, but which our heavenly Father totally abhors and detests.
And the scholars offer this explanation. ’12:2. Be not conformed (lit. “stop conforming yourselves”): They are to resist being poured into the mould of the present thinking, value systems, and conduct of this world. This term is used only here and in 1 Peter 1:14.’
And since most of us won’t go and read that verse, I will spoon-feed us. (smile) Peter in his call to Christian dedication, says: ‘As obedient children, not fashioning (conforming) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.’ Meaning we should not go back to being the old kind of persons we were before we found Christ and put on the ‘new man.’
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures which also admonish us to stay away from the evil, ungodly world. Listen to James: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4)
It’s that simple friends. As Jesus said: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (the world, material possessions).’ (Mat. 6:24) So you obviously can’t serve the One True God and also worship, or idolize, or run behind the material possessions of the world.
And we’ll conclude with some of the most authoritative words on the subject from 1 John. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.’(1 John 4:15-17)
Oh my fellow believers, it couldn’t be put any simpler and plainer than that. As Christians we ought to LOVE God and do His will first and foremost.
Remember Jesus’ words to the hypocrite Pharisee who asked Him. ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus saith unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt.22:36-38).
So friends, let’s go and do just that nuh, for it is the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…that’s the Christian’s mandate…
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