01 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a screw missing, able to do, above all, abundantly, by Christ Jesus, can't be beat, compromise, confusion, courage, creativity, curse, Daylight Savings Time, Dear god, disappointment, divine protection, early going to bed, early waking, emotional pain, Enormous Rewards, exceedingly, fear, for the birds, forgiveness, freedom, friendship, fulfillment, get up and go, going to bed late, grace, guilt, happiness, heaven would mash up with rejoicing, in the church, joy, more work done, my thoughts, my ways, my ways higher than your ways, negative word, not your thoughts, not your ways, old habit, One Year Book of Bible promises, penance, purpose, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfaction, see the sun out, self-control, share blessings, small price to pay, sordidness, success, the power working in us, throughtout all ages, Thursday Blessings, turn back the clocks, unto him, unto him be glory, walking obediently with God, we can ask or think, white on rice, world without end, worrisome times
Ephesians 3:20-21. Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Oh friends, this early going to bed and early morning waking up is for the birds yes! I can’t stand the emotional pain of waking up at 7 a.m and seeing outside still dark. Chuh! And by this weekend it will be even worse when we turn the clocks back one hour in the senseless ritual of Daylight Savings Time.
And since I can’t lie in my bed for many hours like some of us, because the ole bod tightens up on me, the only solution to cover both aspects of the problem is to return to my old habit of going to bed late! Glory be! And those were also the days when I got much more work done during a twenty-four hour period.
What a pleasure it will be to get up and see the sun out and about. It will also give me some get up and go. Oh I know it might make the Bit a tad later than usual, but that’s a small price to pay for the ole fella’s happiness eh. (smile)
And though I try to limit the poems from Our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin to one a week, I just could not resist sharing this one that I read yesterday, because it’s so appropriate and enlightening for these troubled and worrisome times. It’s titled ‘Enormous Rewards.’
So please pray with me. ‘O dear God Thank You for teaching me The enormous rewards Of walking obediently with You: There is joy without guilt Freedom without fear Satisfaction without sordidness Purpose without confusion Friendship without compromise Forgiveness without penance Fulfillment without disappointment.’
Oh mih breddren what glorious rewards can be had from walking in obedience to God’s will! No other faith or Deity can promise and produce that extraordinary stuff for being faithful to them. Wow! So why aren’t we all just dying to walk in obedience to God eh?
I really can’t answer that question nuh, except by possibly saying that we’re foolish and unwise, proud and narcissistic, worshipping the angel of this world, Satan, rather than Christ, and thus catering to the whims, fancies, pleasures and treasures of the evil world in which we dwell. How else can we explain not intentionally walking obediently with God, the Creator and Controller of the universe, when so many rewards await us eh?
However we explain it friends, walking obediently with Almighty God is the only approach that makes sense, that’s why I had to share this poem today! It was just crying out to be shared! (smile)
And the Bible Promise for this poem is also our Bit; a most moving and reassuring piece of scripture. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’
Ah mih people, what powerful words relating to a most powerful God. Yuh see, Bruh Paul says that our God can do even much more than we can ask or think! Our minds are small and finite but the Lord’s is infinite, and that’s why He solemnly declares in Isaiah:
‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9) That says it all my brethren!
And why did Bruh Paul make those statements in our Bit? Because he had just prayed for inner growth in the Ephesian church: That they would be granted ‘the riches of his glory…strengthened with might by his Spirit…
That Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith; that they be rooted and grounded in LOVE; and be able to comprehend the vastness, the enormity, the height and breadth, length and depth of that LOVE; while knowing the peace and LOVE of Christ which passes all human understanding, and that their lives would be fully developed with all the wonderful characteristics of God.’ (Eph.3:16-19)
Now friends, please tell me who would be able to do all of that in sinful men eh? None but the Lord of Hosts, our Maker and Provider, our Omnipotent Godhead! That’s why Bruh Paul was so confident that his prayers would be answered. And as he tells the Corinthians, paraphrasing a couple of verses from Isaiah (64:4, 65:17) ‘But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that LOVE him.’ (1 Cor.2:9)
Oh my people, my people, in light of that statement, why aren’t we falling all over ourselves to worship and be obedient to God eh? We must have a screw, or a couple of screws missing yes! Otherwise we’d be all over God like white on rice! (smile) And would He ever LOVE that! Heaven would mash up with rejoicing!
