21 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a smooth path, another week of work, be of good courage, boundaries, breathe out violence, carnal lusts, Christian faith, eating and drinking, enjoy, faith, false witnesses, fear, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, give thanks, God bless, God's plan, good and faithful servant, I am thy servant, ignoring God, ignoring man and best, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, Lead me in thy truth, limits, LOVE, party time, persevarance, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, reverential awe, righteousness, see the light, sensible approach, serious consequences, servant, service, sincerity, singleness of purpose, smooching, summer's morn, teach me thy way, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, The God of my salvation, the goodness of the Lord, the joy of the Lord, the land of the living, the living God, thy spirit is good, trust, truth, unite my heart, wait on the Lord, walk in thy truth, walking out of God's will, weekend, whole hog
Psalm 86:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart (give me singleness of purpose) to fear (have reverential awe for) thy name.
Ah mih friends, what can I say this beautiful summer’s morn eh? Nothing but God bless! Enjoy it and give thanks! (smile)
Yeh, we’re alive and hopefully going about God’s plan for our lives in a successful and productive manner, for that’s what He desires of us, each and every day He causes us to see the light.
Walking out of His will is downright foolish, and sadly a lot of people are planning to do that today, as their weekend furlough begins. Just listen to their shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes!
Mama Yo, the weekend is here, party time is here, plenty eating and drinking and smooching! We call it the just do what you want to do time, ignoring both man and beast! Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui, otherwise we’d just go out we mind with worry!’
Oh my faithful brethren, it is quite all right to ignore man and beast, but ignoring God, as the weekenders are planning to do, is an entirely different matter, one fraught with serious consequences. Taking a break from work is fine, indeed it’s necessary and beneficial, but we have to pay careful attention to the limits to which we go.
Our Friday Chant provides a much more sensible approach to the weekend, so let’s declare it now nuh, in all sincerity and truth. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh friends, that is more in keeping with our Christian faith; making sure that we have and respect some boundaries in our lives, and not just going whole hog after the carnal lusts of the flesh, which are so prevalent today.
And as we’ve been seeing for the last couple of days, declaring and adhering to the glorious words of our Bit is one way to keep us safely grounded in God. ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart (give me singleness of purpose) to fear (have reverential awe for) thy name.’
Oh precious people of God, if we approach the Living God of our fathers, sincerely and ask for His help and guidance, He will NEVER turn us down!
And Bruh David seems to have known that principle and used it quite often in His talks with the Almighty. Listen to him from Psalm 25 – A prayer for guidance and protection. ‘Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all day.’ (Ps.25:4-5)
Ah friends, do we ever call on God in such sincerity? If not, then perhaps we should. It might just change our whole perspective and consequently our lives for the better. Now hear Bruh David again from Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation.
‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty (violence).
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (patiently and in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:11-14)
Yeh mih breddren, it all boils down to faith and trust and patient but expectant waiting with a big dollop of perseverance, when it comes to dealing with Almighty God. And we’ll close with this last entreaty from Bruh David from Psalm 143- Teach me to do thy will.
‘Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken (revive) me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off (put an end) to mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.’ (Ps.143:10-12)
And the most poignant words in all of that friends, are the last ones: ‘for I am thy servant.’ Unless we are prepared to be God’s servant, as well as our fellow man in God’s name, our cries for help will not be answered. Remember Jesus said He came to serve, not be served.
And also bear in mind the greeting of the lord in the parable of the talents: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord.’ (Matt.25:23).
Let’s not forget our purpose today my brethren as we walk in faithful service to out Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!
…to faithfully serve Jesus…in any manner He desires…is our Christian calling…
14 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirmation of faith, body, boundaries, carnal acts of the flesh, Christian character, cloudy, combat temptetion, come rain or shine, confrontation, dark times, deliver us from evil, doxology of praise, drab, entice us, evil, exalted as head, faith, fellowship, fleshly pleasures, for ever, for thine is the kingdom, Friday chant, fun, generous help, good times, heavenly showers, honour, hope, lead us not into temptation, lusts, majesty, massa work, party hearty, party people, pay, praise to God, providential help, rain, refreshed, relaxation, remembering God, renewed, resist the devil, rest, riches, righteousness, seep into our hearts, showing promise, simmer, sincerity, sinful gifts, soul, steadfast, strengthens our faith, temptation, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the glory, the power, the power of God, the thirsty ground, the weekend, the work of Jesus, the workingman, truth, ungodly, victory, watered, week of work, wisdom
Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Well my people, we did not get the rain that we were expecting in my area yesterday, it just remained drab and cloudy, showing promise, but nothing else. However, shortly after midnight, heavenly showers came pelting down in a big way and finally the thirsty ground was watered and refreshed. Praise to God!
Right now it’s still damp and cloudy outside, and who knows what will happen later on. But nonetheless it’s Friday, and the weekend looms large and the ordinary workingman can’t help but shout: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! It seems like the weekend would never come! And massa work so blooming hard…and the pay so li’l bit!
But for the next couple days we don’t have to worry about massa and he work at all, at all nuh. It’s we time to do what we want… where and with whom. And believe me, come rain or shine, we going to party hearty for the next couple days! Oh Thank God for Fridays and the weekends! Party people, let the party begin!’
