15 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a miraculous task, a rewarder, Abraham, act, activate, all that labour, Anselm, assurance, beleive it, believe that he is, call for help, Christ's sacrifice, come unto me, conviction, dormant forces, early to bed, early to rise, evidence, faith, find rest, friend, future hope, gentle, give you rest, God spoke the world into existence, gospel truth, heavy laden, hope, humble, I am meek, impossible to please God, intercession of Christ, is already there, learn from me, like to become, lowly in heart, moves mountains, my burden light, my yoke is easy, not by sight, patience, perseverance, present realities, reality, realization, recuperate, righteousness, saved by hope, see it to believe it, see yourself, seek him diligently, sense of proof, sight, sleep in, substance, take my yoke, the glorification of saints, the great invitation, the New testament, the resurrection, the return of Christ, the Word of god, them's the breaks, then see it, things hoped for, things not seen, transform your dream, truths, two short days, unseen realities, unto your souls, wait eagerly, walking with Jesus, we walk by faith, what you want, wisdom, without faith
2 Corinthians 5:7. For we walk by faith, not by sight.
And then it was Saturday; the day so many of us use to sleep in. I tried to do it, but it didn’t work, the aches and pains were too powerful. Hn! I went out yesterday evening, came home tired and went to bed early, so the body responded by being up early too. But them’s the breaks! What’s the saying? Early to bed, early to rise!
So here we are, another week of work is over and we need to recuperate in just two short days. And it’s only if and when we’re walking wholeheartedly with Jesus that we can accomplish such a miraculous task. So please check Him out. He’s anxiously awaiting your call for help.
And you can see that by the wonderful offer of His Great Invitation. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Ah people, what an invitation! There’s never been any like it, and will never be another like it, because Jesus is the only Being who can promise such stuff and actually provide it. Glory to His Holy Name!
Now since it’s Saturday, we ought to look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us, but unfortunately I only received one this week. But it certainly is interesting and good enough for us to build around. So here it is: ‘The more you see yourself as what you’d like to become, and act as if what you want is already there, the more you’ll activate those dormant forces that will collaborate to transform your dream into your reality.’
And that’s the gospel truth friends! But you know why? Because as true believers in Christ: ‘We walk by faith and not by sight.’ Glory be mih people! It’s our faith in Christ Jesus that allows us to see the things that are not as the things that are. We don’t first have to see something to believe it. We believe it and then we see it! Glory to God!
That’s why we have those magnificent verses of scripture from Hebrews that tell us: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen. For by it 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.11:1-3)
Yeh friends, it’s faith that moves mountains; faith that allows us to believe what we don’t see, it’s through faith we believe that God spoke the world into existence from nothingness! And when we have great faith it can be counted to us for righteousness, like it was for Abraham.
And then later on in Hebrews 11, we have that other famous verse on faith: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): 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)
Oh my brethren, only through faith can one believe that God, the ephemeral, spiritual, almighty Being exists, because you can’t see nor touch Him. And I’d be amiss if I didn’t share the scholars’ thoughts on the subject.
‘11:1. Verse 1 is not so much a definition of what faith is, as it is a description of what faith does. (cf.11:6). Two truths concerning its activity are stated here. First, faith provides substance (Gr. hypostasis). Though broad in its usages, this Greek word normally has the meaning of “assurance” in the New Testament (cf.3:14; 2 Cor.9:4; 11:17) and this seems to be the best sense here.
Second, faith provides evidence (Gr. elegchos). It is evidence in the sense of proof that results in conviction. The difference between assurance and evidence would be minimal were it not for the phrase qualifying each: of things hoped for and of things not seen. The first involves future hope; the second involves present realities that are unseen.
The first includes the hope of the resurrection, the return of Christ, and the glorification of the saints. The second involves unseen realities, such as the forgiveness of sin through Christ’s sacrifice and the present intercession of Christ in heaven. Hope is faith relating to the future; conviction is faith relating to the present.’
Ah friends, I hope (smile) that that li’l treatise on faith helps you to understand it better. And to end, we’ll get some more immortal words from Bruh Paul, this time to the church at Rome, on the subject of hope. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (wait eagerly) for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25)
Exactly my fellow believers! If you can see something, there’s no reason to hope for it. But if you can’t see it physically, then there’s all the reason to hope for it! So let’s wisely hope for all the good things we can’t see nuh, and through faith, believe that we have them and with perseverance wait eagerly for them! That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…you can’t have faith…unless you first have hope…
02 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a giant our Jesus, a quandary, a wave of his hand, a wise place, aimless conduct, all eternity, all have sinned, Aretha Franklin, being justified by his blood, believe in God, blood, break his own heart, broke his heart, Calvary, cleansing, come short of the glory of God, enemies, entrance to heaven's throne room, eternal life, eternal salvation, fellowship, for sin atone, foreordained, forgivenss, glory, God loved us, gold, Hades, hard currency, have a good ole time, healing, hear God's word, holiness, humility, I'll overcome, I'll reach my home, joy in God, justice, justified, lighten up our spirits, LOVE, Lucifer, make me whole, makes me white as snow, mercy, mired in sin, much more then, my hope, my pardon, Nothing but the blood of Jesus, patience, peace, perishable things, perseverance, power, praise, purged with blood, received the atonement, reconciled, redeemed with corruptible things, remission, renewing our spiritual lives, righteousness, Robert Lowry, sacrifice, salvation, sanctified, saved by his life, saved from wrath, shedding of Christ's blood, silver, sing, sinless blood, soften our hearts, still effective after two thousand years, the faithful singing praises, the Lamb of God, the Lord's Day, the Lord's House, tradition, truer words were never spoken, uplifting visit, vain conversation, wash away my sin, welcome, without blemish, without spot, without the shedding of blood, worship, yet sinners
Romans 5:9. Much more then now being (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Welcome, welcome to the Lord’s Day my faithful breddren! And we all know what that means: an uplifting visit to the Lord’s house, to sing and praise and worship and fellowship, hear His Word and just have a good ole time renewing our spiritual lives! Wow! There’s nothing like the faithful together singing the praises of our great and wonderful God my people!
