13 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a pure heart, accept conditions, Anselm's quotes, bickering, blessings, blood of the everlasting covenant, charity, children of God, choices in life, clarion call of Jesus, clay, cleanse, coaxed down, cold-turkey, comfort, compassion, complain, complaining, correction, Daylight Savings Time, dishonour, disputes, doctrine, encouragement, equipped, faith, fellowship, fight the good fight, fluctuating, friends, furnished, gentle, gold, good examples, good works, habits, honour, inertia, inspiration of God, LOVE, March break, may be perfect, meekness, patient, peace, penchant, profane, purge, reproof, responsibility, righteousness., sanctified, scripture, set apart, silver, sit on the fence, social media, spiritual strength, spring-like, step up to the plate, strife, sunshine, teach, technology, the circle of life, the God of peace, the grand scheme of things, the Holy Bible, the man of God, the shepherd of the sheep, the weather, those in opposition, time of need, tools, tossed out a window, truth, ungodliness, useless talk, vain babblings, vessels, walking hand in hand with Jesus, well-pleasing, wisdom, youthful lusts
2 Timothy 3:17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.
Aye friends, how goes it this Sunday morning at the beginning of the March break, where so many people try to get away to the sunshine for a week or so?
But yuh know what? There might not be much sense in doing that this year, because the weather up here is more spring-like than winter. And it is fluctuating crazily; yesterday morning there was frost on the ground and on the cars parked outside, but by mid-afternoon the temperature was in the low to mid-teens.
And to add to all the weather fluctuations and craziness, this morning at 2 o’clock, the clocks went forward by an hour, initiating Daylight Savings Time, meaning that some people will lose an hour’s sleep, while those who are working will work an hour less. Now who all of that benefits I don’t know, but I do know that a lot of people, including me, don’t like it.
But then again, in the grand scheme of things, none of that really matters once we are walking hand in hand with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And since it’s Sunday, it means heading for the Lord’s sanctuary to praise and worship and give thanks as one harmonious body, and receiving His awesome blessings of spiritual strength, encouragement, compassion and LOVE, so that we can keep on fighting the good fight, and also help and comfort others in their time of need. It’s all about the circle of life and LOVE friends!
And since I haven’t shared a quote in some time from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us today for a better tomorrow, I’ll now share two. (smile) The first one says that ‘A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time.’
Now I do agree with that under certain circumstances, but there are some people who can only break their bad habits by throwing them out the window all at once, in other words going cold-turkey. I guess in the long run it all depends on the character of the person and the habit involved.
And the second quote from our friend Anselm declares: ‘There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.’
And that is the basic truth. We must either shut up and accept what we have, or step up to plate and do what is required to better the situation. Unfortunately though, too many of us just want to sit on the fence and complain and do nothing to solve the attendant problems, while hoping that someone else will fix them.
Now our current penchant for complaining and epidemic of inertia are two big reasons why our society is so messed up. We all want to live high on the hog but don’t want to do what it takes to accomplish that. And that’s rather unfortunate, because as children of God we have all the tools available at our disposal to function at a high level; namely God’s Word, the Holy Bible.
And as we recently saw, the verse before our Bit tells us that ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.’ (2 Tim.3:16) Now why is that eh?
So ‘That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’
So my people, we have all the tools for improving the world at our disposal, why aren’t we using them eh? We are obviously not following Bruh Paul’s advice earlier on his letter.
‘Study (be diligent) to show (present) thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (properly interpreting the Word of God). But shun profane and vain babblings (worthless talk): for they will increase unto more ungodliness.’ (2 Tim.2:15-16)
And that is exactly what’s happening in our society! This explosion of social media and its attendant technology have us involved in more useless talk and bickering than ever before.
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth (clay); and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge (cleanse) himself from these (the latter), he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified (set apart), and meet (useful) for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow (pursue) righteousness, faith, charity (LOVE), peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions (ignorant disputes) avoid, knowing that they do gender (generate) strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive (quarrel); but be gentle unto all men, apt (able) to teach, patient.
In meekness instructing (correcting) those that oppose themselves (who are in opposition); if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of (so that they may know) the truth; And that they may recover themselves (come to their senses) out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at (to do) his will).’ (2 Tim.2:20-26)
Oh my fellow believers, our duty is spelled out in black and white right there for us. And it’s not an easy duty, but with some diligence, some steadfastness, sincere faith and trust in God, we can all do much better than we’re currently doing. Remember the forging and growing of Jesus’ church, His LOVE Revolution is in our hands. As we go, so do His body, His influence and His saving of the world go.
And we’ll close with these immortal words of Bruh Paul from Hebrews. ‘Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect (complete) in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Heb.13:20-21)
And that’s my sincere wish for all of us today my brethren. Now let’s get ourselves together, come to our senses, and do what is necessary to bring the rest of the world back to its senses, back to God where they belong. Much LOVE!
…only as believers live godly lives…be good examples…will the world ever respond to the clarion call of Jesus…
12 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: auspices, Beelzebub, believe it to see it, chimerical, christ jesus, compassions, contented, correction, deceit, destroyed, evil purposes, faith, faithfulness, furnished unto good works, God's great earth, God's will, God's Word, godliness, great is thy faithfulness, heartwarming, holy, Holy Scriptures, illusory, inspiration of God, Lamentations, live, living the life, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, lusts of the flesh, material possessions, maturity, meditating, mercies, mirrors, money, moths, obedience, oral instruction, patience, perfect, perks, planned it, praying, prince of darkness, profitable for doctrine, reading, reassuring, reproof, reverence, righteous, righteousness., rust, salvation, sleight of hand, spiritual life, steal your soul, the BIBLE, the good fight of faith, the man of God, treasures in heaven, wisdom, working for good
2 Timothy 3:17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.
Oh friends, another day on God’s great earth is dawning in our hemisphere, whether we like it or not. Hn! That’s how God, in His infinite wisdom planned it, and we have no say whatsoever in the matter. The only choice we have is how we live, how we spend this day that the Lord has so graciously granted us.
We can either live it under the auspices of Beelzebub, enjoying the lusts of the flesh and the material possessions of this evil world. Or we can choose to dwell under the righteous and holy auspices of the Lord God Jehovah, Maker of heaven and earth and all therein.
Now, I believe that the latter choice is the better one. First of all, the stuff of Beelzebub doesn’t last, can be destroyed by rust and moths etc., plus you can’t take any of it when you depart this life. And besides, a lot of Beelzebub’s work is done through deceit, sleight of hand and mirrors, only giving you the impression that you actually have something good, when in fact you have nothing at all; just a chimerical, illusory state.