And who doesn’t like a party eh, especially after a hard week of work? But the boundaries, friends, the boundaries must be tighter than those the ordinary workingman seem to be proposing, else we’re liable to fall into too many evil, ungodly and carnal acts of the flesh, which won’t sit right with our supposed Christian character.
Our Friday Chant contains a much better intent, so let’s declare it now in all sincerity and truth. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Oh people, I know that it seems to take all the fun out of living, out of the carnal aspect of life yes, but it reinforces our Christian values, which we need to keep firm and steadfast so that we don’t fall to the endless temptation that the evil enemy constantly throws at us.
That brings us to our Bit, immortal words of Jesus, a part of what He gave us as a blueprint for prayer. ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’
Yes, precious followers of Christ, we indeed need to seek the power of God to help us resist the entreaties of the evil one, who constantly comes bearing worldly, carnal, sinful gifts to entice us into foregoing our righteousness.
We can’t do it on our own, for our sinful and lustful flesh naturally leans towards the ungodly things of the world. And it’s only through the amazing power of God, His Holy Spirit working in us, that we can resist the fleshly pleasures and beautiful looking things of the world that are constantly held up to us for participation and acceptance.
Now listen to the scholars’ explanation of that verse. ‘6:13-15. Lead us not into temptation is a plea for the providential help of God in our daily confrontation with the temptation of sin. God does not tempt us to do evil, but we are tempted by our own lusts (James 1:13-14).
However, God does test us in order to give us the opportunity to prove our faithfulness to Him. He never desires to lead us into evil itself. Therefore if we resist the Devil, we are promised that he will flee from us.
The prayer closes with a doxology of praise: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen, which is a liturgical ending similar to 1 Chronicles 29:11. Though omitted in some manuscripts, these words constitute a fitting and climactic affirmation of faith.’
Yeh friends, it’s faith and hope; hungry hope and expectant faith that carries us through the dark times, as well as the good times. Let’s not forget our awesome God when things are going well with us, as we are so tempted to do. Remembering all the good things He has done for us in the past helps to strengthen our faith.
Now let’s end with the magnificent prayer of Bruh David to which the scholars alluded, after he encouraged his people to give generously to the building of the Lord’s sanctuary.
‘Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.’ (1 Chr.29:11-13)
What beautiful words of praise and thanksgiving friends! Please, let’s allow them to seep into our hearts and souls today, and gently simmer there as we go about doing the work of Jesus. That’s wisdom of eternal proportions! Much LOVE!
…God does not tempt…He combats temptation…
07 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all work and no play, almighty god, authority, blessed morn, death, each step I take, enjoyment, eternal life, fellowship, find a balance, folly, forgotten, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, futility, generous God, generous help, grasping for the wind, Hades, heavenly Father, hell, historical experiment, honour, in God's image, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, labour, light excells darkness, like the beasts that perish, Lucifer, madness, makes Jack a dull boy, man that is in honour, material accomplishment, North Americans, our Lord and Saviour, perish, relationship with Jesus, relaxation, remembrance, rest, righteousness, sensible thing, Solomon, storing up, subdued outlook, summer, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanks and praise, the fool, the gifts of God, the lowest beast, the weekend, the wise man, things done under heaven, tricky situation, under the sun, understanding, understands not, vanity, vexation of spirit, walks in darkness, wants and needs, wastrel, wisdom, work, workweek, wrongdoing
Psalm 49:20. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
Well a bright and blessed morn to all you my fine, upstanding, Scrip-Bit friends, families and neighbours! May Almighty God shine down on all our lives this sunny Friday in July and cause us to walk in His righteousness.
And all God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Thanks and praise to our heavenly Father who meets all our earthly wants and needs from His abundant store of grace and mercy through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Yeh friends, we indeed have to be thankful for all that our most generous God has blessed us with, since for whatever reason, He hasn’t done so to lots of others. And this has been a short workweek for North Americans, so they will either go to the cottage to rest, or to rack up the summer partying season that’s just begun.
And the shout all over town will be something like: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! That means the weekend, the long awaited weekend is finally here and we can get into our cups with gay abandon! Wow! What a time we going to have this early summer weekend! Thank God for summer, for Fridays and weekends yes!’
And we’re all truly grateful for the summer weather and weekends, but we just celebrate them differently. The believer has a more subdued outlook, as stated in our Friday Chant, to lessen the possibility of his getting into all sorts of wrongdoing.
Please declare it with me. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.’
Yes my people, the Lord made us in His image and gave us authority over all the other living things on earth. (Gen.1:26) He also gave us the power to get wisdom and understanding. And when we don’t use that power wisely, and don’t appreciate the gifts of God, we become just like the lowest beast of the field.
Hear how Cousin Sol puts it in his experiment in Ecclesiastes to ‘seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven.’ (Eccl.1:13)
Now remember that Cousin Sol was rich and had the time and wherewithal to conduct such an experiment. He says: ‘And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do after the king? even that which hath been already done. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as the light excelleth darkness.
The wise man’s eyes are in his head: but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event (death) happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity (futility).