If you saw Aretha Franklin’s funeral on Friday, you’d have seen how praise and worship can light up the spirits of a crowd of believers. So today, in anticipation of hearing God’s Word, let’s soften up our hearts and lighten up our spirits by singing praises to our God in this old and much LOVED hymn ‘Nothing but the Blood of Jesus,’ written by Robert Lowry and published way back in 1876.
So let’s sing it like we really mean it nuh. All together now: ‘What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain: Oh! precious is the flow That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.) For my pardon, this I see, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; For my cleansing this my plea, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain)
Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; This is all my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Now by this I’ll overcome; Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Now by this I’ll reach my home, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Glory! Glory! This I sing; Nothing but the blood of Jesus, All my praise for this I bring, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Nothing but the Blood…Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.’
Ah mih people, truer words were indeed never sung or spoken, for ALL that we are is based on the blood of Jesus shed at Calvary! Without that shed blood we’d still be mired in sin for now and all eternity. As the Good Book says: ‘For all have sinned and, come short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23)
In short friends, it means that ONLY the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross of Calvary can wash away my sins, cleanse my soul, allow the Father to pardon me. In Him ONLY, can I find peace and hope, righteousness, salvation and eternal life! Glory to God!
Christ’s blood is the most powerful element that ever washed this earth! It atoned for our sins; justified us, sanctified us, reconciled us, made us righteous and gave us entrance to heaven’s throne room! Oh my, my! What other substance on earth can do, or could have done all of that eh? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE! Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
In it there is power, forgiveness, LOVE, humility, healing, patience and perseverance, so much so that after two thousand years it is still as effective as ever. Wow! The blood of Jesus! We even plead the blood of Jesus in tough times, confidently calling out to the Father for mercy because of the shed blood of His Son! But enough of me spouting off, (smile) let us quote a few scriptures that show the importance of Christ’s blood in our lives.
And the first one that comes to mind is one that we all know: ‘The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29) And that He did! Then Bruh Paul elucidates to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth his (demonstrates his own) LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then now being (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom.5:8-11)
Ah friends, it seems quite complicated, but it’s really quite simple: God LOVED us so much that it broke His heart to see us headed to Hades with Lucifer, so He decided to do something about it. The only problem was that because of His holiness and justice, He couldn’t just pardon sin with a wave of His hand. Our sin had to be paid for, for want of a better term, in hard currency, (smile) and that currency under the Old Covenant was animal blood.
As Hebrews reminds us that through Moses, the Lord commanded the Israelites to continually shed animal blood as short term atonement for their sins: ‘And almost all things are by the law purged (cleansed) with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.’ (Heb.9:22) So there had to be blood shed if the Lord wanted to reconcile us to Himself. And besides, the blood had to be sinless blood, and unfortunately His Son was the ONLY One who fit that bill.
No doubt the Lord found Himself in a quandary, but He LOVED His greatest creation so much that He decided to break His own heart and offer up His one Son as the perennial sacrifice for our sins! Now if that isn’t LOVE, I don’t know what is. Hear how Peter puts it. ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible (perishable) things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (aimless conduct) received by tradition from your fathers.
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (revealed) in these last times for you. Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.’ (1 Pet.1:18-21)
Yeh mih breddren, that’s the only wise place to place one’s faith and hope! Much LOVE!
…the shedding of Christ’s blood paid for our sins…and His resurrection pays for our eternal salvation…what a giant is our Jesus…
26 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a shout of joy, Alleluia, an instrument of ten strings, appreciation, be not frunk with wine, Christians, come before the lord, dance for joy, David danced before the Lord, dissipation, excess, filled with the Spirit, filled your soul with song, from sleep, full of confidence, going to church, gratefulness, harp, heard my cry, hymns, in the name of Jesus, Jerusalem, joy, let your trumpets sound, loving, loving-kindness, making melody in your hearts, merciful, more faithfull, mountains high, open your heart and soul, out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, play glad tambourines, psalms, receptive to God's word, Rejoice in the Lord, righteousness, rise o children, set my feet upon a rock, sincere hearts, sing a new song, sing praises, spiritual songs, strong voices, thanks and praise, the ark of the covenant, the earth is full of goodness, the happiest people in the world, the joy of the Lord is your strength, The Lord is good, the Lord's people, to go or not to go, trust in the Lord, turned your sorrow to joy, upon a psaltery, waited patiently, your Saviour has come
Psalm 144:9. I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery (harp) and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.
To go or not to go? That is the question: whether, on this summer Sunday morning, I should stay in my warm, comfortable bed, roll over and go back to sleep, or make a determined effort to roll out, get dressed and go to the Lord’s sanctuary, to praise and worship, give thanks and fellowship with other faithful believers?
Hn! Oh friends, I daresay that many of us are facing that question, or have already faced it. Let’s hope that your reaction was, or will be the wise one; getting up and going to church. And while there you sincerely open your heart and soul to your heavenly Father, and you also take in all that He has to offer, so you can leave there stronger, more faithful and full of confidence.
And today friends, in our li’l get together, we’re going to open the proceedings the way we always do, by softening up our hearts in song, making them more receptive to God’s word, by first giving Him thanks and praise. And we’re going to do exactly what our Bit tells us to do: ‘I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery (harp) and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.’
Oh what a joy it is to sing unto the Lord my brethren, especially a new song, one that He hasn’t heard us sing before, because then He is eagerly looking forward to the praise we have to offer. Yuh know that’s one of the reasons He created us; to praise Him? So let’s not keep Him waiting any longer nuh, let’s belt out this new song with strong voices and sincere hearts.