However, with Almighty God, you have the ability to store up treasures in heaven, which you can’t do in hell. And secondly, living under the mighty hand of God also brings new perks each and every day. Glory Hallelujah! You certainly don’t get new blessings every day from the evil prince of darkness; he just tries to steal your soul or keep you locked up in darkness to suit his evil purposes.
As Jeremiah reminds us in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23).
Oh my fellow believers it is so good, so heartwarming and reassuring to see our heavenly Father working diligently for good in our lives every day. And don’t forget, He is the epitome of faithfulness, He will NEVER let us down under any circumstances, which obviously can’t be said about our evil enemy who roams the earth like a roaring lion, looking for those whom he might devour.
That brings us to our Bit, Bruh Paul’s admonishment to his young protégé Timothy. ‘That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’
And how do we get to be like that? By praying, reading and meditating on the scriptures and living the life it espouses.
As Bruh Paul explains before our Bit: ‘But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.’ (2Tim.3:14-16)
And the scholars illuminate us thus: ‘3:14-17. Continue literally means “remain.” The things which thou hast learned were his oral instruction in the holy scriptures (the Old Testament, here) by his mother (Eunice) and grandmother (Lois). Inspiration of God (Gr. theopneustos, lit. “God-breathed) describes the unique character of Scripture. It is not only written by men, but authored by God.
For doctrine means to tell one what to believe. For reproof means to tell one what is wrong. For correction means to tell one how to correct wrong. For instruction in righteousness means to tell one how to live. Perfect (Gr. artios, “proficient, capable”) is having everything needed to do what God wants. Thoroughly furnished means “thoroughly equipped.” God’s inspired Word, properly used and applied, provides all we need for life and ministry.’
I couldn’t say it any better myself friends. And many of us were raised like Timothy, with oral instructions in the scriptures from some family member, friend or Sunday school teacher, which means that the Word of God was planted in our hearts early on in our lives, so it’s nothing new to us, however we need to continue studying it, so that we will know how to live a godly life as adults.
That’s because the Word is a complete set of instructions on how to live this life. We don’t need anything else beside it; just wisely and diligently follow its instructions and we’ll be well covered. I know that many of us might think otherwise, but you’ll never know the truth until you try it.
Remember in Jesus’ realm, you have to believe it before you see it. That means to have trust and faith in Jesus, regardless of the situation. Again, that’s how the Lord planned His realm and we have no real say in the matter; is either we accept it or not. And we’d be foolish not to accept it, because there’s no faithfulness to be had in Beelzebub’s realm. The word doesn’t exist in his vocabulary. So that’s not a very wise place to be in.
Meanwhile, in our Bit, Bruh Paul to a certain extent is reminding Timothy of his earlier words, re the good fight of faith. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; 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).’ (1 Tim.6:11-12)
That’s after he warned him about the pitfalls of listening to false teachers and being contented with whatsoever he had, as well as the erroneous and disastrous ‘LOVE of money.’
And we’ll end with some thoughts from the scholars. ‘6:11. Flee these things means shun a LOVE for money (v.10) and the striving for material wealth (v.9) with all its resulting woes. Follow after means pursue. Righteousness is practical correctness, conforming to God’s will in one’s thinking and acting. Godliness is proper reverence for, and obedience to, God. Faith is a trust in God that grows stronger. LOVE is a maturing affection for God and man. Patience is perseverance or steadfastness in life and service. Meekness is gentleness.’
‘6:12. The good fight concerns the daily struggle with sin in the Christian life, and the hardships and adversities in the ministry. A genuine believer demonstrates the reality of his faith by being engaged in this warfare. Lay hold on eternal life does not negate the fact that a believer now possesses spiritual life (John 3:36); rather, it speaks of fully realizing or appropriating salvation as the believer matures.’
So friends, as usual, I’m asking us to ponder all that we’ve read today, then, with God’s help, let us try to improve , to steadily mature as we ought, for that is indeed true wisdom. Much LOVE!
…the Bible is God’s Word to us…still fresh through all the ages…and if we read it…we will find God’s wisdom on its pages…
08 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ascension, believe in Jesus, christianity, death, disobedient, EasterMessiah, eternal life, Father forgive them, forgiveness, free, glory to God, God created the heaven and the earth, Good Friday, good works, goodness, grace, grief, guilt, holiness, Hours of Power Devotional, I AM, I am the resurrection, idols, in the beginning, Jesus Christ, joy, joyous celebration, Lazarus, LOVE, loving kindness, maturity in Christ, mercy, mistakes, no strings attached, reconcile, resurrection, righteousness., robert h schuller, saltwater, salvation, shame, sinful, sins, strength, sunshine, that says it all, the cross, the greatest, the Life, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the sanctuary, thy way O God, true and living God, victims, who is so great a God
Psalm 77:13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?
Oh friends, I do hope we all had strong beginnings to our new work week yesterday, and that those strong beginnings will continue into today, Tuesday, as we do the Lord’s bidding and grow in strength and maturity in Christ Jesus.
I had a good day yesterday as I was out and about in the city having lunch with some friends whom I hadn’t seen before and visiting some older folks at home. But boy, was the sun ever hot, and I was doing this stuff between noon and early afternoon.
The duchess believes that this is the hottest the sun has ever been since we began visiting Tobago some four years ago. Who knows though? The sun is supposed to be hot in these parts, and that’s why I came, isn’t it; for sunshine and saltwater? (smile)
Anyway, today I want to share something called ‘No Strings Attached,’ from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H. Schuller) Hours of Power Devotional.
Listen up closely. ‘Christianity is a religion based on mercy. It is rooted in forgiveness. Of all the religions in the world, Christianity is the only belief system that accepts grace as the source of salvation. Every other religion is based on good works – work hard enough or be good enough and you will earn your salvation, your heaven, your Nirvana.
Christianity alone says, ‘You can’t do it. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. We all suffer from guilt and shame. We are all victims. But Jesus has died on the cross with these final words: ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ (Luke 23:34). He has risen again. He has paid for my sins. He has paid for yours. The gift of salvation is free – no strings attached.’
Glory Hallelujah my fellow believers! And isn’t that the awesome and glorious truth. That’s why we can always loudly, proudly and truthfully say that OUR GOD IS THE GREATEST!