For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.’ (Eccl.2:12-16)
Oh friends, as the scholars tell us: ‘2:12-16. Wisdom is better than folly (vs.12-14), but both are useless when one comes to death.’
However friends, I would like to add an addendum to that statement. (smile) In these end times, the wisdom of following Jesus Christ, of having Him as your Lord and Saviour when one comes to death, is clearly superior to the folly of not having a wonderful, life-saving relationship with Him.
For therein lies the path your spirit will take after death; either eternal life with Christ in heaven, or everlasting separation from Almighty God with Lucifer in Hades. And I wouldn’t wish the latter on my worst enemy.
Then Cousin Sol continues: ‘Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity (futility) and vexation of spirit (a grasping for the wind). Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken (toiled) under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity (futility) Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took (toiled) under the sun. (Eccl.2:17-20)
And the scholars explain: ‘2:17-20. Part of the futility of trying to find fulfillment in material accomplishment is the fact that one must leave the fruit of his work to another who may well waste the accrued benefits. I hated life (v.17) is translated correctly and should not be misunderstood as “I hate life.” It is clearly the temporary conclusion about Solomon’s historical experiment.’
Ah friends, it’s a tricky situation: we need to work and store up something for rainy days, but we cannot let that be the end all and be all of our existence, because we won’t have the time to enjoy our own lives, and then might leave our vast wealth to some wastrel who doesn’t appreciate it.
So the sensible thing is to find a balance between work, enjoyment and storing up, and that can only be done properly with the help and guidance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. End of story! Much LOVE!
…all work and no play…makes Jack a dull boy…but all play and no work…sends the fool to hell…
30 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a foothold, another week of work, better to not vow, boundaries, brave, Canada's 150 birthday, carnal lust, Christian, consequences, courageous, delay not to pay it, discernment, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, Ecclesiastes, extra special weekend, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, get a toehold, glory to God, God's will, Granny's warning, Happy Birthday Canada, hath no pleasure in fools, in Jesus' name, jumping and shouting, keep thy law, knowledge, let it all hang out, let our hair down, LOVE, mas like crazy, mistakes, motives, never turn us down, observe it, overwhelming spirit, problems, ramajaying, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, request, rest, reverential awe, right attitude, right hearts, righteousness, safely through, selfish world, sincerity, soul body and mind, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the best big country, the enemy, the partying, the paths of justice, the way of saints, the workingman's song, truth, understanding, vow and not pay, vowest a vow, wisdom, with my whole heart
Psalm 119:34. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Awright mih people, one of the biggest, if not the biggest weekend of the year is upon us! Wow! We’re talking about the one hundred and fiftieth birthday of this great country called Canada! Glory to God my people! For it’s only with God’s help that we’ve come so far!
Yeh friends, tomorrow, the first of July, the BEST BIG COUNTRY in the world will be 150 years old! Oh, I know that in terms of age, it’s very young compared to many others, but its spirit is overwhelming!
So you can just imagine how the ordinary workingman is carrying on this weekend. ‘Oh, Mama Yo! TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! But this is an extra special weekend, because we big country Canada, is a hundred and a half!
Oh brother, the partying will be big…an beautiful…an loud…mas like crazy…with everybody ramajaying deh body…just jumping and shouting…Happy Birthday Canada! Ah just can’t wait to get started nuh! Oh thank God for Fridays and them kinda weekends like this one yes!’
Yes mih breddren, my sentiments exactly, but unfortunately we can’t afford to let down our hair too much and cater to the carnal lust of the flesh that comes out in these joyful situations.
And I would certainly be amiss if I didn’t remind us of Granny’s wise warning: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please, ah beg yuh, please mind yuh business this weekend!’
And we couldn’t get any better advice for this national party weekend friends, because when we let it all hang out, the enemy can easily get a toehold, even a foothold, in our lives. And we definitely don’t want that to happen.
So here’s how the average Christian ought to play it out. Please join me as we declare our Friday Chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh, I know it sounds staid and stuffy in comparison to the workingman’s song, but it’s the safe and right attitude to adopt if we want to keep our righteousness intact. Nobody’s saying we can’t party, but we just have to do so within certain boundaries, since getting outside of them can cause serious heartache and numerous problems with everlasting consequences.
So now that all the warning is done (smile), let’s turn to our Bit, which helps us handle the warnings, as we sincerely ask the Lord: ‘Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.’
Now that’s a very good request, but please note that it’s a big and often times tough one to handle, for it comes with the serious promise at the end. We’re promising to sincerely observe God’s law if He helps us to understand it.
Remember the wise words of Cousin Sol in Ecclesiastes. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl.5:4-5)
And that goes for not only vows to God, but promises to each other in this lying, fraudulent and selfish world. However, if we are sincerely looking for understanding of God’s law, He will graciously grant it to us.
As Cousin Sol so wisely expatiates early on in Proverbs. ‘Yea, if thou criest out after knowledge (discernment), and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up (stores up) sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler (shield) to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgement (guards the paths of justice), and preserveth the way of the saints.’ (Prov.2:3-8)
Oh my people, yuh see how willing our great God is to grant us wisdom and understanding if we come asking for it in all sincerity and truth!
And don’t worry, don’t be afraid, for the Lord expects us to make mistakes along the way. We just have to ensure that our motives and our hearts are right when He searches them.