As one soulful choir now: ‘(Chorus: Sing a new song unto the Lord, Let your song be sung from mountains high. Sing a new song unto the Lord, Singing Alleluia! Alleluia!) The Lord’s people dance for joy. O come before the Lord And play for Him on glad tambourines and let your trumpets sound. (Chorus)
Rise, O children from your sleep your Saviour now has come. He has turned your sorrow to joy, and filled your soul with song. (Chorus: Sing a new song unto the Lord, Let your song be sung from mountains high. Sing a new song unto the Lord, Singing Alleluia! Alleluia!)
Yes my people, that’s the way it ought to be! The Lord is good and merciful and LOVING, so His people should show their appreciation and gratefulness by dancing before Him with joy! That reminds me of when Bruh David danced before the Lord with all his might when they brought up the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (2 Sam.6:14)
And the Lord just LOVES His music, so it’s a no-brainer that we should play happily and sweetly on our musical instruments and thus bring Him pleasure. So let those tambourines jangle, the harps sing and the trumpets sound out! An’ yuh see, even the song says we must rise up from our sleep, because our Saviour, Jesus has come! Glory be!
And what’s even better, is that He has turned our sorrow to joy, and filled our souls with song! Mama Mia! How can we beat that eh friends? No way! And as I keep saying, with a Saviour like Jesus, and all that He’s done for us, we Christians should be the happiest people in the world! Joy should be our watchword; ‘for the joy of the Lord is your strength,’ (Neh.8:10) And since we know that salvation has been granted and eternal life is waiting in heaven, our earthly life should be just one big sing along! (smile)
Like the Good Book says: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise (a shout of joy). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He LOVETH righteousness and judgement (justice): the earth is full of the goodness (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord.’ (Ps.33:1-5) And there is no disputing any of that my people!
And now hear Bruh David in Psalm 40 nuh –Praise for answered prayer. ‘I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (my steps). And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’ (Ps.40:1-4)
Ah friends, that’s the power of trusting in the Lord: you cry out to Him in patient and sincere trust, and He raises you up, and puts a new song in your soul, so you can praise Him even more! Glory to our heavenly Father!
And we’ll end with this wonderful advice from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21)
We couldn’t get any better advice than that nuh friends, so let’s take it to heart and put it into action today nuh! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing our God LOVES more…than us giving Him sincere thanks and praise…
09 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a faithful ambassador brings health, allowing us to see it, be not afraid, be of good cheer, be wise, blessings, cast into hell, Christians, courage, creativity, curse, death, displeasing God, don't fear, don't let fear destroy you, easter morning, enjoy the day, every secret, fear, fear not, fearful times, fearing for his life, forgiven, forgotten, give the Lord thanks, go into Galilee, God is the revealer, indisputable truth, It is I, Jesus is the resurrection, Jesus' resurrection, Jesus' return, John Hagee, judgemental behaviour, jurisdiction, kill the body, lightning, little flock, more firepopwer, negative word, new mercies, omnipotent rule, one lawgiver, powers, precious possession, principalities, righteousness, rule our lives, seek the kingdom of God, self-control, self-discipline, share them, spiritual maturity, spoon feed, take courage, the Life, the name of Jesus, the past, the power of Jesus name, the power of Jesus' blood, the power of the cross, the power of the Word, the U.S. President, the unknown, Thor, thunder, thunderclap, Thursday Blessings, to give you the kingdom, under Jesus' umbrella, upheaval, wait, watch, wisdom, your Father's good pleasure, Zeus
Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Oh mih people, it’s a brand new day with new mercies and blessings, so let’s be wise and enjoy it and give the Lord thanks for allowing us to see it nuh!
And I’d certainly like to know what it is between me and lighting yes! Remember a couple of days ago I told you about going out on my front porch to see the rain and how two flashes of lightning immediately drove me back inside?
Well yesterday afternoon I was sitting on my porch reading, waiting for my young daughter to come and pick me up and take me out. The rain was merely drizzling, when out of the blue, a fiery bolt of Zeus’ lightning suddenly lit up the dark and dreary-looking sky. Then soon thereafter, Thor unleashed a thunderous thunderclap of thundering thunder! (smile) Hn! Yuh know where I ended up? Back inside, of course!
Ah Lord eh! A body can’t even sit down quietly on his porch without being threatened eh, without fearing for his life! (smile) And quite appropriately, today we’re going to talk about fear, starting with some wise insights on the subject from Uncle John (John Hagee).
And the first thing he says is ‘Don’t let fear destroy you.’ But sadly we live in such fearful times, when both the physical world and mankind seem to be in serious upheaval that fear is rampant, even among Christians. However, according to Uncle John, the two words that Jesus used most were ‘Fear not!’ And He did indeed tell us quite often not to be afraid, but so many of us lack spiritual maturity that we let fear rule our lives.
Now hear are some things Uncle John said we should not be afraid of in particular and good reasons why not. The first is: ‘Don’t fear death – For Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Don’t fear the past – Because it’s forgotten and forgiven. Do not fear the unknown – Because God is the revealer of every secret. Do not fear powers and principalities – Because you have the power of the cross.
You have the power of Jesus’ Name. You have the power of His Word. You have the power of His blood. You have more firepower than the U.S President… (smile) And it comes to you just with the mention of the name of Jesus!’
Glory be mih people! Yuh see all the reasons why we should not be afraid. Jesus is the omnipotent ruler of this world, and if we’re supposed to be living under His umbrella, His jurisdiction, then we should have little or no cause to be afraid of anything!