And that provides the answer to our Bit: ‘Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’
Oh friends, I know I promised that yesterday would be the last day for that particular Bit, but if you were paying close attention, you’d have noticed that we only spoke about Christ’s birth, not his death, resurrection and ascension, as we had intended to. So obviously we couldn’t be finished. (smile)
And in a few weeks’ time we’ll be coming up to those days of painful grief and then of joyous celebration, as we commemorate the Easter Season. And isn’t that a glorious season?
It certainly it is, for though Jesus’ birth celebrated at Christmas time is huge. Easter is the fulfillment of God’s great promises, to provide a Messiah, to reconcile us to Himself and provide eternal salvation through His free offering of grace to all those who belief in His Son, Jesus Christ! Oh Glory to God my people!
How can anyone be greater than Him when out of the goodness and LOVING-kindness of His heart, He sacrificed His One and Only Son so that we, His most precious, but also very disobedient and sinful creation could be righteously welcomed back into His holy fold? No other supposed deity can, or has ever done anything like that!
As Gramps Schuller says above; salvation is a free gift of God, with no strings attached! All the sinner has to do is to believe in and on Jesus Christ! What could be simpler that that eh? NOTHING really!
So when Good Friday rolls around, though it is filled with the pain and suffering and heartache endured by Jesus, we can still call it ‘Good’ because that is when our sins were paid for.
It wasn’t good for Jesus, though He bore it with a stiff upper lip and all that, but it was surely good for us, because without Good Friday, we could not have had Easter Sunday, when He miraculously rose from the dead and with it offered the promise that all who die in Him, will again rise in Him!
Oh what a great and LOVING God we serve and worship my people! THERE IS NONE OTHER LIKE HIM! That’s for sure.
And what amazes me about the other faiths out there is that they either serve dead gods, or idols created by man’s hand. Now how can something I create be my god and do all sorts of stuff for me eh? It just doesn’t sound very logical.
And please note too, has there ever been any other of the supposed gods who died and rose again from the dead? No way! Only our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has ever done that! So why would I choose to worship any other God eh?
And on another point of interest, has anybody else ever brought anybody back from the dead after they had been in the grave for four days? NO!
But our Lord and Saviour Jesus did! Read the full account in John 11. He raised His friend Lazarus from the dead after he had been entombed for four days. All praise and glory to our great God!
After praying to His heavenly Father, ‘he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin (wrapped with a cloth). Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.’ (John 11:43-44)
Now tell me, who else has ever raised a human body buried for four days, and then raised Himself from the dead after being entombed for three days eh?
NOBODY BUT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!
And we’ll definitely close this Bit (smile) with these true and immortal words of Jesus re resurrection and life. ‘Jesus said unto her (Lazarus’ sister Martha), I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? (John 11:25-26)
Now friends, that’s a question we must all ask ourselves, and hopefully, for all of us, the answer is a resounding YES!
And finally, hear this verifying statement from the scholars. ’11:25. I am the resurrection is one of Jesus’ greatest “I am” statements, signifying His power to give eternal life.’
What more can I say eh? Nothing but I do hope that during these last few days the evidence I’ve provided has convinced us that the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is indeed the GREATEST and the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING GOD! Much LOVE!
…in the beginning…God created the heaven and the earth… (Gen.1:1) …that says it all…
07 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child is born, a son is given, adrenaline, asaph, ascension, awe, battle lines, birth, born of a virgin, care, christianity, compassion, confidence, copulation, Counselor, Creator of the universe, death, down in the dumps, egg, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fallen humanity, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, furthering God's glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, holy spirit, humble servants, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, judgement, justice, keeping lives and families together, lies, LOVE, mercy, Messiah, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, payment for sins, peace, praise your holy nmae, redeemed, redemption, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, resurrection, reverence, righteousness., sacrifice, salvation, serve a useful purpose, sexual relations, sinless, sperm, steadfast faith, taunts, the everlasting Father, the Lord of hosts, the mighty God, the one and only true living God, the Prince of Peace, the sanctuary, the throne of David, thy way O God, trust, truth, unblemished, ungodly world, weary souls, who is so great a God, wiles, wisdom, Wonderful, work, zeal
Psalm 77:13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?
Awright friends, it’s Monday, so let’s be up and at ‘em nuh! Our Field Marshall, Jesus Christ is already at the battle lines waiting patiently for us, and it’s a crime, a sure sin to keep Him waiting too long.
So for those of us who fellowshipped and worshipped yesterday, whose spirit is ready to do battle, let’s wake up those who are down in the dumps, moaning and groaning, tired and finding it difficult to get a move on, with a mighty rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one awesome choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Wonderful friends, simply wonderful! Jesus was just smiling and tapping as He swung His baton in guidance, and the Father too was smiling and tapping, as He listened to us bare our hearts and souls in awe and reverence!
Now with all that adrenaline running through our motors, let’s get us to the battlefield that’s work and show the heathen, the unbelievers, how Jesus’ followers do life here on earth nuh, with LOVE, peace, mercy, forgiveness, care and compassion!
Ah mih breddren, my days on paradise are quickly drawing to a close, but that’s life. It was a rather interesting vacation with all sorts of ups and downs, and one I will remember for as long as I live. All glory be to a great God who looks after His followers with all those wonderful attributes we mentioned above!
That’s why when we are confronted by our Bit: ‘Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’ We can confidently declare in a loud and proud voice: ‘NOBODY is as great as our God!
And that’s the indisputable truth! That’s also why the psalmist Asaph, in the verses after our Bit could loudly, proudly and truthfully proclaim: ‘Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength amongst the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.’ (Ps.77:14-15)
Yes my people, our great and awesome God has indeed done all of that! And since I’m going to make today the last day for this particular Bit – and I hear many voices whispering, ‘Thank God!’ (smile) I’ll get to some real powerful factors in our God’s redemption of His people; namely the birth, death, resurrection and ascension of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Wow! What moments of true might and power from the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING God!
Let’s talk generally about those actions, because we’d be here till next never (smile) if we tried to look at them in detail.
Long before Jesus ever came, the Lord promised His people a Messiah, a Saviour. Isaiah prophesied this when he declared: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is.9:6-7) And perform it did He ever!
Now here is the clincher in the whole scenario: our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was born of a virgin named Mary! Upon that lies the entire basis of Christianity. If you don’t believe that, or if it isn’t true, then Christianity is a fake.
But that’s the only way Jesus could have been born a sinless man. If He had had an earthly or human father then He would have been amongst the fallen humanity as we are. But to ensure that He was both man and God, the Father conceived Him spiritually in the womb of a virgin; a woman who had had no sexual relations with any man.