So let’s get wise and turn to God nuh, for He is the ONLY one able to provide us with ALL that we need. And that is sincerely and faithfully shown in our Thursday Blessings, which we will now declare, because a blessing isn’t a blessing until it’s declared over someone.
So in full voice and heartfelt truth: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Glory to God my brethren! And the other side of that coin is for us now to go out and share those blessings with others, for that’s why we were so graciously granted them. Much LOVE!
…living under God’s amazing and LOVING grace…brother…it just can’t be beat nuh…
30 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: amazing feat, appearing, aquamarine surf, barbecue, begun a good work, beloved of God, Blue Hole Waterfall, blue skies, bright sunshine, brokenness, cloudy skies, coconut trees, colourful fall season, compassion, confident, count it all joy, dead brown leaves, divers temptations, Don't stop Lord, Dunns River falls, faith, flambeaus, flaming torches, found unto praise, friend of Christ, genuine, glory, gold that perishes, grace, honour, hurry, in god's eyes, island talk, Jesus Chirst, joy, life unfair, living for Jesus, LOVE, magnificent shoulders, make me whole, maturity, more precious than gold, multihued trees, my weakness, nature trail, North East Trades, not easy, nothing left, of this very thing, of your faith, One Year Book of Bible promises, patience, perseverance, poster tree, Praise the Lord, rafting, ransacked me, redeeming feature, refurbishment, renovations, Revelation of Christ, rewarding, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, strength, testing, thanksgiving, the credit, the fire, the flood, the Lord carried me, the product, the White river, till the coming of Jesus, tough times, trial, tried with fire, Tuesday Mantra, various trials, wasted, what I do, what I have, will complete it, worry, worth the process, yellow leaves
1 Peter 1:7. That the (genine) trial (testing) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ.
Ah friends, life can be so unfair at times eh! Chuh! For the past two weeks I was waking up to bright sunshine, blue skies, aquamarine surf rolling up on the shores, and tall coconut tress swaying gently in the cool North East Trade Winds, with refreshing island talk drifting up to my room.
But all of a sudden, I got up this morning and looking out my bedroom window, somewhat cloudy skies, multihued trees and a set of dead brown leaves on the cold looking grass shockingly greeted my sleepy eyes. It certainly brought my system to a standstill. (smile)
But there was one redeeming feature; my neighbour has a tall tree in his backyard, don’t ask me what kind, and it is covered in golden yellow leaves from head to foot! It looks real beautiful, could be a wonderful poster tree for the colourful fall season.
Yeh mih people, the ole fella is back home, dressed in his old red spring jacket, sitting in his old chair before his aged desktop, and writing much more comfortably than I did for the last two weeks on my laptop in J.A. But that vacation has been enshrined in the top ones that the duchess and I have taken.
It definitely is not number one. That place of honour permanently resides in one we took some fifteen to twenty years ago, in the same Jamaica, but we stayed in a town house somewhere down in the Parish of Trelawney. And brother, the things we did; climbing Dunns River falls, rafting down the White River and numerous other tours.
But I guess the highlight was boating up some river in the night with flambeaus, flaming torches all around, and drums beating in the distance, going to a night time barbecue somewhere along the river bank. Sorry, don’t ask me any more, because it seems I was totally wasted that night. (smile) The things we do when we are young eh!
But in my maturity and brokenness, I was still able to do one amazing feat; walk up the winding, dangerous nature trail to the Blue Hole Waterfall, and then walk back down in my flip-flops. And I would indeed be foolish to take all the credit, or rather any of it, because it was the Lord who carried me back and forth on His strong, massive, magnificent shoulders.
If I had known what it was like before attempting it, I doubt I would have done so. So please give the Lord all the glory, because in my weakness, His grace and strength were more than enough to see me through. Glory to the wonderful Deity we serve!
And on that note of thanksgiving, here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that certainly describes my life in the past couple of years. It’s titled ‘Don’t Stop Lord.’ Please pray with me. ‘Lord In asking You to make me whole I certainly didn’t know What I was in for. You have ransacked me Until I sometimes feel There is nothing left. But don’t stop Lord Please don’t stop! I’m trusting that the product Will be worth the process.’
Yes mih breddren, when I asked the Lord for healing, I surely didn’t know the paces He would put me through. And if I had known, I can’t say for sure that I would have asked for it. But since we’ve come so far, it’s too late to turn back now. And even if I don’t feel like crying out to Him to continue, the wise and sensible thing to do is let Him finish the renovations and refurbishment, because as Bruh Paul confidently told the Philippians:
‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:6) Yes my brethren, once the Lord begins working in us, He never stops until the job is done, even if it takes till Jesus’ Second Coming. So please don’t ever give up on Him!
