18 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a successful Christian life, according to his divine power, according to his riches in glory, add to your faith virtue, agape, all these things shall be added unto you, barren, Bible, blind, bondage, brotherly kindness, brotherly LOVE, called us to glory and virtue, calmness that flows from God, christianity, Christians, cleansed from old sins, deepen my breath, divine power, eating from the devil's hand, endurance, enjoy being lazy, fall from salvation, forgotten, frustrations of the work week, give them their in due season food, given to us all things, given to us through knowing God, giving all diligence, God gives us everything to make our lives complete, God takes care of our physical needs, God-likeness, godliness, good advice, grace and peace be multiplied unto you, great and precious promises, grow in our spiritual walk, having escaped the corruption in the world through lust, holy spirit, increase my awareness of you, information, know you all the more, knowledge, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, living a godly life, living the godly life, look expectantly to you, LOVE, mercy, my God shall supply all your needs, openest thine hand, opportunities, partakers of the divine nature, pateince, peace, perseverance, purged from old sins, quiet my soul, relationships, relax my muscles, right motives, salvation, satisfies the desire, satisfieth the desire of every living thing, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-control, shortsighted, sincerity, slow my thoughts, spiritual maturity, spiritual truth, temperance, tenderness, thank you for this tenderness, that pertain to life and godliness, the attributes of godliness, the knowledge of god, the Unsearchable greatness of God, to knowledge temperance, to virtue knowledge, troubled souls, truth, unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, useless, virtue, volitional love, what a wonderful God we serve, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
2 Peter 1:3a. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,
And our lazy-day Saturday has opened damp and cloudy, the worst way to begin a day. (smile) For a change though, we have temps above freezing, causing the snow to melt and give off that damp, get into your bones kind of weather. The computer is even promising light rain and snow later. But if you don’t have to go out that won’t trouble you in the least, you can simply stay inside and enjoy being lazy. Oh what a wonderful feeling, after all the rushing around and numerous frustrations of the work week! (smile)
Now, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth! As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And if the Lord saw the right motives in our hearts, then we’ll soon be experiencing that warm, glowing peace and calmness emanating from Him into our troubled souls, through His Holy Spirit that indwells us. Ah friends, what a wonderful God we serve! One who gives us everything to make our lives complete. We just need to work it out in our individual lives.
The apostle Peter puts it thus in his second epistle: ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to (by) glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (2 Pet. 1:2-4)
Now that’s indeed a mouthful, but what does it mean? These commentaries explain: ‘By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.’ And the second says: ‘This Scripture reveals that all we need for our life, God has already given us. We are prepared for anything. All the opportunities, information, relationships have already been given to us through knowing Him.’
And breaking it down even further: ‘He takes care of our physical needs. God promises to provide what we need (Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:31-32). He created the universe and gives food to every living thing — including you and me. The same God who provides food for the animals will not allow us to go without (Psalm 145:15-16, Luke 12:24-26).’
Now that just shows what an excellent, LOVING and compassionate God we serve! He’s given us everything to live a godly life and has also promised to provide for all our physical needs, if we put Him first in our lives. Jesus said it loud and clear: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Meanwhile in his epistle to the Philippians, Bruh Paul also stated quite categorically: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
So it’s simple; if we faithfully obey God, then He will provide for our physical needs, though not necessarily our wants, which are oftentimes very different to our needs. As Bruh David writes in Psalm 145 – The Unsearchable Greatness of God. ‘The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you); and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.’ (Ps. 145:15-16) And that’s the way it ought to be with an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God who LOVES all of His wonderful creations!
Then turning back to Peter, He continues by giving us some good advice on living the godly life. He says: ‘And beside this (but also for this very reason), giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance (self-control); and to temperance patience (perseverance); and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (LOVE).’ (2 Pet. 1: 5-7)
Oh my people, that’s not an easy row to hoe, but hoe it we must if we are to attain spiritual growth and meet a level of maturity where we can handle the devil and all his evil doings with a confident nature. That’s the basic purpose for giving us all those things after we are born again and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We desperately need to grow in our overall faith, in particular areas like virtue or moral excellence, knowledge or spiritual truth, self-control, patience or endurance, godliness or God-likeness, brotherly kindness or brotherly LOVE, and agape or volitional LOVE, that’s doing it of our own accord.
And if we don’t try to grow in our spiritual walk, then the devil will still have us eating from his hand in dark bondage, for we can only withstand him with the powers of God that have been planted in us. So like with all seeds, we need to water and nurture those attributes so that godliness grows in us.
As Peter says: ‘For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren (useless) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off (is shortsighted), and hath forgotten that he was purged (cleansed) from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (stumble).’ (2 Pet. 1:8-10)
Yes friends, although we will not fall from salvation if we don’t do those things, we most certainly will not live a successful Christian life. And all I can do is plead with us to seriously ponder on all the good advice we’ve received this lazy-day Saturday, and then try to implement what we need into our lives. And the damp, cloudy weather provides a most excellent time to do so! (smile) Much LOVE!
… like children grow in to more knowledgeable adults…so must believers grow in spiritual maturity and godliness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an essential part of our walk with God, asking of you nothing, await all things from you, be of good courage, belief, Bible, both hope and wait quietly, christianity, diffing out, endure to the end, enjoy God's presence, even the youths shall faint and be weary, faith, first blast of winter weather, for the salvation of the Lord, God gives power to the faint, halfway home, hands on the plough, he shall strengthen thine heart, holy spirit, I had fainted, I'm glad to be alive, in God's time, in the depths of our being, it is good that a man, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, mount up with wings as eagles, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looikng back, our desires and intentions wholly fixed on you, our prayer may tend to your glory, perseverance, Prayers Through the Ages Pamphlet, produce in our souls, right motives, run and not be weary, salvation, shall renew their strength, silence speaks louder than words, standing firm, teach our souls, Teach us O God, teach us to remain quiet, thank God, that deep and simple prayer, that silent language that says all things, the accomplishment of your will, the breath of life, the first thing to do is pray, the Lord is good to them that wait for him, to a glorious future with Jesus, to remain silent in your presence, to see the goodness of God in the land of the living, to the soul that seeks him, truth, under your action, unless I had believed, wait I say on the Lord, wait on God's answer, wait on the Lord, waith in faith, we may adore you, which says nothing and experiences everything, which specifies nothing and includes everything, wisdom
Psalm 27:14. Wait (wait in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord.