So He had an earthly mother, which made him man, but a heavenly and spiritual Father, which made Him God. That’s why He could have lived amongst us, feel all the pains and anxieties we feel, but still considered sinless.
And He had to be sinless, unblemished like all the sacrifices the Jews made, otherwise He could not have been sacrificed on the cross of Calvary, and thus paid our sin debt in full. Oh glory to God my people!
The Father in His holiness, righteousness and justice needed payment for our sins, if they were to be forgiven, and the only unblemished person beside Himself was His Son Jesus. That made the argument moot, if He intended to redeem His fallen creation.
So friends, let’s end with these two question nuh; is there any other supposed deity who LOVES His followers, more than our great God who sacrificed His Only Son for us?
The answer is obviously a resounding NO!
And lastly, is there any other supposed deity down through the ages, who could have made a human being without some sort of copulation between a male and a female of the species?
The answer is also a resounding NO!
Even in these days of high technology and great advancement in the science of human reproduction, to produce a human being, it still takes the sperm of a male to come into contact with the egg of a female, however that is accomplished. I rest my case. Much LOVE!
…only a most mighty and powerful Deity…could have created this world and all therein…
29 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leap year., adrenalin, as for me and mine, asaph, aura of love, be ye holy, blessings, burdened, conduct, confidence, confuse, conquerors, Creator of the universe, destruction, discipline, earthly domain, enthusiasm, eternal separation from God, faith, fellowship, fool your fat, for I am holy, forsake, freedom of choice, friends, further your glorious kingdom, gird up the loins of your mind, grace, harmony, holiness, holy spirit, hope to the end, humble servants, ignorance, intoxicate, invincible, jealousy, Jesus Christ, Jesus' Second Coming, jobs, keeping lives and families together, lies, LOVE, lusts, material possessions, meet the enemy in battle, mental, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obedient children, on the cross, praise Your Holy Name, prosperity, renewed vitality, resolutions, revelation of Jesus, righteousness., salvation, slippery places, so great a God, sober, spiritual armour, spiritual being, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, the heathen, the kingdom of God, the sanctuary, the straight and narrow path, thy way O God, tolerate sin, trust, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, we will follow the Lord, wealthy, weary souls, why hast thou forsaken me, wickedness, wiles, wisdom
Psalm 77:13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?
Ah friends, isn’t it insightful and mysterious how our God made this last day of February in this leap year of 2016 to fall on the day we most LOVE to hate? (smile)
Yes precious people of God, it’s Monday, when our time of weekly labour generally begins. Are we up to it today? Have we rested and fellowshipped sufficiently yesterday so that we can go our bright and beautiful today to face the big world and all its evil? I certainly do hope so?
But just in case we have not taken the Lord’s advice and refreshed our spirits on the first day of the week, Sunday, we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to encourage us. So let’s declare it with much enthusiasm and harmony.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh friends, that wasn’t a bad rendition at all! And most important, it did bring a small smile from Jesus, our choir director.
Now, having our Adrenalin levels raised and our motors running smoothly, let’s go out and put all that stuff into action nuh; show the heathen the true beauty of being a believer in Jesus Christ!
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’
Oh my people, my people, that’s a great statement and a wonderful question, both in the same sentence. Let’s see how we can explain and expand upon them nuh.
First of all, our God is a holy God. That means, by His very nature He is unable to tolerate sin, evil, and wickedness of any kind. Yuh see, even when His only Son Jesus was burdened down on the cross with our sins, He could have no part of Him, He had to forsake Him, although His heart was breaking in a million pieces, so that things could be made right.
Note Jesus’ plaintive cry: ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt.27:46) That was the ONLY time ever that the Father has ever left Him on His own. But it was necessary, if we were to be cleansed and reconciled to the Father.
And then in God’s house, His ‘sanctuary,’ is where His holiness can best be found and sometimes understood. As the psalmist Asaph say in Psalm 73, when he was being tortured by the prosperity of the wicked. ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.’ (Ps.73:17-18)
Yes friends, only when Asaph entered God’s house and communed with Him, did he understand the destruction that the wicked face, despite their worldly prosperity.
Now sadly, thousands of years later many, too many, of us are still afflicted by Asaph’s jealousy of the prosperity of the wicked.
Precious people, please don’t travel that road, because it is one that only leads to destruction and eternal separation from Almighty God. It’s true that the wicked seem to prosper in this earthly domain, but in the heavenly one they will not even come near the gates.
It’s understood that our sinful human nature makes us gravitate towards material possessions, but they don’t last, and we can’t carry them with us when we return to the dust of which we were formed. So why waste our lives fighting to get them eh?
Jesus says if we seek the Father first; ‘the kingdom of God and his righteousness,’ then all the earthly stuff we need will be given to us. (Matt.6:33)
Now we all might not made be wealthy and otherwise, but we will never lack for anything. And don’t fool your fat, there are many wealthy Christians in the world, you just won’t know or see it because they don’t display their wealth like a lot of the wicked do, and they use it for purposes that glorify God and furthers His kingdom. So being a child of God doesn’t mean you can’t ever be wealthy, it’s just how you get it and how you use it.
And we’ll end with these wise and very instructive words of Peter. ‘Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind (prepare your mind for action), be sober, and hope to the end for the grace (rest your hope fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation (second coming) of Jesus Christ.
As obedient children, not fashioning (conforming) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct).’ (1 Pet.1:13-15)
There we have it friends, the call to be holy. It calls for serious inner resolution, accompanied by personal discipline and outward conduct. We can’t afford to let anything confuse or intoxicate our mental and spiritual beings.