And we’ll continue by highlighting a few scriptures where Jesus told His people not to be afraid, beginning with our Bit. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’
Yes friends, that’s the indisputable truth! Why else would He have sent his most precious possession, His Son, to die for a bunch of ingrates like us eh? But we can’t just sit on our fannies and do nothing. We have to genuinely seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, as well as watch and wait for Jesus’ return.
And earlier on, while telling them whom to fear and whom not to fear, Jesus declared. ‘And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.’ (Luke 12:4-5) Oh my, my!
And as the scholars explain: ‘12:4. The body’s death is not the end of a person’s life. 12:5. God is the One with this power (to cast into hell) (James 4:12).’ And since I LOVE you all so much, and want you to know the scriptures, and know you won’t look it up for yourselves, I’ll spoon-feed you with that verse. (smile)
It occurs when James is talking about us having consideration for our brother. ‘There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?’ (James 4:12) And that’s a very good question with all the unsubstantiated judgemental behaviour that’s going on these days.
But turning back to Jesus. Listen to Him on Easter morning, having triumphantly risen from the dead. To those who first saw Him, He said: ‘Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.’ (Matt.28:10) What an occasion was Jesus’ resurrection eh friends! The most momentous occasion the world has seen so far!
And we have time for just one more of Jesus’ ‘be not afraid.’ This one to His disciples on the boat on the stormy sea, and He comes walking towards them on the water. When they saw Him, were they ever afraid and cried out in fear that it was a spirit. ‘But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I, be not afraid.’ (Matt.14:27) Ah mih breddren, what else can I say eh? You heard it all from Jesus Himself!
Now let’s go home loudly and proudly and sincerely declaring our Thursday Blessings, a mark of Jesus’ bountiful benediction to His followers. All together now: ‘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 everyday! Amen!’
The next step is to go out now and share those wonderful blessings with the less fortunate, because that’s why Jesus so generously endowed us with them. Much LOVE!
…the only fear mankind should have…is that of displeasing Almighty God…
03 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bark, be careful of what you wish for, beyond comprehension, beyond expectation, boggles our imagination, by horsemen, by horses, by my spirit, by osmosis, bypass the Spirit's guiding, Canada Day, celebrations, communicating with the Father, creativity, diligent study, electrify me, escape, friend of Jesus, gently whisper, Glory be, go astray, God's unreal power, Godhead, grow in faith, happen overnight, heat-wave, heavenly Father, hide, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, Hosea, huffing and puffing, hurry, indwells us, invade, know the word, lead and guide, lends a hand, listen carefully, LOVE, loving-kindness, magnificent power, manmade inplements, mature in the faith, mercy, mystique, nor by battle, nor by power, nor by sword, not by bow, not by might, on our lonesome, One Year Book of Bible promises, pay attention to, penetrate every fibre, permeate me, praise, praise the performance, precious people, reality of work, revere, reward me, right from wrong, righteousness, run, Ruth Harms Calkin, searing heat, serve, share jesus' love, shout, sincere determination, startles me, summer weather, the beloved of God, the House of Judah, the intentions of God, the Task, the very thought of it, the Worker Bee, Tuesday Mantra, utterly impossible, will save them, wisdom, wonder of wonders, worry, worship, Zechariah
Zechariah 4:6b. Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
‘Heat wave! It’s a heat wave! Yes a heat wave!’ Ah friends, the summer heat wave continues on this Tuesday morning after our hearty Canada Day celebrations, and the reality of work hits us once again. (smile) And I believe the searing heat might continue all week. As they say, be careful of what you wish for. We wished for summer weather, and we’re getting truly summer weather.
That brings me to a poem I want to share from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s called ‘The Task’, and it resembles our reality so much that I just had to share it. Please read with me: ‘Lord, You give me a task So utterly impossible So totally beyond comprehension – The very thought of it Startles me. I want to run hide escape Anything, Lord.
Then you electrify me You invade and permeate me You penetrate every fibre of me Until the task is accomplished By your own magnificent power. Then you praise the performance Your creativity achieved And you reward me beyond expectation – As though I had done it All by myself My Father.’
Oh precious people of God, isn’t that just how our wonderful heavenly Father behaves! He gives us something to do that seems impossible and we want to run and hide, escape somehow from doing it because it just boggles our imagination. But then, in His LOVING-kindness, our Father steps in and lends a hand, guides us, and sometimes does most of the hard work, until we accomplish the seemingly impossible task He assigned us.
And then, wonder of wonders, He gives us much praise and glory and reward, as though we had done it all on our lonesome! Wow! How wonderful is He eh!
Mankind always want to take the glory for what they do, but our heavenly Father shares it with us, so that we can be encouraged and grow in faith and LOVE, because in the natural, we can’t do very much on our own. That’s why He never gives us more than we can do, and when our tasks seem overwhelming, He steps in and helps us to accomplish them. Now that’s the kind of God I can LOVE and revere, and praise and give thanks to!
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today, the awesome verse from the prophet Zechariah: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’
Yes my faithful breddren, our omnipotent God from way back when, does most of His work quietly and efficiently through the third part of the Holy Trinity; the Holy Spirit that now indwells us. You won’t see a lot of huffing and puffing and exaggerated action, just a cool and powerful mystique as it were. That just shows the awesome power that resides in the Godhead that we serve and worship! And so it should be, otherwise there’s no reason to worship it.
Now hear this scripture from Hosea that emphasizes God’s unreal power. Per the unfaithful people of Judah, He promised: ‘But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.’ (Hos.1:7)
Glory be mih people! The Lord doesn’t have to use man, nor animals, nor manmade implements to fight and win battles for us! He simply uses His Holy Spirit; what I term the Worker Bee of the Holy Trinity, because He does ALL the work that’s necessary in the Father’s domain.
But unfortunately too many of us don’t pay sufficient attention to the Holy Spirit, even though He now dwells in us and is there to lead and guide us in righteousness. That’s why we so often go astray. The problem is that the Holy Spirit will not shout and bark at us, but will gently whisper to our spirit, letting us know what’s right from wrong. So if we don’t listen carefully, and don’t know the word, it’s easy to bypass the Spirit’s guiding.
