25 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: angel Gabriel, annals of history, bad, Bethlehem, birth of our Saviour, blessed, carpenter's family, Christ the Lord, Christmas, conspiracy, Counselor, Everlasting Father, favour, fear not, fellow believers, forgiving, Galilee, glorious night, glory hallelujah, good, good tidings, gospel, grateful appreciation, great joy, hail, Hark the herald angels, heavenly hosts, heavenly song, highly favoured, Holy Ghost, House of David, immaculate conception, Immanuel, incarnate son of god, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, Joseph, Judea, judge, judgement, justice, king, lawgiver, light and life, LOVE, Luke, magnanimous, manger, mankind, Mary, memorable moment, merciful, mercy, Messiah, mighty god, momentous, Nazareth, newborn king, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, peace on earth, ponder, praising God, prince of peace, promise, pronouncement, reason for the season, reconciliation, rejoicing, righteousness., salvation, saviour, second birth, shepherds, sign, singing, son of god, Son of the Highest, throne of David, uproar, virgin, Wonderful, zeal of the Lord
Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, he will save us.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
And the congregation raised their voices in heavenly song: ‘Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King. Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconcile. Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With the angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem. Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn king.’
Yes my beautiful fellow believers, on this awesome day, some two thousand years ago, our King, Jesus Christ was born! And all God’s people gave a mighty and grateful shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
What a momentous and memorable moment that was in the annals of history! So momentous, that since then it’s been creating an unbelievable uproar amongst mankind; some bad, but most of it good.
No wonder the prophet Isaiah lustily declared centuries before, in our Bit: ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, he will save us.’
And today we’ll bypass the ‘lawgiver’ aspect of our God, and instead scan the Good Book for appropriate scriptures that proclaim Him as ‘our king, he will save us.’
And what better place to begin than with the everlasting promise of God’s mercy and salvation. Hear Isaiah tell it as it is: ‘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 the zeal of the Lord did perform it my brethren! As all the other promises of our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, magnanimous, merciful, and forgiving God, this came to pass on that fateful Christmas night two millennia ago, when the holy, sinless, incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ, was born to a poor carpenter’s family in Bethlehem of Judea.
But yuh know what Friends, even before that magnificent pronouncement, previous to an Assyrian invasion of Israel, Isaiah had specified the way that our King, our Messiah, would be born. ‘Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us).’ (Is.7:14.)
And did this all come about? OF COURSE! The gospel of Luke tells us that ‘the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused (betrothed, engaged) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail (Rejoice), thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him she was troubled at his saying, and cast (considered) in her mind what manner of salutation (greeting) this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus (Yahweh Is Salvation).
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (Most High): and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (Most High) shall over-shadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (one) which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.’ (Luke 1:26-35)
And so it was said…and so was it done! We all know the story of how Joseph was told about the immaculate conception in a dream and went on to marry Mary, and how they went up to Bethlehem to register for a census and how Jesus was born that night in a stable, because there was no room in the inn for them.
And what a glorious night that was my brethren in ole Bethlehem, for all the heavenly host of angels were singing and rejoicing over the birth of our Saviour, and joyfully declared to the shepherds who were out watching their flocks: ‘Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger (feed trough). And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ (Luke 2:10-14)
Ah mih people how mighty and faithful is our God! For all that was prophesied centuries before came together on that first Christmas night to begin the process of our salvation, of our reconciliation to the heavenly Father, through the birth, life, and sacrificial death of His Son Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead on the third day, having defeated the hosts of Hades, to claim His rightful throne, His rightful kingdom, both here on earth and in heaven above. A kingdom that shall NEVER END!
So let’s go home singing His praises nuh. ‘Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in his wings. Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth. Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King.’
Great and faithful is our God my people, so please, in grateful appreciation, let’s spend some time today pondering on the mighty promises He made, and oh so faithfully fulfilled. That’s the true reason for this exciting Christmas season. Much LOVE!
…blessed is the season…which engages the whole world…in a conspiracy of LOVE!… (Hamilton Wright Mabie – 1846-1916 – American essayist editor, critic, lecturer)
21 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ability, Abraham, admissible evidence, assurance, Athens, authority, balancing act, being fearful, black and white, blatant, boggles the imagination, boldfaced, Bruh Paul, brutality, calamitous state, called to account, Christian, Christmas, confidence, conscience, consitent, corruption, crime, crimes against humanity, culprits, destruction, disobedient, economics, emotional, evil, followers, God-given responsibility, Godhead, good, greed, help, homelessness, hunger, ignorance, incompetence, Jesus, judged, judgement, judgement day, justice, justice of God, letting voices be heard, life, light of the world, loss of jobs, LOVE, marginalization, Mars Hill, mental, mercy, military presence, needy, newspapers, obedient, offspring of God, ordained, parable, pay heed, petty excuses, physcial tiredness, piddling wages, plead, police, politics, poor getting poorer, poverty, prayer, public protests, raised from the dead, relationships, resistance, retribution, rich getting richer, righteousness., rule the roost, rumours of war, salt of the earth, secret thing, selfishness, serious action, Sodom, sorry picture, standards, standing up to wrongdoers, step up to the plate, strife, talents, technological prowess, throw the book, under a bushel, understanding, ungodly, unhappiness, unknown God, walk earhtly paths, wars, wisdom, wrongdoings
Ecclesiastes 12:14. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s tired and unhappy this Saturday morning before Christmas. It’s not physical tiredness nuh, but mental and emotional unhappiness. But it’s all my fault, for I fell behind in my newspaper reading this week, then unwisely tried to catch up on several days reading, all at once. From now on though, I’m going to try my best to stay current, because the news from one day is bearable, but for several…no way Jose!
And what a sorry picture it all painted. We start of with wars and rumours of war, strife in almost every area. Then we have economic and political incompetence and corruption all over the world. And not only that, but the boldfaced and blatant manner in which these crimes against humanity are being carried out, boggles the imagination, especially when very little, if any retribution is being meted out to the culprits.