Now God in His wisdom gave us freedom of choice, which means it’s up to each individual to choose his own path. Let’s hope that most, if not all of us will choose the straight and narrow path that leads to God, but as for me and mine, we WILL follow the Lord, because that is indeed the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…it is written…be ye holy…for I am holy… (1 Pet.1:16)
25 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day of rest, a faithful saying, a hammer, a jumble of thoughts, a lamp that guides, a mirror, a sword, abides, abominable iniquity, aches, affirm constantly, asaph, asthma, bends before it, Bibly Study, blessings, born again, bounden duty, breathed life, children of God, Christian, citicenship, contentious, cooperate with God, corrupt, cough, deceit, defeats Satan, disobedient, divers lusts, divine workman, donkey's years, empathy, enticed, envious, envy, ethics, evil, faith, fellowship, flu, foolish, friends, funeral, gentle, glory hallelujah, glory to God, god moves in mysterious ways, God's will, good works, gospel of Christ, grace, hating, holy spirit, human nature, illnesses, imbibed, Jesus Christ, joy, judges sin, kindness, living for Christ, LOVE, LOVE of God, loving kindness, Lucifer, make sense of, malice, material possessions, meekness, mercy, Mt. St. George, new life, newborn, Nicodemus, none that doeth good, pains, Paradise, pay the cost, potholes, powers, principalities, profitable, prosperity, regeneration, resist the wave, reveals sin, righteousness., salvation, sell our soul, stand strong and steadfast, stumbled, surrogate daughters, swept away, talk is cheap, temptation, tentacles, the BIBLE, the fool say in his heart, the likeness of Christ, the wicked, the work of god, there is no god, Titus, treachery, trust, truth, West Indian, winding road., wisdom
Psalm 53:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
Oh friends, there is so much I want to say this beautiful Thursday morning, but I simply can’t say anything! Chuh!
Has that ever happened to you? My mind is a jumble of thoughts and whatever else that I can’t seem to make sense of, but I’m not worried because I know that our great and magnanimous God will eventually look down on me with empathy and guide me to what He wants me to say.
I guess that part of my problem is that I have a touch of the flu and cough that’s causing my asthma to act up a bit. And there’s nothing that drives me bonkers like coughing.
Anyway, I went to the funeral of an old schoolmate yesterday afternoon in Mt. St. George – and now I realize why it’s so named, for we had to drive up a steep, winding road littered with potholes to reach the church, then come another steep winding one to get back to the main road.
It’s a good thing the duchess wasn’t my co-pilot, because I don’t know if we would have made it back safely. (smile)
The funeral was well attended, and I saw people whom I hadn’t seen in donkey’s years (smile). The deceased lived in the U.S but was brought back home to her village for burial, exactly what I want to happen to me.
And to show how our God moves in mysterious ways, he took one home but also breathed life in to a newborn son of one of my surrogate daughters down here. Glory to God!
Now a buddy and I was supposed to go touring today, but it seems that he imbibed a tad too much last night, so he is also under the weather, which means that tour will have to be put off indefinitely.
Ah mih people, my time in sweet Tobago is swiftly drawing to a close, and as the duchess said recently, the problem is not how we’re going to face the cold up in the Northern climes, but how we’re going to leave this paradise? It will definitely be hard, although every day we complain how the sun is so hot.
So I guess today will just be a day of rest and later this evening I’ll go to the Bible Study class up the road. I heard they missed me last week when I was in Trinidad. I missed them too, because it was a spirited gathering, West Indian style. And call me biased, but nothing beats anything, West Indian style! (smile)
Now that’s the end of my news, but before we get to our Bit, I want to share these words of wisdom from one Leviticus, whom I assume was an olden Greek philosopher. And he is reputed to have said that: ‘He who attempts to resist the wave is swept away, but he who bends before it abides.’
And I rediscovered that in reality recently on the beach. I tried to fight off a big wave and it sent me crashing into the sand. But another one, instead of trying to fight it, I rode it successfully into the shore.
The same way it is with life my friends, especially when we are getting up in age and can’t fight all the unusual stuff that’s coming against us; all the aches and pains and illnesses. We have to learn to bend with the tide, if we hope to continue living a full and enjoyable life.
That also means we cannot emulate the people in our Bit. ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.’
Now, though we know better, the prosperity of the wicked can sometimes drive us to want what they have. Listen to the psalmist Asaph, as he discourses in Psalm 73 on 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 (I 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)
Yes friends, although Asaph knew better, the sinful human nature still enticed him to be envious of the wicked in their earthly prosperity. And unfortunately it still does the same thing to us in these very trying and difficult times.
But we need to see the treachery and deceit of material possession and earthly prosperity for what it really is; ofttimes a temptation of the enemy, and don’t allow it to get us caught up in its wicked tentacles. Because once we sell our soul for those things, it’s not very easy to get out of Lucifer’s contract.
Now hear Bruh Paul to Titus on Christian citizenship and the basis of the Christian ethic. ‘Put them in mind to be subject to principalities (rulers) and powers (authorities), to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers (not contentious), but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.
For we ourselves also were sometime foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and LOVE of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed (poured out) on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. That being justified (declared righteous) by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.’ (Titus 3:1-7)
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, it’s only through God’s grace and mercy and LOVING-kindness, poured out on us through Christ that we are able to withstand the wiles and lies of the evil one. That means we have to stand strong and steadfast in faith if we want to resist the enemy.
Now here is some info from the scholars on the term ‘regeneration.’‘3:5. Regeneration refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation experience that produces new life in the believer. To express this concept, Jesus used the expression “born again” in His conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:3-7).
Regeneration is the work of God, through the Holy Spirit, of placing in one who has faith a new nature, capable of doing God’s will. The Holy Spirit is the agent or divine workman of this regeneration. His instrument is the Bible, which is likened to a hammer that judges sin (Jer.23:29), a mirror that reveals sin (James 1:23), a sword that defeats Satan (Heb.4:12), and a lamp that guides the believers (Ps.119:105).
Illustration: People are instantaneously “born again “the moment they trust Christ as Saviour. (1 Pet.1:23). Application: Christians should be careful to cooperate with God in growing as children of God after they are regenerated, or given new life. (First Ref. John 3:3), Primary Ref. Titus 3:5. cf. Eph.1:15.).’
Oh friends, only by cooperating with God and growing in the likeness of Christ, can we ever hope to stave off the foolishness and deceit of the enemy! And it will benefit us all, if we looked up the references the scholars provided. (smile)
Now let’s end with some more words of Bruh Paul to Titus. ‘This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.’ (Titus 3:8)
There’s nothing left to say my brethren, except that we should all go out, each and every day, being careful to do works that enhance the gospel of Christ, so that the heathen can see the true beauty in living for Christ and want to come to Him. It’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…talk is cheap…but good works cost something…Christians should be prepared to pay that cost…
P.S. I know it’s long, but God’s word is worth it. (smile) Much LOVE!