At last we’re getting our first real blast of winter weather with a decent snow storm dropping it’s payload on us this morning. And it’s scheduled to go on for most of the day. However, thankfully, it’s not as bad as what the residents of some parts of cottage country endured this past weekend; something like around eighty cm. of snow overall. Now that is indeed a lot of snow, and they are still without power and still digging out from under the avalanche of snow. Hopefully, we will not get even half as much today, as we need to be broken back in gently to snow and its eccentric peculiarities; remembering how to drive and walk in it, as well to shovel it and dress properly for it. (smile)
It’s strange, but regardless of how often we experience winter and snow, the first snow fall always has us shaking our heads and wondering how best to handle it. And you know, as believers in Jesus Christ we’re thought that when in doubt, or when trouble arises, the first thing one should do is pray. So since this our first snowfall of the season, and we’re still a tad under the weather about it, let’s offer up this prayer from the Prayers Through the Ages Pamphlet recently put out by the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. This prayer is attributed to a lady by the name of Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941).
So please pray with me: ‘Teach us, O God, that silent language which says all things. Teach our souls to remain silent in Your presence; that we may adore You in the depths of our being, and await all things from You, while asking of You nothing but the accomplishment of Your will. Teach us to remain quiet under Your action and produce in our souls that deep and simple prayer which says nothing and experiences everything, which specifies nothing and includes everything. Do pray in us, that our prayer may even tend to Your glory, and our desires and intentions may not be fixed on ourselves, but wholly directed to You.’
Ah friends, I like that prayer because it says so much about us, about when we go to God in prayer, because it’s so often to ask and plead for something our flesh desires and very seldom to just enjoy His presence, sitting in silence and letting our souls and spirits interact with our heavenly Father, without expressing a desire for anything at all. Yes, sometimes we just need to sit in the Lord’s presence and enjoy silent communion with Him, as the prayer says; ‘produce in our souls that deep and simple prayer which says nothing and experiences everything, which specifies nothing and includes everything.’
As the old adage says, sometimes silence speaks louder than words. But don’t worry, the Lord knows what we need and what we want by looking at our heart, and if our motives are right and in accordance with His will, He will eventually grant them to us. But please note the important word in that sentence is ‘eventually.’ We seem to want everything right now, possibly yesterday, but the Lord doesn’t operate like that, He moves at His own pace, in His own time, and if we don’t learn how to wait on Him, then we’ll lose out on a whole lot of good blessings.
And there are many verses of scripture that advise and admonish us to wait on the Lord, because it is such and important feature of the Christian faith. And this commentary gives us a brief look at what it is. It asks ‘What does it mean to wait on the Lord? Then answers: ‘To some, that means spending time in prayer, seeking God. To others, it means standing firm on what God has already spoken to you. To wait on God’s answer, voice, or promise in prayer is an essential part of our walk with God.’
And is that ever so true! So let’s look at a few bible verses on the subject, beginning with this great one from Isaiah that we all know and quote but very seldom put into action. (smile) ‘He (God) giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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.’ (Is. 40:29-31)
It could not get any clearer than that my faithful brethren! But we’ve gotten so accustomed to the ways of the world, it’s busyness, impatience and wanting everything now for now, that we lose sight of what it takes to live for Christ, and thus get impatient, unnecessarily panicking, suffering doubts, fears and anxieties. Meanwhile, Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 27: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord, in the land of the living. Wait (wait in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27: 13-14)
Oh my people, Bruh David knew what he was talking about from hard experience. Remember he was anointed to be the next king of Israel as a teenager, but never received that promise until many years later, and in between those two occasions, he spent much of that time running for his life from the jealous king Saul who openly and unashamedly tried to kill Him. But Bruh David remained faithful and waited on God’s timing, even refusing to kill Saul when the opportunity presented itself. And eventually he did get all the Lord promised him.
The Lord seldom tells us when we’ll receive what He’s promised, but if we wait in faith, with patience and undergo whatever trials come our way while waiting, then He usually blesses us with even more than we’ve asked or He’s promised. And we only have time and space for one more scripture; this from another of God’s people who suffered greatly while doing God’s work, but never gave up hope in Him. Listen to the prophet Jeremiah from his Lamentations. ‘The Lord is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:25-26)
Yes my fellow saints, that’s indeed godly wisdom. So let’s try to improve our waiting on God nuh, for it will only benefit us. Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we endure to the very end with Jesus, it’s been promised that that future will be even more glorious than we can either ask or imagine. So let’s plan to meet there nuh! Much LOVE!
…waiting successfully on God…demands a strong combination of…hope, faith, perseverance, belief and LOVE…that’s never easy to obtain…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a crown of life, a crown of righteousness, a pure heart, abundance, all things work together for good, all to god's glory, be careful to maintian good works, blessed is the man that endureth temptation, called according to His purpose, creativity, curse, faith, faith if it hath no works is dead, favour, finished my course, for our benefit, fought the good fight, God is still controlling things, god is still on his throne, good friends, hang in there for Christ, he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, He is faithful that promised, he that comes to God, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, hold fast the profession of our faith, I have refused him, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, look not on his countenance, LOVE, man looketh on the outward appearance, negative word, omnipotent god, on the height of his stature, our ever-faithful God, receive the crown of life, right motives, sincere hearts, talent, the Lord hath promised to them that love Him, the Lord looketh on the heart, the Lord seeth not as man seeth, the righteous judge, their wake of dust, them that love God, these things affirm constantly, these things are good and profitable, they which have believed in God, this is a faithful saying, Thursday Blessings, to all them who love his appearing, truth, when he is tried, wisdom, without faith it is impossible to please God, without wavering
2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith:
Oh friends, can you believe that we’re already into the eight day of August? The month just began late last week, and it’s almost a third over already. The days are just whizzing by, leaving many of us (including me) in their wake of dust. But not to worry, our omnipotent God is still on His throne, and He’s still controlling things, and if you’re a follower of His magnificent Son, Jesus Christ, then you can be assured that He has you in the palm of His hand, looking after you, and eventually everything will be okay.