At least in earlier times we had the good sense to hide our wrong-doings, but not today. Today the greed and selfishness is all out in the open, nobody seems to have a conscience anymore. And in the balancing act that’s life, it only means that the rich are noticeably getting richer, while the poor are not only getting poorer, but also that their numbers are daily increasing at an alarming rate, what with the great loss of jobs and the piddling wages most of the remaining ones now pay.
And since there’s only one pie to be split up amongst several groups, if one group unilaterally increases their portion, then obviously all the others will have theirs curtailed. And consequently, we end up with astronomical rates of marginalization, abject poverty, homelessness, hunger, escalating crime and public protests, more police and military presence and brutality, etc. etc. And who would ever have expected such a calamitous state in a world that is at the height of its technological prowess eh?
Ah mih people, when and where will it all end eh? I guess the Lord alone knows. But we, His people down here on earth also have a serious, God-given responsibility to help, to do our best not to let matters deteriorate any further. And we can only do this by taking serious action; a combination of prayer, letting our voices be heard publicly, standing up to the wrongdoers, and helping those in need.
That’s what Jesus did, and what He fully expects of anyone who calls him or herself a Christian. But there again my fellow believers, we’re not truly living up to the standards that Jesus desires of His followers, and are allowing the ungodly to rule the roost without much resistance. But Friends, please, let’s listen to, and pay serious heed to the words of our Bit. ‘For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’
Yes my brethren, all our actions will be judged. And when the Lord asks us why we didn’t do better with the talents He gave us like the servants in Jesus’ parable, (Matt.18:23-35) what are we going to tell Him eh? Remember too that ignorance will not be admissible evidence. So it’s full time, or rather overdue time that we get our act together and do something concrete for the world, instead of making petty excuses and being fearful, or being selfish and greedy like the world around us.
Remember we’re supposed to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, but it seems that in fits of anxiety we’re hiding our lights under a bushel and the salt in us has become seriously diminished and thus useless. But Friends, we need to step up to the plate like so many others have done before us, and we’ll use this example of Bruh Paul in our Bit, as he stood up on Mars hill in Athens, explaining to its citizens about the altar they had erected with the inscription; ‘TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.’ (Acts 17:23)
‘Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead (Divine Nature) is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven (shaped) by art and man’s device (devising). And the times of this ignorance God winked at (overlooked); but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; wherefore he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.’ (Acts 17:29-31)
And we’ll close with some notes from the scholars’ re the Justice of God. ’17:31. The justice of God is the active extension of the holiness of God into matters of decision. It implies that God has the authority and ability to establish the standard for all relationships and that He will be consistent in relating to His obedient and disobedient creatures. The justice of God is both legislative and distributive.
Illustration: When Abraham attempted to prevent the destruction of Sodom, he appealed to God’s justice: he knew that the Judge of all the earth would do right (Gen.18:25). Application: So today, everyone can have confidence that God will deal with him justly, but the believer may additionally plead God’s mercy. (First Ref. Gen.3:14; Primary Ref. Acts 17:31; cf. Mark 10:18)’
There we have it Friends, in black and white! Now we can’t say we didn’t know, and anyway, as we said above, ignorance will not stand as a plausible plea on judgement day. Therefore let’s come together, TODAY, and clean up our acts, so that the just judge, on judgement day, will not have to throw the book at us. Much LOVE my people!
…and may the Lord grant us wisdom and understanding…to walk earthly paths…that will not bring harsh judgement…when He calls us to account…
20 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: actions, admonish, advice to the young, alive and kicking, awesome truth, bad, balancing act, Bruh Paul, care, cheer, childhood, choices, church at Corinth, consequences, controlling factor, dangerous day, dark days, deceitful conception, decisions, enjoyment, every work, evil, excuses, expectantly, eyes, fear of repercussions, fellowship, firmly grounded, flesh, followers, forearmed, forewarned, freezing rain, Friday chant, fun, futility, generous help, gladness, glorious kingdom, God is judge, God's judgement, good, heart, hedonistic sense, hidden things of darkness, impulses, in faith, jesus name, jobs, joy, judgement, judgement day, justified, life, lifetimes, live it out, LOVE, magnanimous god, magnificent, mighty, motives, perspective, praise of God, prayer, precipitation, prime of life, propagated by evildooers, prosper, real judgement, refreshed in soul, rejoice, relaxation, renewed, rest, reveal, righteousness., secret thing, Selah, self-indulgence, sight, snow, sorrow, sow diligently, straight and narrow, struggle, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanks, the Preacher, the world's our oyster, total commitment, trial, umbrella, vanity, vexation, warning, ways, week of work, weekend, words, wrong, youth
Ecclesiastes 12:14. For God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
And then it was Friday – a wintry Friday! There’s already some precipitation on the ground in my area – not much, but precipitation nonetheless. And who knows what’s going to follow eh; snow or freezing rain, or a combination of both? Anyhow we cut it, if the weather people are right, today’s going to be a dangerous day.
So please people, let’s all take very good care as we go about our business outside, for the weather conditions will not be ideal… Hn! And we don’t want any accidents or misfortunes just before Christmas. So if you don’t HAVE to go out, then DON’T GO OUT! Words of true wisdom Friends. (smile)
I also noticed that the weather warning somewhat dampened our usually glorious shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But with prayer and care, we ought to make it safely through another winter’s day.
And to top it all off, let’s chant out Friday chant, with joy and gladness, simply because we’re alive and kicking, have jobs to go to, and live under the umbrella of a mighty, magnificent and magnanimous God!
So my brethren, let’s 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.’
Now let’s get that perspective firmly grounded in our beings, so that we can live it out over the weekend. And do we ever need stuff like that to keep us on the straight and narrow, especially when we have a Bit like today’s: ‘For God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’
Yeh mih people, all our words and actions WILL indeed be judged on the big day! But as the saying goes; to be forewarned is to be forearmed. So now that we know what’s going to eventually happen, we have no excuses for making bad, or wrong, or evil decisions and choices.