22 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable iniquity, abominable sins, affirmation, aura of love, belittles., bring us to our knees, calamity, climate change, confidence, conquerors, corrupt, Creator of the universe, deceitful, decision making, demeans, depressing, disobey God, disturbing, economic decline, Elohim, evil, faith, fallible, fear, filthy, foolish, foreshadow good things, forgives, frail, further your glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's protection, gospel truth, history repeats itself, holy spirit, human nature, humble servants, inroads, invincible, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, knowledge, lead and guide, lies, logical, LOVE, Lucifer, meet the enemy in battle, mercy, mind games, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, natural disasters, poverty, rejuvenation of spirit, remove God, renewed vitality, righteousness., ruminate, saviour jesus christ, scot free, seek God, serve a useful purpose, silly, sinfulness, slave for Massa, spiritual armour, stand strong and steadfast, steadfast faith, strife, strife-filled world, stupid, surrender, taunts, the children of men, the fool say in his heart, there is no god, troublesome times, truth, understand, understanding, ungodliness, ungodly world, weary souls, week of work, wiles, wisdom, wonder of wonders, workers of iniquity, Yahweh
Psalm 53:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
Alas friends and neighbours, it’s Monday; the day which begins the work week…
And I hear God’s people loudly declare ‘Glory Hallelujah that it’s Monday!’
And I have to shake my head to see if I’m dreaming… God’s people happy to see Monday roll around…? Wow!
A few moments later though, I realized that Lucifer was only playing mind games on me. Chuh!
What the people had actually shouted was: ‘Oh Lord, yuh mean is Monday already! Yuh mean ah got to go back and slave for massa again! When this every week work thing going to finish eh? Steups!’
And that’s a very good question friends. The answer to which is when you retire, get fired, quit the job, or die!
Now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn without further ado to boost our spirits as we face another worrisome week of work.
As one harmonious choir now. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh my brethren, that wasn’t so great nuh. You could read the displeasure in our choirmaster, Jesus’ serious eyes and face. But being the wonderful Deity that He is, He forgives us, because He knows our frail and fallible human nature. Now let’s go out there with that adrenaline perking in us and do His will despite our shortcomings.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.’
Oh my people, how sad are those statements eh? How can any sensible person even think that eh? Notice it’s in their hearts, the very seat of their decision making that that thought lies, is being generated.
Now some might say it out loud, while others might just think it and then act on that premise, by perverting the truth that God does exist. Consequently, they become corrupt and do abominable sins.
And we only have to look around our strife-filled world to see that that’s ever so true. Abomination and corruption are running rampant throughout our entire world, and that my friends cannot foreshadow good things for us and our descendants.
Now Psalm 53 is a slightly revised version of Psalm 14. According to the scholars: ‘Two major differences are apparent: this psalm substitutes the generic word for God, Elohim, for the personal name of God used in Psalm 14, Yahweh. This was done evidently to give the psalm a wider appeal. Second, verse 5 has been rewritten and has become an encouraging affirmation of God’s protection.’
And are we ever in need of anything that affirms and encourages us re God’s protection in these very trying and troublesome times! But above all my brethren, we are not to fear, because that just demeans and belittles our faith; faith that we need to help us stand strong and steadfast against the enemy and his deceitful declarations.
Now here how Bruh David continues the psalm nuh. ‘God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.’ (Ps.53:2)
And wonder of wonders, what did He discover? ‘Every one of them is gone back (have turned aside): they are altogether become filthy (corrupt); there is none that doeth good, no, not one.’ (Ps.53:3)
Now how do you think God felt when He saw such sinfulness and ungodliness in the world back then eh? And how does He feel now, when He performs the same exercise and gets the same basic answer eh?
Obviously not very pleased or encouraged! No wonder He asks: ‘Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.’ (Ps.53:4)
But why would that surprise Him eh, when we’re still like Jeremiah said on His behalf so long ago. ‘For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish (stupid or silly) children, and they have none (no) understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.’ (Jer.4:22)
And isn’t it amazing, but depressing and disturbing that so many truths from the Old Testament are still true today. Steups! Obviously we have not learned that we cannot continually disobey God and get away with it scot free.
The calamity which befell so many other great societies who disobeyed and turned away from Jehovah God obviously doesn’t mean anything to us. But friends, the saying that history repeats itself is very true, and we are currently in great disobeying mode, and if we continue thus, we will feel the Lord’s hand upon us, and it won’t be very good. I can guarantee us that.
Who knows if we aren’t already feeling it, through the many unusual natural disasters, that are blamed on climate change, plus the economic decline and ever increasing poverty and strife that’s now battering our world.
Hn! I have to sadly chuckle here yes friends, because in all reality the Lord doesn’t have to do anything to bring us to our knees nuh, we are already doing it to ourselves, beginning with our insistence to remove God from the very bowels of our society.
And we’ll stop there for today, because I don’t want to give us too much to ruminate upon. (smile) But please friends, do ruminate on what we have spoken about today, and let each of us see, of course with God’s help, how we can better our lives, and thus our quickly deteriorating world. For that’s wisdom of immense proportions! Much LOVE!
…if God made us and everything else that exists…how can we hope to survive without His help eh…that doesn’t sound logical at all…
21 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Inspirational Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a rollicking time, analogy, Anselm, as the heaven is as high above the earth, attributes, basic objective, believing is seeing, bless the Lord, blessings, catalyst, children's children, Christ's realm, compassion, edifying, Emotional Quotient, encouraging, EQ, everlasting, faith, fellowship, focused on God, forgiveness, free choice, friendships, generations, glory and honour to God, glory hallelujah, grace, grass, home away from home, hope, Hours of Power Devotional, Intelligence Quotient, IQ, Jesus Christ, joy, life, likeness of Christ, LOVE, loving kindness, memories, mercy, no place like Home, obedient to God's will, Radisson Hotel, relationships, righteousness., Sea Breeze, seeing is believing, so great is his mercy, Thanks be to God, to them that fear him, Tobago, truth, understanding, wander away from God, wisdom
Psalm 103:11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.
Once again friends and neighbours, on this bright and beautiful Sunday morning, I’m coming to you from my little cottage by the sea in sweet Tobago, aptly called ‘Sea Breeze.’ (smile)
Got back here late last night. And is it ever so good to be back home in Tobago again! As they say, there’s no place like home. And this is my home away from home right now.
Anyway, this morning I’m bringing words of LOVE, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, understanding, grace, and blessings from our heavenly Father; all the attributes of which He is the Supreme Possessor and Giver.
And all God’s people declared loudly: ‘Thanks be to God, who gives us generously of all His attributes!’ And we all know that as gospel truth friends!