As Bruh Paul promised in Romans: ‘And we know that all things work together for good for them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) So although things aren’t looking so hot now, if we persevere with Christ, stand strong and steadfast throughout the many trials and tribulations, do our best to witness in His name, and live a life that’s overall pleasing to Him, then, in the end, the Lord will make it work out for our benefit.
And if you don’t believe that, then there’s also this magnificent promise that we read in yesterday’s Bit from James. ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried (has been proved), he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him.’ (James 1:12) Oh my people, isn’t that a most reassuring scripture? It certainly is! As it encourages us to hang in there for Christ, because in the long run we will benefit greatly.
That leads us to these two other marvellous and true scriptures from Hebrews. The first one says: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (Heb. 10:23) That means we have to hold on steadfastly to our faith, without ever giving up, despite the highs and lows we will go through, because God is ever-faithful. And you definitely cannot be a sincere believer in Christ unless you believe and live by the faithful promises of our ever-faithful God!
Which brings us to this other noteworthy scripture. ‘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) Yes my fellow saints, that scripture expects two things from us; the first being we cannot please God unless we have faith, we must believe that He exists, and is who He says He is. And it’s not only the talking faith, but also the action kind.
Remember what James says: ‘Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ (James 2:17) And that’s a major reason why our world is in such a chaotic state; too many of us supposed believers are talking our faith, but not working it, which does absolutely nothing to bring unbelievers to the kingdom.
And the second expectation of that last scripture from Hebrews is that we must believe God rewards those who diligently seek Him. And that’s ever so important in our faith walk, for if don’t believe that, then we will never put our best foot forward. Not that we’re putting our best foot forward only to get rewards, but it gives us something concrete to look forward to, like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Oh, we were indeed made by God to do good works in Christ, meaning that we’re expected to do good works when we become believers, but with those good works, He’s promised numerous rewards. As these words of Bruh Paul in his letter to Titus acknowledge. ‘This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.’ (Titus 3:8)
And remember we’re not doing good works just to get rewards, but our hearts, our motives must be pure, which brings up what the Lord said to Samuel when he sent him to anoint the next king of Israel from one of Jesse’s sons. When Eliab the first son came in, he looked real good, tall, handsome, strong, etc., like he would make an excellent king. ‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7)
Now, it’s obvious that we won’t do everything with right motives and a pure heart, and the Lord understands that, because He created us and knows all our faults and foibles, but overall, that ought to be our desire. And to pull it all together, I believe these memorable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy perfectly encapsulate what we’ve been trying to say.
‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
Wow! What awesome words my brethren! And I know that very few, if any of us can reach the levels of faith and works that Bruh Paul achieved, but we can certainly die trying. (smile) Yes, at the end of our earthly days, it would definitely be nice to say words like those, or words close to them. But we can only do that if we stand strong and steadfast in our heyday and make hay for Christ while the sun shines in our lives! Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, so we can activate those undeserved blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
Altogether: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that passionate declaration (steups!!!) we must now go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…whatever we do…let it be with sincere hearts…all to the glory of God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rollicking time, as God hath dealt to every man, be not wise in thine own eyes, depart from evil, exercising a gift God never gave, failing to exercise God's gift, fear the Lord, for a man to search their own glory is not glory, Happy Labour Day, he shall direct thy paths, in the greater scheme of things, it is not good to eat much honey, Jehovah Rapha, lean not unto thine own understanding, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, old and forgetful, overestimate oneself, right motives, sincere humility, spiritual capability to serve God, strong faith in Christ, thanks for life, the God who heals, the means of faith, think of himself more highly, think soberly, true intimacy with God, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, underestimating oneself, watered-down caricatures, wise guidance
Proverbs 25:27. It is not good to eat much honey: so for man to search (seek) their own glory is not glory.
HAPPY LABOUR DAY!
Ah friends, like it’s true, the ole fella’s getting old and forgetful.(smile) Would you believe that I did not even realize that this was the Labour Day long weekend until sometime late yesterday. Brother! After one time, it’s really two yes! In my younger years I knew about Labour Day long before it ever happened, because I usually spent it in the Big Apple – New York City, taking in the sights and sounds of that rollicking time featuring all things West Indian.
But then, I lost interest in the festival, like I’ve also lost interest in Caribana, possibly because I can’t handle the amount of walking involved in both festivals, and in my humble opinion they have both become watered-down caricatures of what they used to be. And I know it doesn’t really matter what I think, because both festivals are still going strong, and still make lots of money for some people. (smile)
That just goes to show how insignificant we are in the greater scheme of things. Some of us believe we are so important that the world can’t go on without us, but that’s pure foolishness. The world moves on despite our presence or lack thereof. A handful of people will miss and mourn us, but the majority won’t know we’re gone, or even care. So, it’s time for us to get over ourselves and not think of ourselves as highly as we do.
And Bruh Paul said it loud and clear in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the means of faith.’ (Rom. 12:3)
And what does all of that mean? Every one of us has been given a specific gift or gifts, ‘granted some spiritual capability to serve God and contribute to the church’s growth.’ Two people may be given the same gift, but not in the same measure, so one may be able to perform a task better than the other. But the measure is all up to Jesus.