Yesterday we saw the Preacher telling us to sow diligently in the mornings, then in the evenings, hold out our hands expectantly, in faith, because we don’t know which seed that we planted will prosper. But then again, in our rejoicing, we also have to pay attention to the many dark days of trial and struggle that will surely come during our lifetimes. It’s a fine balancing act my brethren! That’s what life is.
Now hear this wise advice from the preacher to the young. Oh if many of us had heard it when we were young!
‘Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways (impulses) of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes (as you see to be best): but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement. Therefore remove sorrow (vexation) from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth (prime of life) are vanity.’ (Eccl.11:9-10)
And isn’t that the awesome truth my people! When we are young, we feel the world’s our oyster, and we can do whatever we want to, without fear of repercussions or consequences. But that’s a deceitful conception, propagated by evildoers, for as we are seeing, God will one day judge all that we ever did here on planet earth.
And please note the scholars’ take on the situation. ‘Once again the exhortation to enjoyment is put in the imperative mood. Here the appeal is particularly addressed to the youth to admonish him to enjoy life before the onset of the feeble years described in 12:1-7.
Verse 9 can hardly be taken in a hedonistic sense, because the controlling factor in the youth’s enjoyment is said to be God’s judgement. Rather, it is a warning against a life misspent in self-indulgence.’
Oh Friends, the sooner we learn these lessons, the better off we’ll all be! For yesterday we saw Jesus declare the truth of the judgement day. (Matt.12:35-37) Now listen to Bruh Paul in his first missive to the church at Corinth, talking about real judgement.
‘For I know nothing by (against) myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest (reveal) the counsels (motives) of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.’ (1 Cor.4:4-5)
Ah mih people, more words of divine truth, which will do us a lot of good to hear and inwardly digest!
And here’s an interesting note from the scholars’. ‘4:4. I know nothing by myself (lit. “I know nothing against myself”). This sort of total commitment gave Paul the authority to make such a statement as “be ye followers of me” (cf. 1 Cor.4:16; 11:1).’
Yes Friends, let’s be followers of Bruh Paul nuh, as he was a follower of Jesus! We certainly can’t go wrong if we follow his example. Much LOVE!
…and the heavens shall declare his righteousness…for God is JUDGE himself… Selah (Ps.50:6)
07 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: absentee father, absolute truth, acquire, anxiety, apartheid, apartheid South Africa, better future, challenges, characteristic priority, clothes, constant seeking, continual, Cousin Sol, Creator, daily needs, disciples, divine advice, divine help, don't worry, drink, eat, evil, father of freedom, fear, flowers, food, friends, gospel truth, guides, heavenly Father, history books of life, hope, hypothethical problems, idols, impatience, incarceration, Jesus Christ, kingdom, lack of faith, Leaders, life, little faith, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, magnanimous god, masthead, material things, meat, mortal fathers, mourn, need, Nelson Mandela, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, phoenix, pledged allegiance, ponder, poverty, pratfalls, problems, provides, racial injustice, racist, raiment, righteousness., safe, secure, seek, Sermon on the Mount, serve, set on high, snare, Son of Africa, South Africa, spiritual, statesman, straightforward talking, stress, struggle, Sunday best, the kingdom of God, things, things of the world, tomorrow, trap, trouble, troubles, true followers, trust, unsupportive, wear, wisdom, worship
Matthew 6:25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothes)?
Oh Friends, at last Nelson Mandela, ‘the Son of Africa, father of freedom’ as the newspaper termed him, has gone home to be with his Maker. His early days on earth were filled with poverty and struggle in a racist, apartheid South Africa, then his middle years with lonely incarceration on a barren island, from which though he arose like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes to lead his nation to democracy.
And although his last days on earth were filled with sickness and family dissension, he will always be remembered as a giant of a man in personality and decency, whom the whole world gathered around to fight poverty and racial injustice.
Oh my people, if our troubled world only had a few more decent, upstanding leaders like him, then it would be a much better place to dwell. And though his country, South Africa is still riddled with problems, his name will always stand at its masthead as being the one who finally set it on the right path.
Nelson Mandela, you will always be remembered as a statesman extraordinaire. We mourn your passing, but it was time for you to rest from the problems of this world, to finally go home.
We LOVE you, and will always think fondly of you, as we write your name indelibly in the history books of life. And that’s as it should be Friends, because he gave people hope for a better future. Wish the same could be said of the leaders who remain.
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food) and the body more than raiment (clothes)?’
Gospel truth my brethren! As Jesus proved to us yesterday, showing how nature is taken care of by our wonderful Creator, with the flowers of the fields even better dressed than Cousin Sol in his Sunday best. And since we’re much more important than they are, why wouldn’t He look after us in an even better manner eh?
Jesus then ended by pointing out that our problem stemmed from a lack of, or only a small amount of faith in our heavenly Father. (Matt.6;26-30) And we know if Jesus said that, then it must be true.
Today we’ll continue with Jesus’ discourse on the subject, where He sincerely advises us: ‘Therefore take no thought (do not worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.’ (Matt.6:31-32)
And Friends, if the God that we serve and worship is truly our Creator, then we shouldn’t need Jesus to tell us that. We claim that He’s omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, can do anything at all, and above all else, WE ARE His children. So what are we saying then when we don’t depend on Him, that He’s an absentee, unsupportive father, like so many of us mortal fathers?
It would seem so, by the way we try in our own strength, and that of our fellow man, to get the material things of life, idolizing them so much that we often suffer from debilitating stress and abnormal anxiety in our rush, our impatience, to acquire them. And though we know the pratfalls of running down material things, yet we still do it. That’s certainly not wisdom my people.
Now let’s hear the wise way as declared by Jesus. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Wow Friends! That’s more plain, simple and straightforward talking by our Lord and Saviour! Again, to be considered His true followers, we need to live by His dictates, which unfortunately too many of us aren’t doing, and thus we are experiencing all kinds of problems in our lives.