That’s why it’s so essential my brethren to know God’s word and to pay attention to what His Spirit is saying and doing within us, because that’s how He generally communicates with us. It’s all through the Holy Spirit friends! So to grow and mature in the faith, we need to be more circumspect in listening to and learning of and from the hard working Spirit of God that lives in us and is continually sharing the Father’s intentions with us.
And it just doesn’t happen overnight, or by osmosis, (smile) but by diligent study and sincere determination. So true wisdom dictates that we start paying better and more serious attention to what the Holy Spirit is doing within us. End of sermon!
Now for those of us who are serious about communicating with the Father through His Spirit, let’s go home today declaring our Tuesday Mantra, boldly and confidently proclaiming to the world who and whose we are.
In one, strong and enthusiastic voice now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And as always, the corollary to that mantra is to go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as He so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…the Spirit of God works within us…to show us the intentions of God…
28 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a high look, a proud heart, a proud look, adversities, afflict, bountiful earth, bread, causes the grass to grow, compassionate heart, curse negative word, daily struggle, debas, defame, dring forth food, eternal life, excellent in power, faith, fight the good fight of faith, foolish pride, goats, God is great, godliness, grace, hardships, haughty eyes, he respects not the wise of heart, he waters the hills, I laid the foundation of the earth, in the sight of God, judgement, justice, King of Kings, lax, let God be God, Lord of Lords, LOVE, LOVE of Money, makes glad the heart of man, makes his face shine, material wealth, meekness, men fear God, mercy, of our doing, oil, omnipotent Creator, oppress, patience, prepare yourself, prosper, questions God asked of Job, righteousness, self-control, self-discipline, seven deadly sins, sheep, showers of blessing, sovereign, strengthens man's heart, success, survive, swin, take it for granted, the Crhistian life, the earth is satisfied, the fruit of thy works, the service of man, Thursday Blessings, touching the Almighty, ungrateful, vegetation, vilify, we cannot find him out, where were you, wine, wisdom
Job 37:23. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgement, and in plenty of justice (abundant justice): he will not afflict (oppress).
Once again, during the night, the Lord blessed the earth in my area with showers of blessings. As the Good Book says: ‘He watereth the hills from his (upper) chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and the herb (vegetation) for the service of man; that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.’ (Ps.104:13-15)
Oh friends, our God is so wonderful that He gives us all that we need to survive, and not only survive, but to prosper on this bountiful earth that He has created for us to dwell on. Why then are we so lax, so ungrateful in thanking Him for His ongoing grace and mercy eh? And why instead do we feel it necessary to vilify, to defame and debase Him?
On this side of the world we’ve gotten so used to prosperity that we’ve come to take it for granted, and even to believe that it is of our doing. But are we ever so wrong my breddren. Remember the questions that God asked of Job, when Job got a li’l too bright with himself.
‘Gird up now thy loins like a man (prepare yourself); for I will demand of thee (question thee), and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.’ (Job 38:3-4)
Obviously Job could not answer. Neither could he answer any of the whole host of questions that God poured at him in both chapters 38 and 39. The scholars say the questions number about 83. ‘The significant thing about these questions is that Job cannot answer a single one! God was driving home the point that Job must let God be God, the sovereign and omnipotent Creator who answers to no one.’
Ah mih breddren, the very same thing applies to us today. We cannot answer any of the questions the Lord posed to Job back then either, we just have to know that God is great and is always around and is always doing His thing and conform to whatever He desires and declares.
Thus we come to our Bit, the immortal words of Job’s friend Elihu: ‘Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgement, and in plenty of justice (abundant justice): he will not afflict (oppress).’ Yeh friends, our minds are too small and limited to understand all that God is about, therefore we ought to fear Him.
As Elihu summarizes: ‘Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.’ (Job 37:34) And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! God respects, have no use for, abhors those who let their foolish pride make them feel superior to Him. And remember the seven deadly sins that Cousin Sol declares are an abomination to God? (Prov.6:16-19) Well the first one is ‘a proud look (haughty eyes).’
And Bruh David tells us of the Lords purpose in Psalm 101: ‘Whoso privily (secretly) slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off (destroy): him that hath a high look and a proud heart will not I suffer (endure).’ (Ps.101:5)
And with all of that, I think we need to be reminded of Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy, re fighting the good fight of faith, staying strong and steadfast in ‘the daily struggle with sin in the Christian life and the hardships and adversities in the ministry.’ ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (shun the LOVE of money and material wealth): and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth (gives life to) all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession. That thou keep this commandment without spot (blemish), unrebukable (blameless), until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Which in his times he shall show (manifest), who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see; to whom be honour and power everlasting Amen.’ (1 Tim.6:11-16)
Yeh friends, living the true Christian life is not easy, but if we are serious about it, with God’s help we can do it. Remember NOTHING is impossible with God! And also we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. So let’s get with the programme nuh. And to help us do that, let’s acclaim our Thursday Blessings in strong voice with sincere hearts.
As one now: ‘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 everyday! Amen!’