And the Bible Promise for the poem above is also our Bit. ‘That the (genuine) trial (testing) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ.’
Oh friends, the Lord puts us through some tough trials to simply test our faith, to see how committed we truly are to Him. But He only does it for a ‘season,’ a short time. And if we stand strong and steadfast, He will bring us out of the testing fire, stronger, purer and more mature, like when gold and silver are burnished.
As James says: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience.’ (James 1:2-3) And patience, re perseverance, is something ALL believers need to acquire, and sadly, it cannot be acquired without going through tough times.
So please friends, let’s all try and bear up under whatever adversity comes against us, knowing that our ever-faithful God will not give us more than we can handle, and in any case will help us through the fire and the flood. And it’s going home time, so let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with much sincerity, in loud voice and strong sense of purpose, proudly letting the world know who and whose we are.
In unison now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And to be true to our word, let’s go out now and share the wonderful LOVE and compassion of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…truly living for Jesus is not easy…but praise the Lord…it is certainly very rewarding…
16 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, at the foot of the cross, beloved of God, brave enough, by grace are ye saved, Christ's atonement, faith in Jesus, frined Jesus, get you into heaven, good works, hurry, I'm proud of you, it is the gift of God, kneeling, man should boast, never reach God by climbing, new creation, not of works, not of yourselves, One Year Book of Bible promises, prestige, righteousness., Ruth Harms Calkin, seek ye first, Sermon on the Mount, serve God and mammon, share His love, silenced his screams, sinful world, spiritually saved, striving, success, the kindness of God, the kingdom of God, the lesson of the windmill, the rung of good works, the universe unfurls, the world's treasures, through faith, touch God, Tuesday Mantra, workmanship, worry
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
Another day friends! Another day in the life, as the universe unfurls as our great God planned it! Praise His holy name! We’re alive, be we kicking or not (smile), and that means the Lord still has work for us to do down here on this nonconforming earth. So let’s do it with a good attitude nuh, one that reflects all the values that Jesus taught us.
And I simply could not resist the pull of this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, this Tuesday morning. It’s called ‘The Lesson of the Windmill.’ So please read with me: ‘Lorraine, Kansas, where I grew up, was known as the City of Windmills. I LOVED having one in our backyard. I was sure that if I climbed to the very top I could touch God! If only I was brave enough to try!
My brother, two years younger than I, was usually eager to please me, so I begged him until he finally agreed. He stepped on the first rung, the second, the third and fourth. “Im proud of you!” I shouted. Another rung…and another…and almost to the top. Then he looked down – and froze. Our mother heard his screams. When she saw her young son on the ladder, she calmly silenced his screams while I ran for our neighbour.
In moments Johnnie was rescued. I knew he was angry. “You said if I climbed to the top I could touch God, but I didn’t even see him.” Often God has used this memory of the windmill to remind me that we never reach God by climbing. Again and again we attempt to climb the rung of good works, the rung of prestige and success – until we discover anew that the ONLY way to reach God is by kneeling at the foot of the cross. He waits for us there!’
Wow friends! What Truth! Everything we are and ever will be begins and ends at the foot of Jesus’ cross, for that’s where He carried out His greatest and most important work. And if we need to meet Him, that’s the surest place to do it. And what I really want to highlight in the poem is the climbing, the striving behind the world’s treasures and rewards that so many of us supposed believers are still so voluminously (for want of a better word) involved in.
Oh my people, we can’t serve both God and mammon, or the world’s vision, at the same time. We have to choose one or the other. And obviously serving Almighty God is the one that makes the most sense. Remember what Jesus said on the subject in His famous Sermon on the Mount? ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yeh friends, if we truly and diligently seek God, He will add all the material things we need. As the scholars say: ‘When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides.’ I like that… so much so that we’ll say it again: ‘Where God guides, He provides.’
And that’s the absolute truth! Our God DOESN’T ask us to go somewhere or do something and NOT provide the wherewithal to accomplish it! We need to remember that my brethren. But then again, we can only come to that point, that recognition through the working of our faith in the school of hard knocks. For it’s mostly when we struggle, but also persevere that we truly see God’s faithfulness.
However, also in answer to our false and misleading attempts to reach God through good works and the world’s system of rewards, hear the basic impossibility of that approach – the scripture promise for the poem above, as well as our Bit – as penned by Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.’