So let’s be brave and courageous today nuh, and ask for whatever we know is right, whatever we need, to help us live a truly godly life. Our God will NEVER turn us down, once it is in accordance with His will. Much LOVE!
…without God’s help…we can never truly understand His law…
18 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a testimony, absence, admonition of the Lord, adoration, blessings, bring them up, command his children, dreams, examples to emulate, faced the raging seas, faithful promise, fallen on my knees, Father's Day, fatherly advice, fatherly mercies, fathers provoke not your children to wrath, forget the works of God, from generation to generation, God proved his love, grace and peace, grains of sadn, guides of our households, in spite of the storm, in thine heart, justice, keep the commandments, Leaders, level of fatherhood, negelcting to teach, nurture, righteousness, role model, sacrificial praise, set their heart aright, set their hope in god, steadfast with God, step up to the plate, taboo, talk of them, teach them diligently, thanks and praise, the anchor holds, the long dark night, the mighty hand of God, the sails are torn, the ship's been battered, the storms of life, the world owes them a living, times of storm, train up a child, undisciplined, ungodly, visions
Ephesians 6:4. And ye fathers provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Grace and peace be unto all you fathers out there on this Father’s Day Sunday! May the Lord look down upon us with fatherly mercies and blessings that we can share with our families.
Ah my fellow fathers, this is the day that our society has chosen to honour us, please let us enjoy the day, and let it raise our level of fatherhood as we go through these trying times in our world. True fatherhood has never been more necessary than it is right now, as we are supposed to be the leaders and basic guides of our households.
So please let’s step up to the plate and do our best so that those who follow us will have superb examples to emulate. That’s the best gift we can ever give; that of being a good role model. Remember, we’ll never be perfect, but we can all be the best we can be.
Now let’s offer up some thanks and praise to our Mighty Father in heaven, shower Him with the adoration that He so rightly deserves. Let’s acknowledge that even in the deepest and darkest and most tumultuous times of storm, His strong anchor holds us together. So let’s sing one of my favourite Gospel Songs, ‘The Anchor Holds,’ with strong voice and true sacrificial praise.
‘I have journeyed through the long dark night, Out on the open sea, by faith alone, Sight unknown; and yet his eyes were watching me. (Refrain: The anchor holds, though the ship’s been battered. The anchor holds, Though the sails are torn. I have fallen on my knees as I face the raging seas. But the anchor holds, in spite of the storm.)
I’ve had visions, I’ve had dreams; I’ve even held them in my hand. But I never knew they would slip right through, Like they were only grains of sand. (Refrain) I have been young but I’m older now. And there has been beauty these eyes have seen. But it was in the night, through the storms of my life, Oh, that’s where God proved His LOVE for me. (Refrain) I have fallen on my knees as I face the raging seas. But the anchor holds in spite of the storm.’
Yes friends and fathers, in spite of everything the world throws at us, if we are sheltered under the mighty hand of God, our anchor WILL ALWAYS HOLD! That’s His faithful promise! And we know that our God doesn’t take His promises lightly like we tend to do.
That brings us to our Bit; most worthy advice from Bruh Paul to the Ephesian fathers way back when, and even more so for these undisciplined and uncontrolled times. ‘And ye fathers provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’
Ah fathers, we have already allowed this current generation to grow without proper fatherly advice, so that now they are ungodly, lack discipline and figure the world owes them a living. We obviously have not lived up to our wonderful billing, else our youth would not be as disorganized, disenfranchised and disturbed as they are.
We have done this primarily by our absence from the family home, and even when there, through our neglecting to teach the children what we are supposed to teach them. And it’s not that we didn’t know, because most of us were taught it when we were growing up. And it’s all based simply on the Lord’s words to His angels about Abraham, before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
‘For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement (righteousness and justice); that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of to him. (Gen.18:19)
Yeh fathers, it’s all about serving the Lord and executing righteousness and justice, as Moses further instructed the Israelites. ‘And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.’ (Deut. 6:6-7)
Oh fathers, how many of us teach our children about God or talk about the Lord or any kind of godly stuff in our houses these days eh? Not too many. But we teach and talk about all sorts of worldly stuff in our homes and schools, while God is considered a subject of taboo. That’s not right or wise fathers, for in the long run it will bring the wrath of God down on all of us for disobeying His command.
Now hear these words of Asaph the psalmist. ‘For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which commanded our fathers, that they should make known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children.
That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep the commandments. And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their heart (did not prepare its heart) aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.’ (Ps.78:5-8)
Unfortunately fathers, that is the kind of generation we have raised. Now what will they teach the next generation about the Lord eh, if they don’t know anything about Him, and thus don’t care about Him? Not a whole lot. And that is exactly why the Lord wants us to teach our children about Him; so that the word can be passed down from generation to generation. How do you think it go to us eh? Because each previous generation taught the one after them.
And we’ll close with one immortal verse from Cousin Sol. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov.22:6) Yes fathers, once we instill the Lord in the hearts of our children from an early age, even if they stray some, they will always have something solid to fall back on.
Now, though we have not done our best so far, it’s definitely not too late for us to try and right some of our wrongs. So let’s sincerely ask the Lord to help us do our fatherly duties properly from this time onward. That’s wisdom of enormous proportions! Much LOVE!