The scholars explain further: ‘The righteousness of God will cause the believer to conduct himself in humility in the local church (vs. 3-8). Paul meets two dangers that the individual faced in the exercise of his spiritual gifts. He might overestimate himself and try to exercise a gift God never gave him. Or he might underestimate himself and fail to exercise the gift God has given to him. Paul shows that God has given each believer specific gifts to enable him to do what God wants him to do. No one is excluded.’
Unfortunately though, we all know people, including ourselves, (smile) who try to use gifts they don’t have or not utilize the ones they do have. That’s one of the major challenges in today’s church because everybody wants to be a leader, and nothing is basically wrong in wanting to be a leader, but please opt to be a leader in a field in which you’re qualified nuh, not in one you know nothing or very little about, as so many of us do. A good Bruh Paulean sentence that! (smile)
And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul’s words, then please check out these earlier ones on the subject by Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘It is not good to eat much honey: so for man to search (seek) their own glory is not glory.’ (Prov. 25:27) But sadly, personal glory seeking occupies too much of our time today. Everything is all about us; me, myself and I.
And there are also some other marvellously wise words of Cousin Sol, which we all know and quite liberally quote, but don’t action them half as much as we ought to. Listen to them: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:5-8)
Oh my people, those are words that fit every situation in our lives. But we seem to only pay lip service to them, that’s why our lives are not as peaceful, joyful and LOVING as they ought to and could be. Yes, if we have true fellowship and intimacy with God, then He will indeed direct us along the straight and narrow way! But if we foolishly depend on our own worldly wisdom, then there’s a very good chance we’ll end up on the wide and winding path that leads to destruction.
So, it’s obviously in our best interest to get wise and seek true intimacy with God, for that’s the only way to solve the dilemmas, the negative predicaments that constantly come against us. And we seek true intimacy with God starting with prayer. Therefore, on this Labour Day Monday of 2022, when our world is in a serious state of turmoil and upheaval, of hatred and anger, let’s take our problems to God through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, it’s up to us to show God that we are serious, so let’s go out into the world and be sincere, fateful and with right motives in our hearts. Much LOVE!
…without sincere humility…one cannot be a true believer in Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
11 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bare our souls, bring backsliders back, clothed in white, for dust thou art, Friday chant, happy is he, he returneth to his earth, I will sing praises unto my God, in that very day his thoughts perish, introduce a whole new flock, keepeth truth for ever, LOVE, man's breath goeth forth, man's spirit departs, omnipotent help, our sinful world, positive response, pour out our hearts to God, Praise ye the Lord, Praise ye the Lord O my soul, put not your trust in princes, puts the icing on the cake, right motives, shout Hallelujah, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that hath the God of Jacob for his help, the blessedness of trusting God, the Lord openeth the eyes of the blind, the Lord shall reign forever, the throne of grace, the way of the wicked, trusting faith, unrest in our streets, unto dust shalt thou return, wake up and smell the coffee, while I live I will praise the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord his God, wise guidance
Psalm 146:1. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise ye the Lord, O my soul.
Well, the ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ slogan is not being met with sunny skies today, but with precipitation of the white stuff. Some fell overnight, and some more is currently falling, but it doesn’t seem to be anything to really worry about, although any amount of snow can be dangerous to the unsuspecting person. Oh, and I think I’ve finally solved the mystery of my clean driveway, as opposed to all the others in the lane being clothed in white.
I suspect that the last time there was a substantial snowfall, the people who clean my driveway put down salt on it, so that when small amounts fall, it melts automatically. Now that’s the only reason I can come up with, because the same thing’s happening out there right now; my driveway is snow free, while the others are not. And when I went to bed this morning there was snow on it, but by the time I got up, it was clean again. But who knows what’s really happening eh?
This one thing I do know about though, that’s ‘The blessedness of trusting God.’ Yes friends, we can never go wrong in that regard. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s check out Psalm 146, which bears that most wise and encouraging title. (smile) The psalmist begins by proclaiming ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise ye the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps. 146:1) Now there’s no doubt that if we do treasure the Lord’s sovereignty, honour and glory, then praise should continually emanate from our mouths.
Therefore, as the psalmist continues, we should all declare, (chuh!!!) I really can’t believe that I’ve spelt that word wrong again, in its simplest form too! It must be the enemy causing me to do it yes! (smile) And that’s why I definitely have to do like the psalmist says. ‘While I live will I praise thee Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.’ (Ps. 146:2) And that doesn’t only bring joy to God’s heart but also to ours. It lifts our spirits and renews our confidence in Him.
Thus, this marvellous bit of wisdom from the psalmist. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (no salvation).’ (Ps. 146:3) And I do hope we all recognize that gospel truth, for as the psalm further testifies: ‘His (man’s) breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Ps. 146:4) So, if man’s body returns to the dust from which he was formed and all the thoughts of his life disappear, why then put our trust in him? No reason whatsoever, since it’s not wise to put our trust in something that doesn’t last or can’t help us for any real length of time.
However, the psalmist does provide this wise solution. He says: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps. 146:5) Wow! But why is that eh? Because God is He ‘Which made heaven, and earth, the sea and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever; Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners: The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous: The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked).’ (Ps. 146:6-9)
Now those are all most excellent reasons for putting our trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And why not eh, since He made the heavens, the earth, the sea and all therein, which includes us? So, it makes much more sense to worship the Creator, God the Father, instead of the created human being, who is frail, fickle, not trustworthy and above all, in a few short years, dies and becomes of no account. That brings us to this last very good reason to praise and worship the Creator of the universe.
The psalmist tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps. 146:10) And that just puts the icing on the cake my fellow saints! Man dies and returns to the dust from which he came, but the great, the ONE and ONLY true God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lives and reigns forever! That’s another fact we cannot dispute, which means it’s safe to put our trust in Him, and all that He stands for. In other words, ‘The blessedness of trusting God.’