And now that we know why we’re experiencing so many problems, (smile) let’s smarten up and take His divine advice nuh. ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:34)
More words of absolute truth from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! When are going to listen to Him eh, to take Him seriously? When it’s too late? Oh my fellow believers, please let’s stop running down the material things of the world, especially if we can’t truly afford them and have to almost literally kill ourselves to get them!
Now let’s end with some thoughts form the scholars on those last two verses, perhaps something they say will get through to us. (smile) ‘6:33-34. This portion of the Sermon on the Mount is summarized by the statement seek ye first the kingdom of God. The disciples who have pledged their allegiance to the King must continue seeking the kingdom and its righteousness.
The present imperative form of the verb (Gr. zeteo) indicates a continual or constant seeking. The contrast between the spiritual and the material is again emphasized. The believer is to seek first the righteousness that is characteristic of God’s kingdom and then all these things (material things) shall be added to him. When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides.
We need not worry about tomorrow, for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (v.34). This means that each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.‘
So my people, having heard all the reasons for not worrying and truly depending on our magnanimous God to take care of our daily needs, let’s get serious and cut back on the worrying and running down the things of the world, for we can only use so much stuff at any one time, and even more exasperating is that we can’t take any of it with us.
Please, let’s ponder those words today, and ask God for His divine help. You know He will never say us nay. Much LOVE!
…the fear of man bringeth a snare (trap)…but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe …secure…set on high… (Prov.29:25)
04 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admonish, admonishment, adultery, all aspects, anointed, Bathsheba, Beelzebub, bitter fruit, blameless, blaspheme, blot out, broken spirit, Bruh David, burnt offerings, circumstances, cleanse, confess, confidence, confronted by sin, contrite heart, cried out to God, death, deny sin, depressed, despise, deterrent to willful sin, disrepute, distraught, emotions, enemies of the Lord, evil, fasted, fat of rams, forefather, forgive, forgiveness, forgiving Deity, God of truth and justice, God's only Son, gracious, house of the Lord, hurt, in thy sight, iniquity, integral part, Jesus, judge, justified, kinsman, life, listen, long and short of the story, loving kindness, lustful desire, merciful, mercy, mourning, necessary adjustments, obey, pain, pleas for help, practical application, prayer for cleansing, price to pay, promise, Psalm 51, punishment, remember our God, repentance, repented, righteousness., sacrifice, scot free, seed of sin, sin, Sin does not pay, sinful traps and snares, sinned abominably, situations, Solomon, sonner the better, sordid manner, sorrow, thanks and praise, tragic liaison, transgressions, tremendous price, ungodly behaviour, unrighteousness, walk with god, wonderful god, worshipped, wrongdoing
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh mih people, the Bit will most likely be late today since I had a late night, and the body wasn’t too thrilled about getting up in the early hours of the morning. (smile) But all thanks to our great and wonderful God, we’re finally here and motoring on. Please give Him some thanks and praise for that.
And today we’ll continue with Bruh David’s story, how his life changed for the worse because of that lustful desire he couldn’t control; sleeping with Bathsheba, and the sordid manner and great lengths he went to, to have her for his own.
However Friends, one of the most important things to notice in that story is that when confronted by his sin, Bruh David admitted it. ‘And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.’ (2 Sam.12:13)
Yuh see God’s reaction to Bruh David’s admission; life… not death, as he deserved. But he wasn’t going to get away easily. For Nathan continued: ‘Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.’ (2 Sam.12:14)
So mih breddren, though Bruh David was allowed to live and continue to reign as king, he didn’t get away scot free from punishment for his ungodly behaviour. In fact he ended up paying a tremendous price. Now here are the scholars’ take on those verses.
’12:13. David genuinely grieved and repented (cf. Ps.32:5; 51:3-14) However, the seed of sin was immediately to bear bitter fruit, for the child born of the adultery became grievously ill and died (vv.15-18).
12:14. David’s sin had brought the name of God into disrepute. Such knowledge ought to serve as a deterrent to willful sin on the part of believers (cf. 1 Tim.5:14; 6:1).’
Please read those references Friends, for they are quite informative. And we all know how Bruh David fasted and prayed and cast himself upon the earth during the child’s sickness, and refused to be comforted. His people were even afraid to tell him when the child died, figuring that he would become even more depressed and distraught.
But Bruh David sees them whispering and figures out that the child has died, and when they confirm it: ‘Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required (requested), they set bread before him, and he did eat.’ (2 Sam.12:20)
Ah Friends, in all of that sorrow, Bruh David still remembered His God, and the first thing he did after cleaning up himself was to go to His house and worship Him. In our times of sorrow we ought also to remember our God.
And please note too his logic when asked by his staff about his strange behaviour; sort of mourning when the child was alive and coming out of mourning when he died.
‘And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God, will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.’ (2 Sam.12:22-23)
The long and short of the story though my people, is that SIN DOES NOT PAY!
And though we will always receive forgiveness for our repentance, the Lord will usually require, or requite some punishment for our transgressions. And usually the sooner we own up to the wrongdoing, the better. The worse thing we can ever do is deny our transgressions.
That’s the beauty of Bruh David’s walk with God; though he sinned abominably, he came clean when confronted with it, and the Lord was merciful and magnanimous enough to not take away everything from him. In fact He even gave him another child from Bathsheba, Cousin Sol (Solomon), the richest and wisest king ever to sit on Israel’s throne, and in the end Bruh David was a kinsman, forefather of God’s only Son, Jesus.
And we’ll end with some passages from one of Bruh David’s greatest psalms, Psalm 51; A prayer for cleansing, something he wrote after His tragic liaison with Bathsheba.
‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified (be found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest…. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps.51:1-4, 15-17)
Oh Friends, that’s possibly another reason why the Lord LOVED Bruh David so much and kept blessing him. He never shied away or tried to hide his hurt, his pain, his sin and whatever emotions he was feeling at a particular time. He always cried out to the God of his fathers whether in a good or bad situation with thanks and pleas for help.