Yes people, works have nothing whatsoever to do with our being saved! It is an undeserved favour, a divine gift of God! And why did God make it thus? Simple, as Bruh Paul elucidates: ‘Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph.2:9) God knew the animal that He’d made, for if anything was up for grabs through our good works, men would be bragging and boasting from here to kingdom come, just like we do under the world system.
But instead, He turned it around. ‘For we are his workmanship (new creation) created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:10) So the long and short of the story is that God long ago decided that once we were spiritually saved, morally reborn, then our natural course would be to do good works.
So please remember, as the scholars explain: ‘That no part of salvation is “of yourselves” or due to what we do – the whole of salvation is the gift of God. Man is saved “by grace” that is by the kindness of God in having Jesus die for our sins. But this grace is appropriated through faith, that is; man believes what God has done for him and relies upon Christ’s atonement to blot out his sins and bring him into a proper relationship with God.’
And having written that indelibly in our hearts, minds and souls, we can now go home declaring (yeah! spelled it right!) our Tuesday Mantra. In full voice, with a strong sense of purpose, let’s make known to this sinful world who and whose we truly are.
‘In God’s eyes, 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!’ Now let’s go out and do just that! Much LOVE!
…good works CAN’T get you into heaven…only faith in Jesus CAN…
02 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a clean heart, a fair try, a right spirit, abnormal situation, acceptable excuse, alacrity, be not ashamed, beloved of God, blameless, choice to obey, command me to do, create n me, cry out for mercy, diligence, distresses, doddering old man, ease the pain, expect me to do, faith, faithfully promised, fickle, fool myself, for Christ's sake, friend of Jesus, generosity, give grace, give light, glory in my infirmities, gospel truth, great reward, grin and bear the apin, have faith, hawing, hemming, holy spirit, humanly possible, hurry, indisputably true, infirmities, intimating, keep, keep thy heart, let my heart be sound, light, LOVE, magnanimity, make all things right, maturity, mind, mind-boggling situation, motives, my grace is sufficient, my strength, natural weakness, necessities, obey me, One Year Book of Bible promises, outward actions, perfect, perfection, power made perfect in weakness, power to obey, principles, racked with pain, ramifications, reproaches, rest upon me, Ruth Harms Calkin, salt, seat of the intellect, seductive rain, seek, share with the world, smiling, statutes, take pleasure, the issues of life, the keeping of my word, the power of christ, the soul of man, the thorn in his side, then I am strong, true colours, Tuesday Mantra, unalterable truths, unreachable standards, walking hand in hand, when I am weak, wisdom, worry
Psalm 119:80. Let my heart be sound (blameless) in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.
Oh mih people, would somebody please explain it to me, because I obviously have not been granted the heavenly wisdom to understand the ramifications of this mind-boggling situation! And I’m talking about how a body can go to bed feeling perfectly fine – well not perfect perfect, but fairly decent – then some five or six hours later wake up racked with pain in body and soul, reduced to moving around like a doddering old man?
Oh, I know some of you will say than I am old, so that’s no surprise… But please, I beg to differ. I’ll grant that I’m somewhat aged, (smile) but nowhere enough yet to be doddering! And to make matters worse, while lying there contemplating the pain and getting up, I was seduced to stay in bed for another forty five minutes by a couple showers of seductive rain. Yes, it looks like it’s going to be a ‘riney’ day. But how fickle is the soul of man eh! (smile)
And though I’ve asked the Lord a couple of times about this abnormal situation, I’ve gotten no answer, which leads me to thinking that He’s intimating to me, the same thing that He said to Bruh Paul, when he asked for relief from the thorn in his side. ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor.12:9a)
And though I know that, and gratefully acknowledge it, it still doesn’t ease the pain. (smile) I guess the Lord’s waiting for me to say like Bruh Paul did after receiving that Bit of info. ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor.12:9b-10)
Oh my brethren, I’m trying, but I’m nowhere close to Bruh Paul’s maturity nuh, and the Lord knows it. So I’m not going to fool myself by saying all those things that he says above. I’m just going to move around as best as I can, grin and bear the pain, and/or cry out for mercy, (smile) and have faith for the Lord to make ALL things right as He’s faithfully promised.