Ah mih people, I’ve been around a fairly long time, and been associated with God throughout, though not always in close communication, (smile) but I’ve seen enough of His goodness and mercy, both in others and personally, to confidently second all that the psalmist says. The Lord God Jehovah is so wonderful and LOVES us so much, His most wonderful, but not always the brightest creation, that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us, so that our sins could be forgiven! Now which other supposed god, could, or would do that eh? NONE!
That’s why it is undisputed wisdom to put our trust and hope in Him. And the first step in that regard, entails going to Him in prayer, which we can do right now, through our Friday Chant. So, in confident, but humble voice, let’s approach the throne of grace and bare our souls. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, it’s fine to pour out our hearts to God, but we must remember to make sure our motives are right, and that we keep any vows that we make, if we expect to receive any positive response. Much LOVE!
…God’s promise to man…for dust thou art…and unto dust shalt thou return… (Gen. 3:19b)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, and none shall make them afraid, blessed be the name of Jesus Christ, bring backsliders back to your fold, Christ comes back, Christ is working all things out for good, come let us go up to the mountain of God, common pandemic, down by the riverside, Friday chant, God shall wipe away all tears, hast spoken it, in the last days, introduce a new flock, is as a thousand years, it shall be exalted above the hills, keep our promises, lay down my burden, learn to rely on Christ and His word, mankind is capable of much evil, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war no more, neither sorrow, no more death, no regard for human life, nor crying, omnipotent help, one day with the Lord, our sinful world can wake up, peace and love instead of violence, right motives, smell the coffee, soon come, study war no more, take heart, the days of the Millennium, the example your faithful believers set, the former things are passed away, the mouth of the Lord of hosts, the unrest in our streets, to set up His earthly kingdom, tongue in cheek, unexpected storm, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
Micah 4:4b. and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.
Oh blessed be the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for filling us with life, LOVE and sunshine on this real cold winter’s Friday! According to my computer, the temperature out there is somewhere around minus 15 degrees Celsius. And that’s plenty minus! (smile) But with the strength and perseverance that Jesus brings to our lives, we will handle it superbly! And I can say that tongue in cheek because I don’t have to go out there today…at least not yet.
So what’s happening today eh friends? Friday is here, meaning the end of the workweek and not a whole lot of frivolity, for Covid is still here too, as well as political, racial, religious and economic strife. All over our world, despite the common pandemic, which ought to bring us together, we’re still finding time to physically fight each other, senselessly kill each other with no regard for human life, purposely impoverishing some, while holding back much needed and affordable relief from others.
I don’t know if all the evil and ungodliness in mankind has ever shown up all at once, like it has now. And believe me, mankind is indeed capable of much evil. He can be truly the devil’s son when he chooses to be! But then again, he can be sweet, LOVING and caring like Jesus! The problem though is we don’t know which aspect of his nature will show up on any given day. And I don’t know if anything will change much until Christ comes back to set up His earthly kingdom, as this passage from Micah foresees.
He confidently declares: ‘But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in (on) the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people (peoples) shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth (out) of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
And he shall judge among (between) many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks (pruning knives): nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.’ (Mic. 4:1-5)
Oh my people, how our world longs for that blessed day when war and strife will be no more! When our weapons of war will be turned into productive instruments ensuring peace and LOVE instead of violence! And it will come, but we just don’t know when, for these last days are kind of lasting rather long. (smile) But that’s to be expected when time, in the Lord’s sight is totally different to time in ours.
As Peter so sensibly reminds us: ‘But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.’ (2 Pet. 3:8) So if we figure that the last days began around the time of that momentous Pentecost Day, when the Holy Spirit fell on the early church, that’s two thousand years ago, then it’s only about two days in the Lord’s sight. (smile) So it’s early days yet.
But getting back to Micah’s prophecy, the scholars tell us this: ‘4:1-3. The phrase in the last days, as well as a comparison with other prophecies (e.g. Is. 2:2-4), indicates that the prophet is looking beyond the restoration from Babylonian captivity to the days of the Millennium when every promise given to Abraham and to Israel will ultimately be fulfilled.’
Yes friends, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed the same thing (Is. 2:2-4) and we know that all of God’s promises will eventually come true, but it’s taking so long to come, like the Jamaicans ‘soon come,’ and in the meanwhile our world is such a mess with the enemy in the ascendance right now. But as followers of Jesus, we must take heart and learn to rely on Him and His word. Remember, He’s working all things out for the good of those who LOVE Him, and that takes time.
But until Christ comes again, we can hold on to this great promise from the Book of Revelation, where John says: ‘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)
It’s coming my fellow saints, it’s only a matter of time. Till then though we have to make the best of what we have by staying close and faithful to our great God. And there’s no better way to do that than through prayer. So let’s go to Him right now nuh, through our Friday Chant and ask for His divine help in our earthly matters. As one confident but humble voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now please remember that the Lord not only listens to our voices in prayer, but more importantly, checks out the motives of our hearts, and if He finds them wanting, will not grant our desires. So it’s always to our benefit to have right motives and to keep our promises. Much LOVE!
…I’m gonna lay down my burden…down by the riverside…and study war no more…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
14 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as your problems overflow, be careful for nothing, concluding in Jesus' name, confession of sins, Da Flame, departed into a solitary place and prayed, every trial mountain and sea, feeling like an outcast, God answers prayer, God is the answer, He sees every tear drop and wipes them for me, he sees every weakness, he spake a parable unto them, I get down on my knees, I say Saviour help me please, in everything by prayer and supplication, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, making reconciliation with others, men ought always to pray and not lose heart, prayer is talking to God, prayer without ceasing, rebuilds our faith, refreshes our souls and spirits, right motives, rising up a great while before day, search for me with all your heart, teach you the good and right way, the basis of the successful Christian life, the Lord's Day, the Lord's prayer, the peace of God which passeth all understading, with thanksgiving
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).
Well, well mih bredrin, can you believe it’s Sunday already? The last seven days have indeed passed quickly, but it’s all to the good, because we get another chance to gather on the Lord’s Day to praise, worship and give Him thanks, while He refreshes our souls and spirits, rebuilds our faith, and strengthens us to go back out and face the evil, ungodly world in the upcoming week. All praise and honour be to His holy name my people, for He richly deserves it!