And that’s how the Lord wants it with us too, my people. We need to cry out to Him with praise, thanks and pleas for help under any and all circumstances, good, bad and/or indifferent, for the Lord wants to play an integral part in all aspects of our lives.
So let’s remember that, and don’t try to hide or run from Him, but come to Him with confidence with whatever is troubling us, for He has promised to cleanse and forgive us once we confess our wrongdoing. And He is ever-faithful to keep His promises.
But please remember too that there’s usually a price to pay for wrongdoing, for though our God is a great, merciful and forgiving Deity, He is also a God of truth and justice, and disobedience must be paid for if He is to retain His righteousness, as Bruh David notes in the psalm above, (vs.4).
That brings us to the end of this promise Friends. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Let’s hope we learned from it, especially from the practical application of it in Bruh David’s life, and will make the necessary adjustments to our own lives, so that we don’t fall into the same sinful traps and snares of Beelzebub.
For that will only further complicate our lives, bring God’s Word into disrepute and cause Him to admonish us. And if there’s one thing we can certainly do without is His admonishment. Much LOVE!
…to obey is better than sacrifice…and to hearken (listen)…than the fat of rams… (1 Sam.15:22b)
02 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, alive and kicking, aura of love, be wary, bow, Christ's death, clarion call, cleanse, confess, confidence, Creator of the universe, Cyber Monday, divine provision, earthly behaviour, enemy's taunts, energized, enthusiasm, eternal life, faithful, faithfulness, falter, famiies, forgiveness, friends, glorify, glorious kingdom, God's standard, gospel truth, grace, greedy merchants, Holy Name, holy spirit, human need, humble servants, immortal God, incentive, inroads, invincible, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, jobs, join the fray, judge, judicial standing, just, justice, justification, justified, lead and guide, lies, Lord and Saviour, loving kindness, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mortals, nature, obedience, Oh Lord God Almighty, on Jesus' behalf, praise, ransom, redemption, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteous God, righteousness., salvation, saviour, shop on-line, shop till you drop, sinful disposition, sinful souls, sing with joy, sins, snares and traps, steadfast faith, succumb to temptation, sure conquerors, the glory of God, ungodly world, unmerited favour, unrighteousness, useful purpose
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday…Cyber Monday! So jump and shout and get on your computers and start shopping on-line, as the greedy merchants would have you do! Shop until you drop!
Ah Lord eh! I hope you all realize though that I’m only being sarcastic, facetious and any other terms that are synonymous with those two. Steups! I have to shake my head in both wonder and disgust, for everyday we’re encouraged to buy more stuff.
And we come up with such foolish names; Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc. And the sad part is that they are all consolidated around some important holiday, which tends to suck the life and true meaning out of the holiday, so that it soon becomes a mere opportunity to spend what we don’t have, and buy what we often don’t need, thereby enriching the already rich.
But please remember Friends, that there’s an immortal and righteous God in heaven looking down on us mere mortals, who will eventually judge us on our earthly behaviour. So please let’s be wary, and don’t fall into the snares and traps of the ungodly world. For we’re only supposed to be IN the world, not OF it.
Anyhow, enough sermonizing from me, (smile) let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto, so that we can get energized to go out and face the evil world, and be strong enough to repel them.
As one loud clarion call now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes mih people, that ought to get our adrenalin flowing and give us the wherewithal to join the fray on Jesus’ behalf!
But just in case we unexpectedly falter and succumb to worldly temptations, it’s very important to know that relief is possible by following the guidelines of our Bit. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Now Friends, isn’t that a real powerful and heart-warming incentive to believe in Jehovah God? It surely is! For there’s no other supposed deity who displays such LOVING-kindness, and the ONLY ONE, who can do what He did, cause He’s alive and kicking, while all the others are dead and of no use.
We talk about His faithfulness, justice and forgiveness, all truthful facts. Bruh Paul hit the nail on the head when he declared: ‘For all have sinned and come (fallen) short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23) Sadly though my brethren, that sinful disposition has been bred into our very nature down through the ages.
The scholars reinforce this by saying: ‘3:23. For all have sinned: The human need and the divine provision are alike applied universally. Come short of the glory of God: Man can exceed his own standards but never, left to himself, can he attain to God’s standard of righteousness.’
And that’s gospel truth people! However my fellow believers, please listen carefully to what our wonderful God has done for us nuh. ‘Being justified freely (without any cost) by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.’ (Rom.3:24)
Now doesn’t that just make your hearts sing with joy my brethren? It surely ought to. And after listening to how the scholars explain it, I surely hope it does.
‘3:24. Being justified (Gr. dikaioumenoi) indicates being declared righteous. It signifies the believer’s judicial standing before God. Freely: There is no just cause in man to warrant justification. By his grace: Unmerited favour is bestowed through the redemption (release on payment of ransom). Christ’s death is the ransom. The sinner is released on the basis of the ransom having being paid.’
Yes Friends, we only have that marvellous, soul-saving opportunity to be set free from sin, because of the monumental ransom that Jesus paid. Without Jesus’ sacrificial gift of His sinless life, we would have been held in bondage to sin forever, with absolutely NO hope of escape.
But thanks to Jesus’ selflessness, we now have that opportunity to tell the lying, deceitful Lucifer, ‘Bye bye,’ and instead move on to live with Jesus through salvation, in eternal life. What a glorious God we serve and worship! Let’s keep that first and foremost in out thoughts please my fellow believers.
And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of ‘Thank You heavenly Father for sending Jesus to die for us. And thank You Jesus for being obedient to the Father even unto death, when You didn’t have to. We praise and glorify Your Holy Name and bow to You as our Lord and Saviour. Amen!’
Much much LOVE, my fellow believers in Christ!