And in true Christian fashion, let’s go out and share all those blessings with the less fortunate, as Jesus so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…when Jesus returns…do we want to be numbered amongst the sheep…or the goats…that’s the eternal question…
27 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a little child, a new creation, abides for ever, area of obedience, be not conformed to this world, be transformed, can't serve two masters, clear direction, come to our senses, compromise, confidence, conformity with God, devotion to God, disquieted, disturbed, Divided Heart, does the will of God, earthly wealth, evil desire, food crops, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, go up in smoke, half-motivated, half-satisfied, halfway home, human existence, inhospitable desert, Jesus advocating, jump rope, living for Jesus, LOVE, love not the world, lust, Mammon, miserable, mix weeds with seeds, nature to admire, not looking back, obey, One Year Book of Bible promises, perfect will of God, pledge loyalty, pointed question, pride of life, prodigal son, rain, receive good and no bad, righteousness, rock her doll, Ruth Harms Calkin, saint, seek first the kingdom of God, side trips, sin, sinner, solid ground, stoic, surrender our all, take it to the Father in prayer, thank God, the breath of life, the far country, the love of the Father, the renewing of your mind, the things in the world, the world passes away, tormented, walk a straight path, Wednesday Wail, welcomes us back, wisest decision
1 John 2:15. 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.
Oh friends, like Job so famously said, we can’t expect to receive good all the time and no bad. That means we can’t expect glorious sunshine every day, there must be some rain too. And really, the rain’s not bad nuh, it’s just the opposite of sunshine, and it is in fact very good itself, for if we had no rain there’d be no food crops or beautiful nature to admire, just a dry, brown inhospitable desert.
Hn! And all of that just to say it’s a rainy day in my neighbourhood today. (smile) Now here’s a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. Don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but when I read it yesterday, it reminded me so much of our behaviour, that I just had to share it. It’s titled ‘Divided Heart,’ like ours are so much of the time.
Please pray with me. ‘Lord I am so often tormented By my lack of clear direction – So often disturbed By my divided heart. I am like a little child Who wants to rock her doll And jump rope at the same time. I want to obey You in part If I can choose the area of obedience. I want to be real except at those moments When compromise is more appealing. I want to be half-motivated And half-satisfied with things as they are.
I want to walk a straight path If now and then I can enjoy A few side trips into the far country. I don’t want to be a miserable sinner but neither do I feel excited About being a stoic saint. I want to be partly Yours And partly my own. But in the secret chamber Of my divided heart I am so often disquieted By the pointed question: “Why do you so foolishly Mix weeds with seeds?”
Now isn’t that a very good question my brethren? We all do it at some time or the other, because we find it difficult to surrender our ALL to Christ. And oh, do we ever want to choose our areas of obedience to God! But God wants it ALL! And isn’t it a good thing, that when we foolishly take a side trip into the far country, like the prodigal son did, He welcomes us back with open arms when we come to our senses!
And yuh know what friends, there’s no reason to be a miserable sinner or a stoic saint, because we’ve become a new creation in Christ, which puts us on firm and solid ground, makes us able to go to the Father with confidence and ask for whatever we need, with Jesus right there advocating on our behalf. So there’s no need to compromise; just take it ALL to the Father in prayer!
And the Bible Promise for that prayer is also our Bit for today; those famous words of John in his first epistle. ‘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.’ Yes my people, it’s that simple. As Jesus said, you can’t serve two masters at the same time; you can’t serve God and mammon (earthly wealth) too. (Matt.6:24)
And John continues: ‘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 for ever.’ (1 John 2:16-17)
That puts it so plainly and simply my people; all the evil things of the world will one day disappear, go up in smoke, but those obedient to God’s will, will live forever Now it’s your decision to make; whether you’ll go up in smoke, or live forever.
And the scholars tell us: ‘2:16. World for John signifies the evil desire and sin so much a part of human existence.’ Therefore we are to sincerely pledge our loyalty and devotion to God first and foremost. Like Jesus said: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (worldly needs) shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
And we’re going to add Bruh Paul’s voice to it all, as he wrote to the church at Rome. ‘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.’ (Rom.12:2)
Yeh friends, again we’re reminded that it all takes place FIRST in our minds; that’s where the change needs to be made before it can me manifested anywhere else. Unless we bring our minds into true acceptance and conformity with God, His will and His word, we’ll continue to follow the unhealthy and ungodly value systems and evil conduct of the world. Nuff said!
Now for those of us who have made the right decision and are truly trying to be righteous, (smile) let’s go home sincerely acclaiming to the world, our position in Christ, by declaring our Wednesday Wail. Altogether in strong voice now: ‘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 what a glorious future that will be! Our puny minds can’t even imagine it. But we know that it will be great, because Jesus promised it! Much LOVE!
…truly living for Jesus…is the wisest decision a human being can ever make…
20 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sigh of relief, all worthwhile, all ye that labour, barbecue, believe in Jesus, better late than never, boggles the imagination, bore all of our sinse, breath of life, burdens change shoulders, Calvary, cast thy burden up the Lord, church meeting, come unto me, Daily Bread Devotionals, do justice to, doctor's appointment, early morning sleep, earthly wealth, find rest for your souls, gentle, glad to be alive, glorious future with Jesus, great invitation, hands on the plough, hardhearted, he shall sustain thee, he that believes in me, he that comes to me, heavy laden, help from God, humble, I am meek and lowly in heart, I am the bread of life, I will give you rest, learn from me, lesser invitations, LOVE, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, never hunger, never thirst, not looking back, on the cross, prayer, recovery schedule, reticence, righteousness, sacrificed, see daylight ahead, seek ye first, Sermon from the Mount, sinful man, sinless life, stubborn, take my yoke, the Beatitudes, the kingdom of God, truth, Wednesday Wail, will not be cast out, Ye cannot serve God and mammon, yearning for Friday
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Brother! Everybody was early this Wednesday morning but me. I opened my e-mail and saw all sorts of messages there from an early hour, meanwhile I am just beginning to write the Bit at 10 o’clock. Hn, hn! But as they say, better late than never!
I just had a long day yesterday with a doctor’s appointment in the city and that usually takes up the whole day. Had to do much waiting to see her too. But she was happy with my recovery schedule. That made it all worthwhile!
Then, on my way home, I went to a church meeting and barbeque, more barbeque than meeting (smile), so by the time I did get home I was all bushed out. And the old bod doesn’t seem to recover as quickly as it used to, because this morning I had to fight it to get up.