…fathers should be people their children can proudly look up to…
15 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a new world, abundance, abundance of peace, blessing, cast down, Christians, Commit thy way to the Lord, courage, creativity, curse, delight thyself in the Lord, divine protection, don't do evil, evildoers, evildoers shall be destroyed, fall, forsake wrath, Fret not thyself over evildoers, glory to God, God is in control, God's ever-faithful promises, gun culture, in the name of Jesus, inherit the earth, justice, Look to God, magnanimous god, negative word, neither be envious, peace, prosper, Rest in the Lord, rie in London, righteousness, seed begging bread, self-control, self-discipline, sharing, state of confusion, stay calm, succeed, supernatural wisdom, talent, the desires of thine heart, the Lord loves justice, the Lord upholds him, the meek, the righteous forsaken, the steps of a good man, the workers of iniquity, this is the day the Lord has made, Thursday Blessings, turbulent times, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, wait patiently for the Lord, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wicked schemes, with the help of God, you die by the gun, you live by the gun
Psalm 37:1. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
And then it was Thursday; another blessed day on earth so generously granted to us by our magnanimous God! Give Him some thanks and praise people as we gratefully and joyfully declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’
Unfortunately though several people involved in the fire in London yesterday won’t see today, and in the U.S a couple in the shooting of Republicans at their baseball practice might not see tomorrow.
What a life eh! What are we coming to? A group of legislators gather to practice for a charity game and then all hell breaks loose!
But in a country where the gun culture rules and guns are so easy to come by, the gun will be used to settle a lot of scores. As the old adage goes: ‘You live by the gun, you die by the gun.’
It’s been reported that a U.S Republican congresswoman from New York received an email that asked what else she expected after her party, which has the majority in both the House of Reps and the Senate, was making the poor even poorer in order to enrich their already rich friends.
And the current state of confusion that reigns in the U.S between its President and some of the lawmakers, doesn’t help the situation at all. But all I can say is that God is still in control, and nothing is going to happen unless He allows it, for whatever reason.
So we just need to stay calm and collected, holding on to His ever-faithful promises and run the race that He has assigned for each of our lives. Christians definitely need to look to God more than ever in these turbulent times, where stuff we never dreamed of is sadly happening.
Friends, this a whole new world, and it’s definitely not a brave one, but we have to have courage, and with the help of Almighty God, we can, and WILL handle whatever comes against us.
And one of the ways we can handle this new world, is by paying serious attention to the words of Bruh David enshrined in our Bit. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.’
Why, you ask? Because our God will deal with them in His own way and own time! Don’t worry friends, our God said that vengeance was His, and that He would repay it. He’s taking note of all the evil and evildoers, and at the right time, He will cut them down and burn them. Glory to God!
Meanwhile, what we believers need to do, is to follow the words of Bruh David found later on in Psalm 37. ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm).
For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider His place (look diligently for him), and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’ (Ps.37:4-11)
Oh my people, that is the best remedy for whatever ails us: turn sincerely to God and try our best to live in peace and harmony.
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to these words of Bruh David, found later on in Psalm 37. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever merciful (merciful all day), and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.
Depart from evil, and do good, and dwell for evermore. For the Lord LOVETH judgement (justice) and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.’ (Ps.37:23-28)
There we have it friends; the perfect prescription for earthly living! And when we follow it, then we are continually showered by our Thursday Blessings. Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship!
So let’s declare those blessings now with strong belief heartfelt passion. ‘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 the ultimate factor in blessings is that they must be shared, so let’s go out and do that now nuh, so that we can please our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!…
blessing and sharing…IS the Christian way…
14 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a piece of the pie, abundant life, action, aggressive, asaph, be thou envious, Beelzebub, Christians, come with the territory, doused with gasoline, earthly wealth, engulfed in flames, envious of the wicked, evildoers, fear, fellow believers, followers of Christ, foolish, Fret not thyself over evildoers, God is good to Israel, God is in control, good old days, gospel truth, grin and bear them, halfway home, heavenly Father, help, life, looking forward, mishaps, my hands are on the plough, my help comes from the Lord, my steps had slipped, Niagara Falls, of a clean hesrt, poison our lives, progress, protect us from harm, Ralph Waldo Emerson, righteousness, Saskatchewan, seek ye first the kingdom of God, sell our souls, spiritual realm, store up treasures, the breath of life, the end times, the fires of hell, the prosperity of the wicked, the workers of iniquity, toxic chemicals, upward, violence, violent, Wednesday Wail, worry
Psalm 37:1. Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Ah friends, what a world we’re living in today eh, when you can wake up and hear that a tanker truck with toxic contents overturned on a major highway in southern Ontario yesterday afternoon in St. Catherines, close by to Niagara Falls.
Also to hear that two children under 12 were doused with gasoline and set on fire by another under 12 year old boy in the Western Province of Saskatchewan. And then to see live, an apartment building in West London, England, its 24 floors being engulfed in huge flames, and the firefighters helpless to rescue many of them.