…only the true Creator of the universe…could have done what He did…to save our sinful souls…
25 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anger, bombarded, Bruh David, buffeted, busy lives, chasten, chastisement, chosen people, death, displeasure, divine action, enthusiasm, everlasting wings, evildoers, faith, falter, friends, fury, gates of righteousness, Gentiles, glorious kingdom, heathen, heavenly hosts, hidden secrets, hinders communication, holy spirit, hope, hot displeasure, humble servants, hypocrisy, invincible, Israel, Jesus Christ, jobs, judgement, justice, lies, LOVE, mental strain, mercy, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, motives, Oh Lord God Almighty, pleas, Praise the Lord, pretence, pretext, protection, radiant countenance, rebuke, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, thanksgiving, the works of the Lord, trust, truth, understanding, ungodly world, useful purpose, wisdom, wrath
Psalm 38:1. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
And as that contentious day, Monday, dawned around the world, the rich voices of God’s people could be heard joyfully declaring: ‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday! Time to go back out amongst the evildoers and fight for Jesus!’
Ah mih Friends, I’m working here on the supposition that if we hear it often it enough, it will eventually sink into our souls through osmosis or some other divine action, (smile) and we’ll eventually come to believe it and act accordingly. For there’s nothing greater than hope in this life.
And now that I’ve woken up to the true reality of the situation, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto. As one great voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Great singing Friends! It sounded so heartfelt that all the heavenly hosts joined us. Now that certainly says something positive about our singing and the state of our hearts. Anyway, as you can see, we’re back with the same Bit as yesterday: ‘O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.’
That’s because yesterday I was guided to go through the whole psalm, when I had planned to quote some scriptures dealing with heartfelt pleas, healing and chastening. Well today we’re going to do that.
And to start us of, we’ll turn to the first verse of Psalm 6, A Prayer for mercy, where Bruh David opens thus: ‘O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.’ (Ps.6:1)
You’ll notice Friends that it’s almost exactly the same as our Bit, except instead of using ‘thy wrath, he uses ‘thine anger.’ But they convey the same meaning. So it seems that there were times when Bruh David felt that he deserved rebuke and pleads with God not to make it too harsh.
And I believe that consciousness of wrong doing, as well as his forthrightness to lay all his cards on the table before the Lord, without pretext or pretence, is what so endeared him to his Creator. There wasn’t the hypocrisy and such in his crying out that’s so prevalent today. Too many of us cry out to God for help, but with the wrong motives, or with hidden secrets, foolishly submerged, as though the Lord can’t see them.
That’s why we so often don’t receive any answers to our pleas. The important thing my brethren, is that when we cry out to God for help, we must come clean with Him, don’t hold back anything, because that hinders communication with our Maker.
Now the next scripture I want to draw to our attention comes from Psalm 118; Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Salvation. The psalmist boldly proclaims: ‘The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened me sore (severely): but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord.’ (Ps.118:16-19)
Yes Friends, let’s be extremely thankful that our Lord’s nature is to have mercy, otherwise most of us would exit this life much sooner than we planned. And note too the psalmist’s reaction to God’s mercy; a greater awareness and dedication to righteousness and praise.
And we’ll end with this quote from the prophet Jeremiah, as he soulfully declares: ‘O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgement (justice); not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen (Gentiles) that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob (Israel), and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.’ (Jer.10:23-25)
Ah mih people Jeremiah was surely giving it all he had, for He knew the intensity of God’s wrath if it ever fell completely upon His chosen people Israel. As the scholar’s put it: ’10:24-25. Jeremiah surrenders to God’s program of judgement but asks that the necessary chastisement not be carried out severely (cf. 46:28; Hab.3:2).’
And so should we likewise surrender my people, with the sincere aim of coming up higher in His estimation, so there won’t be as much chastening. Till tomorrow then, when, provided the Lord’s in favour, we’ll continue this topic, because I have more scriptures to share, but in the interest of our mental strain and busy lives, I won’t share them all today. (smile)
So till we meet again, may the Lord bless us and keep us safely under the protection of His everlasting wings, cause His radiant countenance to shine upon us, give us His wonderful peace, wisdom and understanding, for therein lies our reason to be. Much LOVE!
…when we falter…we should not be surprised by God’s chastening…
23 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admonition, almighty god, anxious, barren woman, best advice, blessed be the Lord's name, blessings, Daniel, darkness, deep and secret things, dilemma, dreams and visions, faith, fearful, forgiving, friends, God's mercies, going down of the moon, greatly to be praised, greatness of the Lord, help, his glory above the heavens, hope, house of god, humbles himself, in a rut, Israel, Jacob, Jesus, kicking a dead horse, knowledge, lead, light, LOVE, mental juices not flowing, merciful, might, mother of children, mysterious ways, Nebuchadnezzar's dream, needy, omnipotent, poor, portent, praise, praise His name, Praise the Lord, Praise ye the Lord, prayer, princes, promises of Abraham, righteousness., rising of the moon, rough times, seasons, seek something new, Sermon on the Mount, servants of god, servants of the lord, sing Hallelujah, struggles, sufficient, surrender, sustain in times of need, take it to heart, thanks, the kingdom of God, The Lord is good, The Lord's high above all nations, The Lord's name is great, the Lord's never let me down, the rising of the sun, things in heaven and earth, things of God, things of the world, times, to the going down of the sun, trouble, trust, truth, turn to God, understanding, vanity of idols, wisdom, wise, worry
Psalm 113:1. Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah). Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s been in a rut for the past forty five minutes or so, looking for a Bit that he could get his mind around. Brother! I sure have been spoiled these last few days dealing with the promises of father Abraham, since I didn’t have to seek out something new to write on everyday.
Oh, I knew what I wanted to write about, but unfortunately the mental juices just weren’t flowing in that direction. And you know how sometimes we refuse to let an idea go, although it’s just not working for us. What is the saying, something like kicking a dead horse? Well that was my dilemma.
Possibly the Lord didn’t want me to write on that topic today. Who knows eh, with Him and His mysterious ways? However, I always had hope. My faith might not be as great as Abraham’s, but it’s strong enough to sustain me in times of need. Furthermore, the Lord’s never let me down before in all my struggles, so why should He now eh? I always knew that He would eventually lead me to something that pleased Him.