Tell me though, why is the early morning sleep so much sweeter than that of the nighttime eh? Perhaps it’s because we know that we have to get up, but deep down we don’t want to.
Anyway, it’s Wednesday, and many of us are breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that we’ve reached the hump, the midpoint of the weekly work cycle, and we can now see some daylight ahead, while still yearning for Friday and the weekend.
And I have to share these interesting and ever so true words from one of the Daily Bread Devotionals. And it says: ‘Prayer is the place where burdens change shoulders.’
Wow people! What inescapable truth! That’s one of the reasons why we pray. But please note, it is not the only, or even the most important reason for prayer. However, when we do pray for help from Almighty God, oftimes we can feel those burdens just lifted off our shoulders. That’s why Jesus offered His Great Invitation. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’
Oh friends, I know we recently did that scripture as our Bit too, but that’s where the Lord led me this morning. It’s as though He was saying that we are a stubborn and hardheaded people, so we need to hear the truth, the real truth, over and over again before we accept it.
But my people it’s such a wonderful truth! Why do we have to hear it over and over before we accept it eh? We don’t have to hear lesser invitations from our fellow man over and over again before we rush to accept them. So why this reticence in accepting the greatest invitation ever eh?
And that’s not all: Jesus explained why we should come to Him in prayer with our burdens. ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:29-30)
Oh friends NO ONE else has ever ventured to offer such an exceptional invitation because they just didn’t have the ability to keep it. But Jesus did, and still does have that ability to take our burdens and give rest to our souls. If He bore ALL of our sins on the cross, why can’t He bear our lesser burdens too eh? No reason whatsoever!
And hear Him (Jesus) later on, reinforce those words to a crowd of unbelieving Jews nuh. ‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise (certainly not) cast out.’ (John 6:35-37)
And why would He cast us out, if He first invited us to come to Him eh? That makes no sense whatsoever! But friends, we first have to believe in Jesus and the role He came to earth to play, and believe strongly, so that we are able to surrender our all to Him.
He doesn’t want just the parts of our lives that we are prepared to give Him, but EVERYTHING; our whole lives! From the simplest aspect to the most important Jesus wants to be involved in, otherwise He can’t do justice to His invitation.
That’s why Jesus highlighted in the Beatitudes, in His Sermon from the Mount that you cannot serve two masters at the same time: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (earthly wealth).’ (Matt.6:25) ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
So friends, I don’t know what else to say to make us consider putting ALL our trust in Jesus Christ, the ONE who sacrificed His sinless life on the Cross at Calvary, took ALL of our sins on His shoulders, so that we could be set free from ALL of our sinful baggage, for ALL time.
But here are the words of a sinful man just like us, Bruh David, who even before Jesus came to earth wisely advised. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps.55:22) And we do know how Bruh David lived up to that wisdom and was very successful in life. Maybe his staunch and faithful example might sway us this Wednesday morning. (smile)
Now for those of us who sincerely believe, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our position in Jesus Christ. Let’s wail mih breddren, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 as always, that glorious future ahead, just boggles the human imagination! Much LOVE!
…if you can’t accept God’s invitation without worry…whose then will you accept…man’s…
02 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a big posse, a difficult journey, a roof to sleep under, a single best friend, adventuresome, all kinds of evil, Anselm, aspires, basic amenities, be contented, be happy with what you have, betrayal, blessed, comfort zone, complain, contentment, desire to be rich, destruction, divine means, dog and pony track, drown men, eternal life, exit the world, faith, follow Christ's advice, food to eat, for your benefit, friends, fruitful, godliness, good things happen, gospel truth, great gain, greediness, greedy, Guide, hangers ons, higher the number, in time of need, inspires, interesting, internet connection, leader, lesser, life's basic necessities, LOVE, many sorrows, material wealth, meekness, misconception, missing out, more fun, negative things, patience, peace, perdition, pierced themselves, righteousness, ruin, seek first the kingdom of God, seeking for more, selfish, serve God and mammon, strayed from the faith, the Christian's life, the LOVE of money, the natrue of our society, think positive, Timothy, walking hand in hand with Jesus, we brought nothing, we can carry out nothing, wisdom, you can count on
1 Timothy 6:6. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
All right friends and family, here we go again; one more time around the dog and pony track called Life. (smile) And though it’s oftimes a difficult journey, it certainly is an interesting and adventuresome one, made even more interesting and fruitful if you’re walking hand in hand with Jesus, the great Saviour of the world!
Wow! What an awesome guide and leader He is! And if you’re not walking with Him, then unfortunately you’re missing out on the best part of this earthly life, and consequently the eternal life too. So please check Him out nuh. You’ll be surprised at what He has to offer…and it’s all for your benefit.
And with it being Saturday, let’s turn to some quotes of this past week from our friend Anselm, who genuinely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And we’ll begin with the shortest one: ‘When you think positive good things happen.’
And that’s generally true. It doesn’t mean that you won’t have any negative things happen, but they will be mostly positive, since what the mind focuses on, is what generally comes to pass.
And like Anselm was in a friend seeking mood this week (smile) as he offers these two quotes on the subject. ‘There is a misconception among people that the higher the number of friends you have, the more fun you’ll have. The fact is the lesser friends you have, the lesser you have to deal with.
Trust me; it doesn’t matter how many friends you have, all that matters is how many friends you can count upon when you are in need.’ And ‘Having a single best friend is better than having ten random friends who aren’t going to be with you for long.’
Oh my people, how many of us have suffered betrayal and rejection by those we thought were friends eh? We all have, because it’s a human frailty. The wisdom lies in having a few staunch and genuine friends you can call on in times of need. A big posse is not a set of friends, but a group of hangers’ ons. And remember the corollary to the above; to have genuine friends, you must also be a genuine friend.