Ah Lord eh! Sometimes it makes you long for the supposed good, old days, when we didn’t have toxic chemicals being ferried along our highways like ordinary stuff, and apartment buildings weren’t so tall, and young children weren’t as aggressive and violent.
But we’ve opted for supposed progress and those things come with the territory. So now we just have to grin and bear them.
But here’s the good news; we Christians don’t have to be worried over the stuff that can, and oftimes will happen, because we know that our God, our powerful heavenly Father is in control of ALL things and He will guide and protect us from harm.
And here is an interesting quote to help us in our daily lives, courtesy of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882), the famous American lecturer, essayist and poet. Ralph is reputed to have said: ‘Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.’
Oh my fellow believers, what great advice for these trying times. We can’t afford to be looking back or around, but upwards, because that is where our help comes from.
As the psalmist so rightfully declared: ‘My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth, He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (to slip): He that keepeth thee will not slumber,’ (Ps.121:2-3) Gospel truth friends!
And the sad fact is that too many Christians are too worried about the sad state of our world. Now we must be concerned about it, but the truth is that most of us can do nothing to prevent the mishaps and the violence, so why worry eh?
We need to be more concerned about the things we have control over, and make sure that they go right, and simply leave the rest to God. Our worrying will in no way change some of the awful stuff that’s happening, so we don’t need to poison our own lives with fear and worry.
And that brings us to the wonderful advice of our Bit; immortal words of Bruh David. ‘Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.’
Yes, my precious people of God, it doesn’t pay to be envious of the wicked, because their time will be short, for the Lord will mow them down like grass under a mower, and burn them in the fires of hell.
And we have a very good example of worrying about the evildoers in the words of the psalmist Asaph. He writes in Psalm 73 – The mystery of prosperous wickedness. ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart.
But as for me, my feet were almost gone (my feet had almost stumbled); my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps.73:1-3)
Oh my fellow believers, I know that the wicked and evil are seemingly prospering in these end times, and we all want a piece of that pie, but are we going to sell our eternal souls to Beelzebub for a little earthly wealth and prosperity, none of which we can take into the eternal spiritual realm?
That would be incredibly foolish, though many of us are doing it. And the simple solution is that if we sincerely follow Jesus’ admonitions, we can also become prosperous and wealthy in earthly terms, as well as store up treasures in heaven.
Listen to these faithful words of our Lord and Saviour. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Plain and straightforward friends: seek God first, and He will give you all you need to live an abundant life here on earth. For as Jesus later said: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
And having been reminded of all that my faithful followers of Christ, and having inwardly digested it, let’s go home joyfully declaring our Wednesday Wail.
In strong voice as one body, let’s wail! ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and put it all into action, because that’s the only way to make it worthwhile in the sight of Jesus. Much LOVE!
…the eyes of ALL Christians…should be looking forward and upward…
07 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a glorious world, a new creature, all things are new, dampens our spirits, died on the cross, eternal life, faithful brethren, glad to be alive, glory to God, gospel truth, grace, Hades, halfway home, hell, hostility, if any man be in Christ, imputing trespasses, inconsistent weather, Jesus redemptive work, joy, justice, life just gives us time and space, LOVE, Lucifer, made him to be sin for us, maturing fellowship, meaning, mired in unhappiness, No one is guaranteed happiness, old things are passed away, P.S. I Love You, possessions, reconciled us to himself, reconciliation, redemption, righteousness, shining brightly, sin, sinless, soul-winning, spiritual vocabulary, sternity, the basis of christ's death, the breath of life, the cross, the LOVE of Jesus christ, the ministry of reconciliation, the righteousness of God, the Sun and the Son, the things of the world, took our sin, wealth, Wednesday Wail, who knew no sin, wisdom
2 Corinthians 5:21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
And then it was a bright, sunshiny Wednesday morning… Glory to God! And though it is still a bit cool, the temperature is expected to rise to at least twenty by mid afternoon. That we can handle.
Unlike yesterday where it was rainy and sunny, rainy and sunny all day long. Chuh! That kind of inconsistent weather only dampens our spirits. But when both the Sun and the Son are shining, it’s a glorious world. (smile)
Now here is a li’l something from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster, which informs us that:’No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’
And that’s gospel truth! Unfortunately though some of us don’t realize it and expect life to guarantee us happiness. But nothing could be further from the truth friends. If life had its way, we’d all be mired in unhappiness. So it’s left to us to fill our lives with pleasant and joyful stuff.
And where can we best find that joy and happiness? Not in the things of the world; it’s false wealth and possessions. But in the strength and LOVE of Jesus Christ; the One who selflessly died on the cross for our redemption; took our sins upon His broad and able shoulders and gave us His righteousness instead.
Hence our Bit: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’
Oh friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! No other supposed deity has ever, or can ever do that for us. Take our sins and put them on another, so that they can be forgiven.
Listen to these powerful, exciting and heart-warming verses before our Bit nuh. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
To wit (that is), that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor.5:17-19)
Oh my brethren, we have to acknowledge it again: what a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship! He has reconciled us to Himself! Glory to the Most High God Jehovah!
And if you don’t understand what reconciliation is all about, listen to the scholars’ explanation. ‘5:19. Reconciliation is the act whereby God on the basis of Christ’s death, has eliminated the cause of hostility between Himself and humanity, making possible a complete and maturing fellowship. (The hostility was caused by sin, and was eliminated by the Cross).