So let’s get the show on the road with our opening song, one most appropriately titled ‘God Answers Prayer,’ and sung by the Washington born young lady of Jamaican heritage, who originally went by the name of Lady Flame, but is now known as Da Flame. And as always, in scintillating, harmonious, heartfelt, soulful voice let’s raise our sacrificial praise to high heaven.
‘Oh, If you’re ever feeling down and like you have nowhere to go. If you’re feeling like an outcast as your problems overflow, just remember there is someone, and all it takes is for you to know, is that God is the answer, and God answers prayer. (Chorus: He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. I get down on my knees, and I say Saviour help me please. Because one thing is for certain, is my God answers prayer)
You may be broken and feel battered, but your strength will surely come, in the midst of all your heartache. Your battles are already won. Just remember in the hard times, don’t give up, don’t say you’re done, because God is the answer, and God answers prayer. (He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. I get down on my knees, and I say Saviour help me please. Because one thing is for certain, is my God answers prayer.
Oh, He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. So let’s get down on our knees, and say, Saviour, help us please. Because one thing is for certain…our God answers prayer. Yes, let’s get down on our knees, and say, Saviour, help us please. Because one thing is for certain…our God answers prayer.’ And of that we are very sure my faithful brethren! Our great and good God answers prayer all the time, otherwise so many of us wouldn’t still be believers.
And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ Now, if we are wise, we will do exactly as the song says, take all our problems, needs and wants to God in prayer. Hopefully, He will answer most of those that fall within His will and plan for our lives, but we will never know until we try. And there are so many scriptures that extol the power of prayer that I don’t know which ones to choose. So, let’s turn to the Lord in prayer and ask Him which ones He favours today. (smile)
And the first one He directed me came from His wonderful Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Good Book tells us: ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) And that’s something Jesus did daily. Although He was the Son of God, He did not do anything without first consulting the Father. He still needed the Father’s help and guidance down here on earth. Jesus began His day with prayer. The scriptures record it thus. ‘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 let me ask us this nuh mih people, if the Son of God made prayer an important part of His life, who are we, a sinful creation to do otherwise eh? Nothing but a bunch of proud, arrogant and foolish men! Jesus Himself preached in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8)
And the scholars wisely inform us that ‘Prayer includes asking and getting answers from God. But it is more than just asking; it is confession, adoration, thanksgiving, and fellowship with God. By its nature, prayer is talking with God. It is the basis of the successful Christian life, and is so important that not praying is considered a sin (1 Sam. 12:23). When we pray, we should follow the model prayer Jesus gave His disciples and address it to our heavenly Father – beginning with adoration, including thanksgiving and confession of sins, making reconciliation with others, praying for our needs and the needs of others, and concluding in Jesus’ name.’
Yes friends, that’s how we ought to pray. And the model prayer referred to above is obviously what we now call the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ found in Matt. 6:9-15) And the part about ending in Jesus’ name comes from John 14:13-14, where He told the disciples: ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.’ That means acting as Jesus’ agent or ambassador, doing stuff to uplift His name and church, not merely for our selfish worldly desires.
And by the way, here’s that verse from Samuel which the scholars claim that not praying is sin. In asking Israel to serve God, Samuel said to them: ‘Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way.’ (1 Sam. 12:23) And the scholars explain: ‘12:23. Despite Israel’s sin, Samuel LOVED Israel and Saul and pledged his continued help, especially in praying for them and teaching them the Lord’s standards.’ So friends, you see that not praying is not a good thing. (smile)
Now let’s wrap up with a couple of popular scriptures on prayer that we all know but don’t practice enough. Jeremiah said on the Lord’s behalf: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) Now that’s a very important condition of prayer friends, seeking the Lord with all our heart, sincerely calling upon Him. For remember He checks our hearts before He makes any response to see if our motives are right.
And we’ll end with this popular and all-inclusive scripture from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the church at Philippi. ‘Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know 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) And that’s my prayer for all of this Sunday morning my faithful brethren. Much LOVE!
…pray…without ceasing… (1 Thess. 5:17)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
27 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken and contrite heart, a broken spirit, a figment of our imagination, a fool's wisdom, agree to disagree, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, come together, devolve into anarchy, directions for earthly living, endemic strife, every idle word that men speak, fear God and keep his commandments, fomenting disagreement, forgive us and heal our land, God shall bring every work into judgement, God's Word, guidance and direction, hear our prayer, humble servants, in the day of judgement, it's talk that won the war, Jehovah Rapha, learn to live in unity, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obey God, repentance in our hearts, right motives, seriously disobeyed your word, sincerely seek your face, submission to God and His revelation, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the killing machine, the sacrifices of God, they shall give account for, this is the whole duty of man, thou desirest not sacrifice, to do justly and to love mercy, to walk humbly with thy God, turn from our evil ways, weapons of mass destruction, what does the Lord require of thee, whether it be evil, whether it be good, with every secret thing
Ecclesiastes 12:13. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Oh my brethren, let’s come together on this last Monday in September 2021 nuh! It’s the only hope we have of going forward in a relatively calm world. The anger scouring our world right now is tremendous and can lead to no good. There are too many divisive actions and responses to the many serious problems we face. Unless we at least agree to disagree and stop fighting each other on the important matters our world currently faces, the situation will just devolve into anarchy and full-scale violence.
The pandemic, the vaccines, climate control, worldwide poverty and endemic strife will never be settled through violence and bloodshed, which is where we are heading right now. As my Uncle Foster used to tell me: ‘It’s talk that won the war nephew.’ And he was quite right, for it’s in the peace talks after the war that everything’s really decided. So why can’t we have the peace talks before the war eh? Haven’t we been self-destructive enough over the last century, where we have killed more people than in all the wars of several centuries before?