And that’s exactly what we have here from Psalm 113; God’s mercies are many. And indeed they are my people! So let’s get into our Bit, and do just as it says: ‘Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah). Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.’
Yes my brethren, the Lord’s name is indeed great and greatly to be praised! And as the psalmist continues: ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.’ (Ps.113:2-3)
And for those of you who work nights and sleep days and don’t see the sun, we can change that to: ‘from the rising of the moon to the going down of the same.’ (smile) But whatever time you are awake, the Lord’s name ought to be praised my brethren. And why is that you ask? Simple; because He’s great!
‘The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth!’ (Ps.113:4-6)
And Friends, we all know the answer to both those questions is a plain and simple NOBODY!
And we ought also to praise Almighty God because He sincerely cares for the poor and needy. ‘He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill (the ash heap); That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He maketh (causes) the barren (childless) woman to keep house (dwell in a home), and to be the mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.113:7-9)
Ah mih people, those are certainly most excellent reasons to praise our omnipotent, forgiving and merciful God! And if you want some more reasons, then listen to Daniel after the Lord revealed the secret of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to him.
‘Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings and setteth up (raises up) kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge unto them that know (have) understanding:
He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.’ (Dan.2:20-23)
Oh Friends, how many more reasons do we need for praising our great God eh? He’s mighty and wise; controls the times and the seasons; raises up and removes kings; gives wisdom and knowledge to those who seek and deserve them. He also reveals to mankind, like He did with Daniel, the portent of dreams and visions, of secret things, and knows what the darkness contains, like our plentiful, deep, dark deeds. (smile)
So what more can we ask eh? The Lord God Jehovah is Lord and God over all! Therefore He deserves constant and unending praise, but that’s something, we the Lord’s supposed followers are sadly lacking in at this current time. Oh I know that the world’s in a sorry state, and our lives lack the certainty they had just a few years ago, which makes us somewhat fearful and anxious.
But my fellow believers that’s no reason for us to be more taken up with the things of the world – food, clothes, houses, jobs – than with the things of God, and thus cut down on our prayer and praise. Instead, it’s in the rough times that we most need to turn to God, cozy up to Him, not turn away, because He’s the ONE from whom all our help, all our blessings come.
And please remember Jesus’ admonition from the Sermon on the Mount: ‘(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:32-34)
Oh Friends, please, please, let’s take all of that to heart! It’s the best advice we can ever get. And to show our hope, trust, faith and surrender to Almighty God, let’s close with some appropriate praise from Psalm 135; The greatness of the Lord and the vanity of idols.
‘Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his particular (special) treasure. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.’ (Ps.135:1-5)
And that, my fellow believers, is divine, gospel, undeniable, indisputable and any other truth there is! (smile) Much LOVE!
…Praise Him, praise Him…Glory Hallelujah…He is LOVE…He is LOVE…
15 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abrahamic Covenant, Abram, act of faith, be on our p's and q's, border line, carried away, childless, confidence in God, count the stars, do nothing, evil, evil doings, evildoers, faith, famine in Canaan, fear not, fellowship, Friday chant, fruit of the womb, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, Gomorrah, good attitude to adopt, great reward, heir, heritage of the lord, in Jesus' name, in soul body and mind, joyfulness, king of Salem, land of Canaan, laze around, Lot, LOVE, matter of belief, Melchizedek, Most High God, obedience, offerings, Pharaoh, possessor of heaven and earth, pray, rejuvenate our spirits, relaxation, relying on God, renewed and refreshed, rest, rest is repair, rewards, righteousness., shield, sin, Sodom, source of confidence, spoils, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, tithes, to listen than the fat of rams, to obey is better than sacrifice, ungodly world, weekend, wisdom
Genesis 15:1. After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Once more it’s Friday Friends, and we’re all singing, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ gearing up for a joyous weekend. But let’s all be careful that we don’t get too carried away with the joyfulness and cross the border line, where it turns to sin, for that’s very easy to do when we don’t have a good handle on our thoughts and our behaviour.
So to help us have some moderation and keep our eyes on Jesus, let’s chant our Friday Chant. As one harmonious voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh mih people, in this evil, ungodly world, we need to be on our p’s and q’s at all times. And interestingly enough, I came across a rather appropriate quote this morning, attributed to one Daniel W. Josselyn, which says: ‘Rest is not a matter of doing absolutely nothing. Rest is repair.’
And that’s a fact Friends! Rest doesn’t just, or always, mean doing nothing, but sometimes simply doing other things that will repair and rejuvenate our spirits and bodies. What’s the saying? ‘A change is as good as a rest,’ or something to that effect. So when we hear the word rest, let’s not always jump to the conclusion that it’s time to laze around and do nothing. (smile)
Now let’s look at our Bit. ‘After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.’
Some of the things the Good Book’s talking about here are: Abram being driven down to Egypt because of famine in Canaan. Of deceiving Pharaoh by saying that Sarai was his sister, and the Lord opening Pharaoh’s eyes to the truth, before he could touch her. Pharaoh sending Abram away, back to Canaan, where he and Lot separate. Lot goes to live in Sodom, and as we saw yesterday, the Lord promises Abram the land as far as he could see. (Gen.13:14-18)
Then certain kings come to fight against Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot and his people are carried away captive. When Abram hears of this, he and 318 of his fighting men pursue the captors, rescue Lot and return all the spoil to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Then he comes upon Melchizedek, king of Salem, ‘the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.’ (Gen.14:18b-20)
Abram later refused the offerings, rewards of the ungodly king of Sodom, just food for his men. ‘I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.’ (Gen.14:23b) That’s a good attitude for us to adopt my brethren, when we are approached by evildoers to participate in their evil doings, or the spoils of their evil doings.
So we can see that Abram lived a very full and interesting later period of life. A time when most of us figure we should just retire from active life and do nothing. But the fact is when we completely retire from life, we die, both literally and figuratively.