Illustration: When David prepared to fight for the Philistines, they feared he might betray them in battle in order to become reconciled with Saul. They answered that such an act would greatly please King Saul and be sufficient to restore a decayed relationship between Saul and David.
Application: Those who have become reconciled to God have also been given the ministry of reconciliation, which is fulfilled when they engage in soul-winning (v.19). (First Ref. Lev.6:30; Primary ref, 2 cor.5:19; cf. Rom.3:29).’
Ah mih people, yuh see how important that word ‘reconciliation’ is in our spiritual vocabulary. Out of God’s everlasting grace and LOVE, He decided to become reconciled to us, and in the process forgive us, not impute our sins to us.
But just forgiving us out of hand would stain His sense of justice and righteousness, so someone or something had to eventually pay for our sins. The crux of the matter though was that the sacrifice had to be sinless.
Hn! And lo, and behold ONLY His ONLY Son Jesus Christ fit the bill. I’m sure the Lord agonized over it some, but eventually His immense LOVE for us won the day, and He decided to sacrifice His Son, despite the great heartache it would cost Him.
And here we are now friends, with so many of us ignoring and not appreciating the miraculous work that the Lord did on our behalf. How foolish and ungrateful eh!
Without Jesus work on the cross we’d be left high and dry, to spend eternity in Hades with the evil one Lucifer. But with Jesus redemptive work, we have the option to believe in Him, surrender our all to Him and spend eternity with Him in heaven.
Now which option makes more sense eh; Hades with Lucifer, or Heaven with Christ? My people, I humbly submit that the latter choice is the wiser one. So I’m advising us to please, please choose Christ as your Lord and Saviour, otherwise your eternal life will certainly be hell.
Now for those of us who vote for Jesus, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, which let’s the whole world know in which camp we permanently stand.
All together 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!’
Now that is what’s called wisdom of exceedingly great proportions! (smile) Much, much LOVE, my faithful brethren in Christ!
…as for me and mine…without a doubt…we will follow Jesus…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit. It was just one of those nights, and consequently one of those mornings. (smile) Much LOVE!
13 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart for Jesus, adversity, Anselm's quotes, blessed of my Father, builds our faith, Christian faith, commitment, commune, compassionate, cover the naked, do better, do wrong, downtrodden, easy, easy living, entitlement, evil, falling standards, foundation of the world, free will, giving up, goats, good, hard, healing, helping others, hunger, I was a stranger, I was hungry, I was in prison, I was sick, I was thirsty, Jesus, know better, lazy day, learn to do better, LOVE, naked, on his right hand, pandemic, pointing of the finger, poor, poverty, rampant, righteousness, Saturday, sense of purpose, share thy bread, shared, sheep., smiles, sweet sighs, sympathetic, tender, the glory of the Lord, the name of the game, the tumbling tumbleweeds, tolerant, true religion, unfortunates, vanity, we'll reap what we sow, wickedness, yoke, you came unto me, you clothed me, you gave me drink, you gave me food, you took me in, you visited me
Matthew 25:35. For I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.
Ah mih people, our favourite lazy day, Saturday, is here at last! God bless Saturdays! And I see some big smiles and hear some sweet sighs as we just plan on lazing through Saturday, doing as little as possible.
But don’t worry, that’s your entitlement. You are allowed at least one day each week to just commune with yourself and your Maker, while just rolling along with the tumbling tumbleweeds. (smile)
So as we laze along this blessed Saturday morn, let’s check out some of our friend Anselm’s quotes for this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. I like this week’s quotes because they are simple and practical.
Hear this first one: ‘It’s supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it.’ Now isn’t that the very truth? It surely is, because in these whatever you may call them times, nobody wants to do anything that’s difficult. Easy living is the name of the game!
And that goes for our Christian faith too. As soon as a lot of believers’ come upon adversity, they are quick to think about giving up. They don’t realize that it’s the adversity that builds our faith. And that’s why our standards are continually falling.
And the second quote says: ‘How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.’ Oh so true my people! It’s just another way of warning us that we’ll reap what we sow, and we need to treat others the way we want to be treated.
This next one sounds like something Granny would say: ‘As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.’ Ah friends, where has that sense of purpose, that commitment to helping others gone eh?
Nowadays it’s predominantly each man for himself, and let the other one get by as best he can. I remember the days when the world wasn’t as prosperous, but there also wasn’t as much hunger and poverty, for we shared whatever little we had with the unfortunates. But today, in a world filled with plenty, hunger and poverty are rampant, pandemic to say the least.
Steups! The Lord must look down from His high heaven and sadly shake His head sometimes, asking Himself, just where did He go wrong. But it wasn’t Him that went wrong it was us, we had too much free will and evil had a stronger pull on us than good.
But hopefully this last quote will help us. ‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.’ It’s as simple as that friends, we can’t do better until we know how to do better. So I guess our quest now is to learn how to do better.
And I have to laugh here at the philosophical stuff than Anselm’s quotes bring out every week. But it does the soul a lot of good, gets us thinking a little more than we normally might. It also brings us to our Bit, Jesus immortal words on the topic.