The killing doesn’t prove anything, it just keeps the status quo going, where every few years we turn to killing each other again in a vain attempt to solve age old differences. And the next worldwide slaughter will most likely be the last one since we’ve improved our destructive methods like nothing else. The killing machine is our proudest and most significant area of expertise! Whatever’s happened to the peace and LOVE that so many of us romanticize in our societies eh? Is it really only a figment of our imagination? It certainly seems so, because right now those two attributes are totally lacking from the world scene.
We certainly have not spent half as much time on promoting peace and LOVE as we have on fomenting disagreement and building weapons of mass destruction, which has inevitably led to the vitriolic anger and hatred we’re currently spewing against our friends, families and neighbours. Whatever happened to the tenets of the Good Book eh, the Bible, God’s Word, His directions for living this earthly life? Obviously it’s no longer looked upon favourably. Instead, we are trying to remove it and God completely from our society, which is a fool’s wisdom and will never happen.
How many centuries have mankind tried to rid themselves of it eh, but it only becomes stronger and takes greater hold, especially since Jesus came to earth and showed us the true image of our heavenly Father and how much He cares for us, that He’d even allow His Son to die for us, while we were yet sinners. Yes friends, the Bible is God’s word to us, still fresh through all the ages, and if we’d but read it, we would find God’s wisdom on its pages. The amazing wisdom He desires His favourite creation to live by. Oh my people, what will it take for us to truly realize that there’s ONLY One Power and One Presence in this great universe eh: that of Almighty God, the Good Omnipotent!
And until we get it through our thick skulls that He created this universe and all therein, and will not allow it to be taken away from Him, so we had better learn to live in unity with each other and with Him, the sooner there will be some real semblance of peace and LOVE in our angry, hating, divisive world!
What then is the solution to our problems you ask? I believe the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us as simply and clearly as possible. He wisely declares: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) That’s the gospel truth friends!
Now hear this explanation from the scholars: ‘12:12-14. God has not answered every problem of life, but He has commanded man to live joyfully, responsibly, and wisely. Finally, the controlling factor of all life should be the fear (reverence) of God, that is, submission to God and His revelation (cf. Prov. 1:7). The certainty of divine judgement demands it.’
And that is not new news my fellow saints, it’s old stuff. Moses told the Israelites that in (Deut. 6:2, 10:12) and the prophet Micah reiterated it to them later on: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic. 6:8) Meanwhile Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing. ‘For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51:16-17)
Yes, my fellow believers, that is what the Lord desires of His greatest creation; to come to Him humbly and in reverence, admitting His awesome sovereignty. And if you didn’t believe the prophets, then listen to Jesus, the Son of God. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37).
Now, if Jesus says there will be a day of judgement, then there will be one. And all our words and actions will come before Him, and we will receive our just deserts, be it rewards in heaven or eternal damnation and separation from Almighty God. Let’s understand and believe that there is a price to pay for all that we do that does not line up with God’s will.
Disunity is our biggest problem right now. Why can’t we see that eh? We desperately need to come together and get back to worshipping and reverencing Almighty God. And there’s no better time to start than right now. So let’s go to Him in prayer with our problems nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, the Lord will search our hearts for the right motives and see how we keep our promises before answering our prayers. Much LOVE!
…the duty of man…to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…. (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
05 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving gracious God, after our own likeness, breathed into his nostrils, by him all things consist, disobedience to God's Word, foolish pride, forgive us and heal our land, give us wise guidance, God said let us make man in our image, impaired or tarnished image, Jehovah Rapha, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no man can say Him nay, of the dust of the ground, our Father who art in heaven, right motives, sincere prayer, sincere repentance, the breath of life, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the God who heals, the Lord formed the man, the LOVE of money, their individual cause is right and just, unwise mindset, up in arms, we have no need or use for God, willful sin, your humble servants
Genesis 1:26. And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our own likeness…
How goes it this Monday morning friends as sickness, strife, economic anxiety, natural disasters and numerous controversies rage around our world? I don’t know if our world has ever been in such turmoil on so many fronts, at the same time, in basically a time of peace. Everybody seems to be displeased and up in arms about something. And everybody believes that their individual cause is right and just and needs immediate remedial action. Ah Lord eh!
The good Lord must be sitting in His high heaven sadly shaking His head, because He knows that many of our problems could be solved by simply turning back to Him and His righteous and holy ways. Yes friends, plenty of what’s wrong with our world can be directly traced to willful sin and disobedience to God’s Word, stemming from foolish pride and the unwise mindset that we have no need or use for God in our world, or our individual affairs.
How can that ever be true, when God is our Creator and Provider eh? All that we are, and have, emanated or emanates from Him. In the first place God created us. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our own likeness…’ (Gen 1:26) Yes friends, we are a creation of Almighty God! God created us in His own image to boot, which means we have a likeness like unto God. We might not be identical, but we are indeed similar.
And though we have fallen through our sin, we still have an impaired or tarnished image of Him. And how do you think we got life eh? Listen to the Good Book again. ‘And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.’ (Gen. 2:7) Oh my people, it is God’s breath, His ruach, or living spirit in our mortal bodies that gave, and still gives us life. Without it, we would be lifeless. So how can we believe that God is not important in our lives eh?
And here is another unbelievably important aspect of God in our lives. Moses reminded the Israelites of it in these words. ‘Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, and the earth also, with all that therein is.’ (Deut. 10:14) And if you don’t believe Moses, then listen to Bruh Paul. ‘For by him (God) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in (on) earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities (rulers), or powers (authorities): all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by (through) him all things consist (are held together).’ (Col. 1:16-17)
That means that heaven, the earth, and everything in them belong to the Lord, because He created them. And we are only stewards of His possessions down here. Ever wonder why we come into this world with nothing, and also leave it with nothing? As Bruh Paul informed Timothy: ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ (1 Tim. 6:7)
And the scholars offer this tidbit of info on that verse. ‘This is a divine means of showing man that since material wealth is relatively insignificant, he should pursue the important things mentioned in verse 11.’ And this is what that says: ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (the LOVE of money, lust of the flesh); and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith,LOVE, patience, meekness.’ (1 Tim. 6:11)
And speaking about material wealth, please check out this very interesting and important verse of scripture which Moses warned the people of Israel about, a long time ago. ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) Please consider that my brethren, it was God Himself who gave Israel, and consequently us, the ability to get material wealth and the blessings that He had promised their forefathers.