Anyway, let’s hear these words from the scholars re our Bit, before we move on to some scriptures. ’15:1. Thy shield and thy exceeding great reward: This chapter introduces the Abrahamic covenant by which God promises him an heir and eventual descendants who will one day possess the land of Canaan. The word ‘shield’ is translated in other passages as “believed.”
Thus God is the object of Abram’s faith and thereby the source of his confidence. The promise of reward is especially significant in view of the fact that Abram had just refused a reward from the king of Sodom. God himself would be Abram’s true reward. (c.f. Ps.127:3)’
Oh Friends, I don’t know if I’m spoiling you, (smile) but here’s what that scripture says: ‘Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: the fruit of the womb is his reward.’ (Ps. 127:3)
It shows the value of relying on God, especially for children, which Abram did, as these passages of scripture show, after God spoke to him in our Bit. ‘And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward (heir) of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one (a servant) born in my house is mine heir. And behold the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
And he brought him forth abroad (outside), and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell (count) the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.’ (Gen. 15:2-6)
Yes my brethren, it’s all a matter of belief! And belief leads to obedience, and obedience to righteousness and rewards. And as the scholars so rightly point out: ‘This was not his (Abram’s) original act of faith, but a further evidence of his confidence in God.’
So please, my fellow believers, let’s listen closely to what God is saying to us today, what He’s promising us, if we believe and obey Him, for that’s wisdom at its highest height. Much LOVE!
…behold…to obey is better than sacrifice…and to hearken (listen) than the fat of rams… (1 Sam.15:22b)
27 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after effects, almighty god, awareness, Beatitudes, blessings, bright eyed, bushy tailed, change the world, clean hands, comfort, communication with God, cultivate a pure heart, don't lose sight of tomorrow, edification, encouraging promise, enlightenment, face of god, false motives, fellow believers, fool mankind, fuel, glory hallelujah, God of our salvation, God's great earth, good news, grace of God, hearts and souls, holiness, holy hill, hypocrisy, idols, Jehovah, Jesus, keep your eyes on today, miserable, negative stuff, New Birth, outward actions, rejuvenation, rest, righteousness., rough row to hoe, saving grace, see God, seek God, Sermon on the Mount, sincerity, succour, suffering, sworn deceitfully, tabernacle, the pure in heart, things of the world, tired, truth, upheaval, vanity, walk upright, wisdom, wise way to live, worldly lusts and desires, worship, zenith
Matthew 5:8. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Aye Friends, a good Sunday morning to all of you, wherever you may be on God’s great earth! And I do hope that most of you are getting ready to go and worship with other believers, or have already done so, because we do need to come together every so often, preferably at least once a week. Our systems are set up so that it’s essential for us to get the refreshing rejuvenation that the fellowship of God’s children brings to our hearts and souls. Just like an engine can’t function without fuel, likewise Christians can’t function properly without fellowship.
And don’t forget that this is the most important day of the week because it also calls for us to rest properly, so that we can be up and about early tomorrow morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed, to go out and both face and change the world for Jesus. And we can’t do that if we’re all tired, miserable and suffering from the after-effects of negative stuff.
Enough of that sermon for today though, tomorrow will look after itself. (smile) But as a wise man once said: ‘Keep your eyes on today, but don’t lose sight of tomorrow.’ To tell the truth, I don’t know who that wise man was, it might even have been me, because I sort of just made it up. (smile)
But regardless of the identity of the wise man, the good news is that we can do both those things by simply living the words of our Bit: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’
Oh Friends, that’s certainly a most encouraging promise! Wow! If our hearts are pure, then we shall see God… Glory Hallelujah!
And having said all of that, the pertinent question then becomes, why aren’t we all pushing and clamouring for pure hearts eh mih people? Is it because we don’t want to see God, or that the pull of the things of the world is greater than our desire to see our heavenly Father?
It’s sad, but I believe that the latter answer is the true one. We’d really like to have both, but that’s not possible. And for too many of us, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to cultivate a pure heart, since it would mean giving up a lot of our worldly lusts and desires. But please remember, that if we do decide to seriously give up the things of the world, IT IS POSSIBLE with the help of Almighty God.
Anyway, listen to what the scholars have to say on this Beatitude from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. ‘5:8. Those who are truly saved shall see God. These are the pure in heart. Their lives have been transformed by the grace of God. They are not yet sinless but their position before God has been changed. They have the New Birth, saving faith, and holiness. The process of sanctification is ever conforming them to the image of Christ (Rom.8:29), which image consists in “righteousness and true holiness” (Eph.4:24).’
Please read those references my brethren, because they are given for our edification, our enlightenment, and you never know when one of these scripture references might just speak to your heart with an upheaval or awareness of a tremendous magnitude. (smile) Now let’s look at some scripture that corroborates our Bit.
Regarding our pureness of heart, Bruh David puts it nicely and wisely in Psalm 15. He begins by asking: ‘Lord, who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.’ (Ps.15:1-2)
Yes Friends, if our hearts aren’t right, then we’ll be at a serious disadvantage, for as we all know, it’s our hearts that Jehovah checks when He wants to know what’s really going on with us. So though we may fool mankind with our outward apparently pure actions, we can’t fool God, because He’ll surely see all our false and hypocritical motives when He examines our hearts.
Then, in Psalm 24, the King of glory, Bruh David again addresses the question: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (unto an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.” (Ps. 24:3-6)
Ah Friends, what wonderful rewards for simply living the way God desires us to! And I do wish that I could say like Bruh David that this was the generation of those who are truly seeking God, but it would be a lie, for the majority of the world right now is trying to get away from God, instead of turning to Him for comfort and succour.
Oh, I know that living for God is oftimes a rough row to hoe, but it is definitely a wise, or rather the wisest way to live this earthly life! No doubt about that my brethren!
Therefore, let’s ponder on, and consider our individual situations today nuh, then prayerfully go to God, and in all sincerity and truth, ask Him to help us fix whatever is wrong, whatever is hindering our communication with Him. That my Friends, is the zenith of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…oh, for a heart that’s pure…that we may see the wondrous face of God…
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 