‘For I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’ (Matt.25:35-36)
Yeh friends, that’s the kind of stuff that Jesus is looking for from His followers. If we do those things, then when Jesus comes into His kingdom, we’ll be like the sheep, on His right hand, and not goats on His left. ‘Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ (Matt.25:34)
Oh my brethren, we seem to forget that Jesus came to save the lost, the sick, the hungry, the poor; in other words, those who were having a hard time making it in life. If we go back to Isaiah, where he describes true religion, we’ll see where the Lord rags on Israel for their hypocritical fasting in the first 5 verses of chapter 58.
Then He says: ‘Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal (share) thy bread to (with) the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out (wandering) to thy house?
When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health (healing) shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee: the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward ( rearguard).
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord will answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of these the yoke, the putting forth (pointing) of the finger, and speaking vanity (wickedness).’ (Is.58:6-9)
Oh friends, that’s what true religion is supposed to be about, not the hypocritical rules and regulations that pass for it today. And you’ll see that it’s not only when Jesus came that caring for the poor and downtrodden became a part of our faith.
So let’s get serious about what we’ve said here this morning nuh, and try to do what we know is right, so that at the coming of Jesus’ kingdom, we’ll end up on His right hand and be called blessed. Much LOVE!
…unless we sincerely try to help others…we can’t truly say…we have a heart for Jesus…
05 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a level playing field, a modicum of circumspection, coming in, except the Lord build the house, fail-safe guide, faith, fellowship, fraud, Friday chant, fun, Ghostbusters, godliness, going out, I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, Jesus, just and true society, labour in vain, LOVE, my help comes from the Lord, partying hearty, preserve thee from evil, Protector, raining cats and dogs, refreshed in soul body and mind, relaxation, repent, rest, riding shotgun, righteousness, safety, security, sleep, slumber, stability, steady drizzle, suffer thy foot to be moved, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the Lord keep the city, the moon by night, the rains came, The sun shall not smite thee by day, the watchman stays awake in vain, Toronto, traffic situation, travelling companion, treachery, truth, underground parking, week of work, wisdom, wiser declaration
Psalm 127:1. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep (guards) the city, the watchman waketh (stays awake) but in vain.
And it was mid-afternoon…and the rains came… And then it was morning…and the rains are still coming…
Yes friends, showers of blessings have been inundating us for the last 15 or 16 hours! And they are still coming down…thankfully not the pouring down kind, but more a steady drizzle. Hn!
And as the Lord would have it, the ole fella has to go into Toronto for some tests today. Chuh! But I can’t afford to miss today’s appointment, because I postponed them over a month ago, on the day that our area had its last serious snowfall.
And just to make life even more difficult, the two main exit ramps to the city off the southern highway have been broken down to build something supposedly new and better. It was bad enough before, but now you can imagine the horrendous traffic situation to get into downtown Toronto.
And to add to the mix, the hospital I’m going to, have shut down at least a quarter of their underground parking spots for some repair work. The other day I had to drive around the area twice before I could find an empty spot.
But yuh know what, the ole fella will just leave a little earlier, and with Jesus as my travelling companion, and fail-safe guide, we’ll just mosey into T.O as calmly as ever. With Jesus riding shotgun in my chariot, I know we’ll get there safely, on time, and everything will be all right! Praise His Holy Name!
And along the way, we’ll certainly hear the workingman joyfully declaring: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! The weekend is ours to do as we please! And though it raining cats and dogs, that’s not going to stop us from partying hearty over the next couple of days! Yuh better believe we should all thank God for Fridays and the weekends!’
As usual, an interesting take on things, but not a very good one. Our Friday Chant makes a much wiser declaration, so let’s declare it now nuh. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that makes much more sense, by giving us a modicum of circumspection and a level playing field to work with. And that brings us to today’s rather interesting and oh so appropriate Bit.
‘Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep (guards) the city, the watchman waketh (stays awake) but in vain.’
And I daresay that there’s a lot of truth in that statement, judging by the serious expanse of, and concern with security in our society during the last two decades, but nonetheless the massive explosion of all kinds of fraud and treachery. Who’s guarding the guard eh?
Ah mih people, I don’t know when we will wake up and fully and truly realize that only in godliness and righteousness will our society ever have some stability and safety. Only when the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is our true protector will our way of life be stable and strong.
Now hear some scripture from Psalm 121 –God’s sustaining power, which tells it like it surely is. ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (mountains), from when cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’ (Ps.121:1-8)
Yes my brethren, that’s what the Lord does for those who are obedient to his law and live faithfully and righteously in His name!
As our Bit says, without Him working on our behalf, all our efforts are in vain. And until we sincerely realize that and repent and return to faithfully serving Almighty God as a just and true society, our lives will continue to be in everlasting turmoil.
Ah mih people, like the psalmist, when he looked up at his mountains and wondered where his help to fight them would come from, so can we look at the mountains in our lives, and confidently declare: ‘My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.’
And that’s indisputable, gospel truth my brethren! So let’s stand strong and steadfast on it nuh, as wisdom and faith in God dictates. Much LOVE!
…to whom shall we cry out for help…not Ghostbusters…but to the Lord God Almighty…
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