Then there is this last one: ‘You are living in your comfort zone, having an active Internet connection, food to eat, TV to watch and a roof to sleep under. Do remember that even if you have only these four basic amenities, you are richer than 75% of the world’s population. Be happy for what you have, but don’t settle for it.’
I would say that you are better off than more than 90 percent of the world, and you shouldn’t just be happy, but be darm happy and contented and feel extremely blessed, because there are so many others in the world struggling and suffering with much less than you have.
But unfortunately the nature of our society is that the more we have, the more we complain about the few things we don’t have. We never seem to value sufficiently the things we do have, always seeking for more, when we don’t even have the time or the resources to handle it. And it just results in a greedy and selfish society, of which we are the cream of the crop.
But Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy in our Bit should be the norm in our society. ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren? It surely is! When we have God first place in our lives we’re not selfish or greedy, because He induces a peace and contentment in our souls regardless of our particular situations.
And the verse following our Bit highlights the ridiculousness of fighting and killing ourselves over the material wealth of the world. ‘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 very interesting explanation of that verse. ‘6:7. And it is certain we can carry nothing out (or, “because we are unable to carry anything out”): Man enters the world at birth possessing nothing, in order to teach him that he will exit the world in the same manner – taking nothing with him. 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 those things include ‘righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience and meekness.’ Now here is this very seminal verse as Bruh Paul continues: ‘And having food and raiment (clothing) let us therewith be content.’ (1 Tim.6:8)
The scholars explain: 6:8. This verse prevents the wrong understanding of verse 7, that material possessions have no place in the Christian’s life. By figure of speech food and raiment stand for all of life’s basic necessities. These are all the believer needs, and having these he can be content.’
However, contentment is not a mainstay of our current society. We are more apt to follow this agenda that Bruh Paul talks about. ‘But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds of) evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim.6:9-10)
Ah mih people, the desperate seeking after money and the material possessions of this world only cause more problems than they solve. So please, let’s stop it nuh, and follow Christ’s wise advice: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:32) That’s all there is to it! Much LOVE!
…you cannot serve God and mammon (money)…at the same time… (Matt.6:24b)
27 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: assurance, audacity, be glad, blood, boldness, celebration, Christ the solid rock, Christian praise, cleanness of my hands, comfort, covenant, darkness veils, day of my calamity, delighted in me, delivered me, deliverer, do our part, edifice crumbles, fall in our laps, faultless stand before the throne, flood, fortress, fruitful results, guiding light, high tower, holiness, hope, horn of my salvation, I will trust, immortals words, indisputable truth, Jesus' blood, kept the ways of the Lord, lean on Jesus' name, LOVE, many waters, mine enemies, my anchor holds, my god, my hope, my stay, my strength, oath, partnership, reap what we sow, receptive to the Word, recompensed, right hearts, righteousness, Sabbath, saved, secure foundation, sincere spirits, sinking sand, stony hearts, stormy gale, stronghold, support me, the goodness of God, The Lord is my rock, the Lord's blessings, this is the day the Lord has made, took me out, trumpet sound, unchanging grace, we will rejoice, worthy to be praised
Psalm 18:2. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength; in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).
Ah mih people, it’s that day again, the Sabbath! That means it’s time for celebration as well as holiness. And we can begin by joyfully declaring, as the psalmist did so long ago: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
And while we do that, we can also be wending our way to the Lord’s house to fellowship with other believers, to offer up sincere prayers, worship and give thanks for all the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, as well as to hear His word and regenerate our confidence. Wow! What an awesome God we serve my brethren!
And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with song, to loosen up our stony hearts and make them more receptive to the Word. Today’s song is an old but wonderful hymn titled ‘My hope is built on nothing less,’ written by Edward Mote back in the 19th century. And on a point of interest, have you ever noticed that many of our beloved hymns were written way back when.
Maybe it says something about the level and intensity of Christian praise and worship back then. Anyway, let’s sing, with raised voices and truthful hearts. ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in ev’ry high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the ‘whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.’
And isn’t that the indisputable truth my fellow believers! The only real safe and secure foundation on which to build is on Christ, our Rock and our Saviour. Anything else is merely sinking sand, and it’s only a matter of time before the whole edifice erected thereupon crumbles.
That’s why Bruh David could stand up and declare our Bit with utmost confidence, and so too can we many thousands of years later. ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength; in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).’
Ah mih breddren, mih breddren what immortal words of comfort and assurance! And if we have Jesus as our guiding light, then we too ought to be able to declare them with audacity and boldness, for Jesus is indeed all those things to those who sincerely and truly believe in Him.
And if Jesus is so mighty then, Bruh David is indeed right to declare after our Bit. ‘I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:3) And he did call upon the Lord, and the Lord saved him. (Ps.18:.4-16) Friends, yuh see how much time and trouble our Lord took to save Bruh David from his enemies? It’s the same way that He will save us if we call on Him with right hearts and sincere spirits.
Hear Bruh David again: ‘He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented (confronted) me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay (support).
He brought me forth also into a large (broad) place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.’ (Ps.18:16:21)
Oh my people, none of us have as many enemies or problems as Bruh David had back in his day, and if the Lord saved him out of them all, why would He refuse to do the same for us if we bow down and faithfully worship Him and keep His will eh? No reason whatsoever!
That means it’s all up to us. If we want to see the goodness of God, then we have to do the things that will produce it. We can’t just sit back and expect it to fall in our laps. So let’s get serious and do our part of the partnership nuh, if we want so see fruitful results.
Remember, we only reap what we sow. And if we don’t sow righteousness and LOVE, we won’t receive the Lord’s blessings. Much LOVE!
…For who is God…save (except) the Lord…or who is a rock…save (except) our God… (Ps.18:31)
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