Now I’ve got a lot to share today, so let’s begin right away with this quote from our friend Anselm, who delights in inspiring us to live a better tomorrow. And this rather appropriate quote tells us that: ‘Believing is seeing. You gotta believe something will happen for you before you see it. Have faith in the process of getting there.’
And that’s ever so true my people! In Christ’s realm, you have to believe it before you see it. With Christ, believing is seeing, not like the world thinks, that seeing is believing. That’s where those two great attributes, hope and faith come in; for without them we can’t believe without seeing.
And to help us along in that regard, Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from his Hours of Power Devotional tells us about our EQ as opposed to our IQ.
Now our IQ or Intelligence Quotient is naturally related to our intelligence. However, our EQ or Emotional Quotient is related to our hope and faith. Gramps defines a high EQ as ‘a heart that has strong faith, unquenchable hope, and passionate LOVE.’
Glory Hallelujah! Oh how I wish that all God’s children were blessed with such a high EQ! Unfortunately though, we’re not, but fortunately it is indeed possible and very necessary that we build up that high EQ. And that is all a part of what out Bit is about; trying to keep us focused on God, His Word and His plan for our lives.
Now remember though, that the Bit IS NOT sufficient reading and studying material for a child of God. It is a useful catalyst, but we all need to get deeply involved in the Word and fellowship with other believers on our own. That’s the only way we’ll ever truly grow to a likeness of Christ, achieve a high EQ, which is our basic objective.
Now I haven’t kept you all up to date on my recent activities, sorry about that, (smile) but I can only write what the Lord directs me to write. And thankfully He’s given me some room for that today.
Well you all know that I was in Trinidad for the last few days. You also know I went to the Southland by water taxi and had a great time.
On Friday evening we also had a rollicking time as some friends and family gathered with me in the lobby bar area of the Radisson Hotel where I was staying. The hotel has a happy hour every Friday evening from 5 to 7, but our happy hour lasted from about six to eleven. Hn, Hn!
We laughed and talked and drank and munched some chicken wings the hotel provided, shared old memories and made some new ones that we can share at a later date. Glory to God!
I saw a couple of friends whom I hadn’t seen since I left the UWI Mona campus in Jamaica in 1969. Brother! That’s something like 45 years. But what I like about these old friendships is that though we don’t see each other often, when we meet, it’s just like we saw each other yesterday, we pick up from right where we left off. That is what true friendships and relationships are all about!
Enough about my activities though. I’ll leave yesterday’s activities for tomorrow though, because it was truly an eye opener for me, and will take up too much time and space.
So let’s get to our oh so wonderful, encouraging and edifying Bit. ‘For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.’
Yes Friends what a wonderful analogy to show how great God’s mercy is towards those of us who revere and worship Him – as high as the heaven is above the earth! Wow! That’s pretty high! So just imagine how much LOVING-kindness He has stored up and pours down on us nuh.
And all I can say in response is: ‘All glory and honour be to our magnificent and magnanimous God who is so interested in our welfare, in every aspect of our lives!’
The problem here though is that many of us have a problem in truly believing that Almighty God, that great entity on high, can be interested in our plain and simple, lowly and mundane lives. But my people, He truly does. He made us and has a big stake in everything that happens in our earthly sojourn.
Listen to how Bruh David continues in Psalm 103, from which our Bit is taken. ‘As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it (remember it) no more.
But the mercy (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (revere) him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.’ (Ps.103:15-17)
Ah mih breddren, our God’s mercy spans time from whenever it began to whenever it ends, if ever, and is available to all generations during that time. What more can we ask eh? Not a whole lot, except His guidance and strength to keep on LOVING Him and being obedient to His holy will, so that we can keep on enjoying His (LOVING-kindness.)
Yes friends, it is somewhat of a conundrum; we have to LOVE and obey God, but at the same time we do need His strength, wisdom and guidance to do it. Yuh see how we’re inextricably tied up with our Creator!
And we’ll end with these wise words from Bruh David. ‘Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers (servants) of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps.103:21-22)
Now that’s wisdom for all the ages! Much LOVE!
…yes…we do have free choice…but to wander away from God…means we’re not using that free choice wisely…
03 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to your faith, blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, blessings, breath of life, confidence, faith, fellowship, friends, glory hallelujah, good, goodness, gospel truth, Guide, happy in Jesus, holy spirit, I'm not focusing on the past, Jesus Christ, joy, lack, LOVE, lusts of the flesh, mercy, Micah, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, Nahum, obey, promise, resolution, reverence, righteousness., surrender, to a glorious future with Jesus, trials and tribulations, trust, truth, we walk by faith not by sight, Wednesday Wail, wine roses and song, wisdom
Psalm 40:4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Oh friends, can you believe it’s already the third day of February? How come eh? And it just started a couple days ago… (smile)
Yes mih breddren, time is not waiting on us, and it just seems to be flying by faster and faster. We just celebrated New Years, now we’re about to celebrate Valentine’s day. Hn!
And talking about New Year’s, now is as good a time as any to check and see how we’re doing with our New Year’s resolution, that of following Jesus more closely than we did before. I do hope that we have not already forgotten about it, otherwise our lives will not improve.
And the good thing about that resolution is that when we fulfil it, everything comes together for good in our lives. We don’t have to worry and be anxious for anything, for as we saw yesterday in Jesus’ words, when we seek His righteousness, then all that we need will be provided by our heavenly Father.
What a wonderful promise my people! Please let’s take it to heart and truly begin to seek the righteousness of God, so that we can be blessed nuh.
Anyway, it’s Wednesday, which means we need to declare our Wednesday Wail. So let’s wail nuh friends, with sincerity, truth and feeling! As one 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!’
Oh my people, I definitely do appreciate the breath of life that’s flowing through me this morning! And how could I not, as I look out at the waves of the sea rolling in to shore and admire the beauty of the land that surrounds me?
Plus, I am feeling somewhat healthier than when I got here a week ago…Steups! A week’s gone by already! Chuh! The time’s definitely flying by too fast for my liking yes! And I hear the North Country is having almost summer like temps…good for you!
And having declared our Wednesday Wail, please my people, let’s keep looking forward nuh, focusing on Jesus, and the glorious future He has planned for all those who sincerely seek Him. As His supposed followers, that is what we’re expected to do.
Unfortunately though, many of us, for one reason or another, are not doing such a good job of it. And I believe that most of our doubts, fears, anxieties and lust for the things of the world stem from a basic lack of true trust in our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
For if He says to seek Him first and everything we need will be granted to us, the only reason I can come up with for us not doing so, is that we don’t truly believe or trust Him.