And right here it would do us a wealth of good (smile) to remember Job’s fateful words. ‘Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ (Job 1:21) Yes friends, the Lord made Job materially wealthy, then He took away that wealth. Then He gave Job even more than he had previously. That ought to show us the power the Lord has over us and all the earth and heaven, and convince us that our best bet is to stick with the one who not only brought us to the dance, but also gave the dance. (smile)
So, having reconsidered our options, and realizing on which side our bread is truly buttered, let’s go to God right now nuh, offering up sincere mea culpas through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as with all prayer, let’s hope that when the Lord searches our hearts, He will find that our motives were right and our prayer sincere. Much LOVE!
…the earth is the Lord’s…and the fullness thereof…no man can say Him nay…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
04 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: awesome grace and mercy, being a good steward, better off without Jesus, Covid-19 pandemic, do it heartily as unto the Lord, expressing our love for God, good stewards of the manifold grace of God, heal our land, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, receive the reward of the inheritance, right motives, salvation, sincere repentace, stewards of the Lord's possessions, stewardship of creation, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the God who heals, the kingdom of heaven, the parable of the five talents, the world and they that dwell therein, thou wicked and slothful servant, welcome thou good and faithful servant, whatever ye do, wise guidance
Psalm 24:1. The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Welcome to the first Monday in 2021! Who knows what it holds for any and all of us eh? Nobody but Jesus! So doesn’t it make sense to get in touch with Jesus, or consult Him if we want to know what’s happening? That seems like the wise and logical thing to do. But sadly, a lot of us refuse to do it, foolishly thinking that we’re better off without Him. But how can that be eh friends, when He controls everything, and everything belongs to Him? Bruh David said it in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers)’ (Ps. 24:1-2)
And the New International Readers Version (NIRV) explains it in everyday language: ‘The earth belongs to the Lord. And so does everything in it. The world belongs to him. And so do all those who live in it.’ Yes my people, nothing really belongs to us, we are only stewards of the Lord’s possessions here on earth, and it behooves us to take good care of, to look after what’s His with the same dedication and diligence as if it were ours. And if you are a believer in Christ, then stewardship of His assets are a necessary part of your duties.
And I like this quote on the Importance of Stewardship found on the Christianity.com website: ‘According to scripture, God created Earth for mankind and we are now stewards of His creation. This means it is our responsibility to look after and take care of this world. We should accept this responsibility and appreciate God’s gift of creation for being our home. Our stewardship of creation involves the caretaking of the environment and animals as well as our families and communities. Being a good steward in this world is one way of expressing our LOVE for God and our gratitude to Him.’
And God made His desires very clear right at the beginning of the game. The Good Book tells us that after He made man in his own image, creating both male and female. ‘And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. (Gen. 1:28) Then later on it further tells us: ‘ The Lord God took the man (Adam) and put him in the garden of Eden to dress (work) it and keep it. (Gen. 2:15)
Yes friends, Adam and Eve’s job was to work the land, till it, look after the garden like a garden should be looked after. And nothing has really changed since then, except that man has fallen into sin. But the earth is still the Lord’s, and we’re still responsible for taking care of it. And I don’t need to tell us that we haven’t done such a good job, because we can all see it in the ravaged, unpredictable climate, disaster-filled, world we now inhabit. I’m sure that breaks Jesus heart since He also told us during His earthly sojourn that it was our job to look after whatever the Father has given us.
And the parable of the talents is a good example of that, of personal preparation and faithful service to our Master. ‘For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several (own) ability; and straightway took his journey.’ (Matt. 25:14-15) Now that symbolizes the gifts God has given to each of us. Not all of us got the same ones or the same amount. But He expects us to use whatever He’s given us profitably. We’re all entrusted with different tasks and the gifts or ability to perform them.
But it turns out that when the Master returned, the one with five talents had invested his and made five more, while the one with two talents had also invested his and made two more. However, the one with only one talent went and hid it in the ground, and only had the Master’s original money to give Him when He came back. Obviously the first two were treated well, ‘Welcome thou good and faithful servants,’ and promised further honour in the future. But the last one was called ‘Thou wicked and slothful (lazy) servant.’ And his talent was taken away and given to those who had more.
And that’s how it’s going to be when Jesus comes back to sit on His throne; those who have wasted their gifts, not made any productive use of them to further God’s kingdom, ‘shall be cast into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matt.25.30) And Peter corroborated Jesus’ words when he said: ‘As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.’ (1 Pet. 4:10)
Oh my people, we are to use our various gifts and talents to serve each other as well as to further God’s kingdom in this evil world. That’s why He entrusted us with the many gifts we have. And Bruh Paul gave this advice to the Colossians, re their domestic life. In particular to the servants. ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col. 3:23-24)
Yes friends, even servants can carry out their menial tasks with enthusiasm, because in the long run, they are serving God and not man, and from God they will receive the inheritance of salvation not from man. The same thing applies to us my fellow saints in Christ. We must carry out our earthly duties as though we’re carrying them out for God, and not man, because it’s God who will reward us in the end, not mankind. And this last scripture puts it all in a nutshell. ‘For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain.’ (Titus 1:7) Oh so true my brethren!
Now it’s time to turn to the Lord for help in renewing our activities, so we can better use our gifts and talents to further His kingdom. Let’s plead to Him through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world.
We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
Now when He looks at our hearts, please let Him see right motives and sincere desire to do His will. Much LOVE!
…a gracious gift…should always be treasured…
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