And even before Jesus came to earth, His kinsman, Bruh David enthusiastically voiced it in our Bit. ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’
Oh friends, I don’t see how much simpler or straightforward God’s word can be nuh! All we need to do is surrender our lives to His plans for them, and all will be right with us.
One of the problems I suspect is that when we surrender, we expect to live a life of simply wine, roses and song. And when we don’t, when we experience trials and tribulations instead, we lose the enthusiasm for God and revert back to the ugliness, lustfulness and ungodliness of the world.
But I remind us friends, that Jesus said we would indeed suffer, have trials and tribulations, from just believing in Him. But as true believers, we were to be of good cheer, stay strong and purposeful, because He had already overcome the world. (John 16:33)
Now there again is where the element of trust comes in. If you don’t trust, then most likely you won’t believe, and vice versa. But that’s what required of us. As Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ (2 Cor.5:7) Yeh friends, in Jesus’ realm, you have to believe it before you see it, while the world only believes after they see it.
Remember what Jesus told the two blind men when He healed them? ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’ (Matt.9:29) And that’s the gospel truth friends! According to the level of our faith and consequently trust, that’s how our lives will unfold. The greater the faith and trust, the more blessed we’ll be.
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that reinforce our Bit, beginning with this verse from Psalm 34 – The Lord heareth the righteous. Bruh David boldly and truthfully proclaims: ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him.’ (Ps.34:8-9)
There again we have it; trust and reverence will cause NO lack!
Now listen to Micah, the prophet of olden times. ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.’ (Mic.7:5)
Now that might be taking it a bit far, because we do have to have some measure of trust in our close friends and spouses, but by the same token we need to keep some things close to our chests and only reveal to God; the ONLY ONE we can fully trust.
And we’ll end with the words of another old time prophet, Nahum, who righty and truthfully declares: ‘The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.’ (Nah.1:7)
And that’s indisputable truth friends! So please, let’s go out today, walking in the Lord’s goodness and mercy, because He knows that we sincerely revere and trust Him. Much LOVE!
…trust and obey…for there’s no better way…to be happy in Jesus…than to trust and obey…
02 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: beloved of God, Blessed is the man who trusts in God, blessings, circumstances, comprehend, deceitful, ever-faithful God, evil, evil minions, faith, following God, friend of Jesus, friends, glory hallelujah, God's Word, gospel truth, he heard my cry, holy spirit, however you make up your bed, human minds, I waited patiently, Jesus Christ, Lord God of Abraham, LOVE, Lucifer, Mammon, miracle-working God, more thrilling than you can dream, no lie, no man can serve two masters, possessions, proud, put a new song in my mouth, respects not the proud, righteousness., Ruth Harms Calkin, set my feet upon a rock, such as turn aside to lies, The Lord's timing, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, time for God, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly world, wealth, wisdom, you can't serve God and mammon
Psalm 40:4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Oh friends, this Tuesday morning we’re going to begin with a simple but oh so true statement from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This statement begins the February writings.
And all it says is that ‘Following God is something far more thrilling than anyone has dared to dream.’
And that’s the undisputable truth my brethren, because truly following God brings about things and circumstances in our lives that our finite human minds can’t even begin to comprehend much less imagine.
And I can vouch for that, since some of the things that have happened in my life over the last few years, as I try to live right and obey the Word, have surely blown my mind.
Some unexplainable things have happened that left me wondering why, and it’s only later on when other circumstances came into play that I realized their importance and how the Lord had situated me to be able to handle those unforeseen circumstances.
Oh friends, our God is indeed a great miracle working and faithful God, and He will not let the faithful suffer more than is necessary.
As Bruh David exclaimed in Psalm 40 from which our Bit is taken. ‘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.’ (Ps.40:1-2)
Oh yes my fellow believers, once we cry out unto our ever-faithful God with a true sense of purpose and righteousness, He will hear and heed our cry! Not necessarily in our time, but in His.
And remember our great God is never late! He might be a bit tardy in our estimation, but He ALWAYS saves the day, for His timing is perfect!
Now He did not only bring Bruh David up out of the miry clay pit, but listen: ‘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.’ (Ps.40:3)
Oh glory to God my people! When our God looks after us, He also puts new songs of praise in our hearts and mouths that cause the heathen to see and fear and eventually believe in and trust in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Now that is how Christ’s LOVE Revolution has been planned to take over the world; by the righteous lives and godly actions of His followers! So why does Lucifer and his evil minions have the upper hand right now eh?
Simply because we are not doing our job, our duty to set a proper example for the heathen and the unbelievers. We are too taken up with our fleshly lusts and the ungodly things of the world. But friends, our Bit spells it out for us in spades: ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’
Yes my people, we cannot do the Lord’s work properly unless we stop admiring the proud and deceitful in our sinful society and begin truly trusting in our wonderful God! It’s just not possible to do both at the same time, because they are as different as night and day.
Remember what Jesus said: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt.6:24)
And isn’t that the gospel truth! And the scholars have this wonderful explanation of that oh so important verse. ‘6:24. This kind of spiritual double vision causes one to believe he can serve two masters. Total loyalty to God cannot be divided between Him and loyalty to one’s material possessions. A master (Gr. kurios) is a lord or an owner.
That God claims total lordship over His own is obvious in this passage. Therefore, Jesus rightly proclaimed, Ye cannot serve God and mammon. The term mammon is derived from the Aramaic term for possessions or wealth. Jesus is not condemning money or possessions in and of themselves, but the improper attitude of enslavement toward wealth.’
And sadly my fellow believers that is exactly what we do! We live our lives enslaved to the getting of wealth and earthly possessions, even to the extent that we are not able to enjoy either the wealth or the possessions because we are always seeking to increase them both.
So if we don’t even have time to enjoy the things we are killing ourselves to get, how can we ever have time for God eh? We also need to remember these words of Jesus, this awesome promise. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
What part of that don’t we understand eh mih breddren? If we aren’t following and believing Jesus’ words, then it’s obvious that our trust in Almighty God is not up to scratch!
Oh, there’s not much more I can say nuh mih people. I can only bring the truth of God’s Word to you, each individual has to decide how they will live their own lives, serving either God or mammon.
And since it’s Tuesday, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, or the prayer of the Beloved.
Altogether, sincerely 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.’
Glory to God my people! Now let’s go out and live those words nuh, because they are indeed the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…as the old people were wont to say…however you make up your bed…that is how you’ll have to sleep on it…and that’s no lie…
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