Now let’s hope that I have enough space to write what I really intended to write, before the Holy Spirit led me to write what I’ve actually written. (smile) And it’s a most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled, ‘Three Unalterable Truths.’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, through the years Of walking hand-in-hand with You I have learned three unalterable truths: First, what you command me to do You consistently expect me to do. Never do you say, “Give the command a fair try.” Nor do You say, “Consider and then decide.” My natural weakness is never An acceptable excuse. Nor is my inability To reach unreachable standards. Rather, You tell me to seek And then to keep your commands.
Second, all of Your commands Are always for my ultimate good. “Obey me,” Your Word says “So that I can do for you All the wonderful things I promised…” “In the keeping of My Word There is great reward.” Third, whatever You command me to do You fully enable me to do. As You give light to reveal a command So you give grace to fulfill it. Your divine energy is always at my disposal. The choice to obey is always mine. The power to obey is always Yours.’
And the sad, humorous and glorious fact friends, is ALL of that is indisputably true! When the Lord gives us a command, He expects us to obey without a lot of hemming and hawing, as we so often tend to do. And that’s simply because He never asks us to do something without giving us His powerful grace to enable us to do it.
And the best part of it all my brethren is when we obey with alacrity and faith, there are innumerable rewards to be reaped from His magnanimity and outrageous generosity! Give Him His much deserved glory my people! And the Bible Promise associated with that poem is also our Bit for today: ‘Let my heart be sound (blameless) in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.’
Yes my brethren, being blameless in keeping the Lord’s principles is something we should all aspire to. And don’t worry, He knows that we’re not perfect, because He didn’t make us perfect, but He does expect us to try and get as close to perfection as is humanly possible. It’s all in the state of our hearts friends. As Cousin Sol warns: ‘Keep (look after) thy heart (and mind) with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ (Prov.4:23)
And the scholars explain: ‘4:23. Heart could often be translated “mind” in the book. Since the Hebrews had no separate word for “mind,” the word “heart” often served to represent the seat of the intellect. The key to the whole man is his mind. Whatever captures the mind captures the man.’ Gospel truth that my fellow believers!
And remember the Lord doesn’t go by our outward actions, He searches our hearts and minds to discover our true motives. That’s why we have to cry out like Bruh David did in his prayer for cleansing: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.’ (Ps.51:10)
And having taken all of that to heart (smile), let’s go home declaring (Steups! Spelt it wrong again) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In loud voice and strong sense of purpose: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the obvious corollary to that is for us to now go out and share Jesus’ amazing LOVE with the rest of the world, as He so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…Jesus is still waiting for us to show our true colours…to be the salt…and the light of the world…as He asked us to be…
P.S. It’s certainly been a smiley day! But why not eh? That’s why the Lord gave us the wonderful ability of smiling…to smile! Much LOVE!
25 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adventure in sickness, afraid of God, be assured, cheers, clutches and clobbers, command it, David's cry, deliverance, delivered me from all my fears, depart from evil, desires life, do good, emotionally spent, escapes death, ever-faithful promise, everlasting goodness, every trial, fear, fear not, friend of Jesus, goodness, he heard me, hurry, I sought the Lord, in prayer, kneel before you, less kind, LOVE, loveth many days, medical appointments, medical journey, my benefit, never turn away, One Year Book of Bible promises, possible emergency, prophetic declaration, puzzling circumstance, real or imagined, redeemed, reverence, Ruth Harms Calkin, seasoned instruction, seek peace, share His love, shot of caffeine, sincere hearts, take it to God, testimony, testing, the beloved of God, the fear of the Lord, Toronto, Tuesday Mantra, wasted hours, wise advice, worry, ye of little faith
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Oh mercy, mercy me! Another medical journey into that confused, misguided and badly governed city of Toronto! Hence the early publication of the Bit. But it’s all to my benefit, so cheers! Let’s have a shot of caffeine to celebrate the occasion. (smile)
Oh, this great adventure in sickness is drawing to a close…at least I think so, so hopefully it won’t be much longer before I stop having all these medical appointments. At least they will be much fewer and further between. That’s my prophetic declaration! (smile)
But here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, that we all could use this fall morning. It’s titled ‘Fear Not.’ Please pray with me. ‘Again and again, dear Lord I read Your words, “Fear not.” Surely You would not say it so often If there were any reason to fear. Nor would You command it so explicitly If You could not keep me from fearing.
God, You have given me a Fear Not For every puzzling circumstance For every possible emergency For every trial and testing Real or imagined. Yet I confess wasted hours – Even days, dear Lord When fear clutches and clobbers me Until I am physically and emotionally spent. Lord, when David cried to You, You delivered him from all his fears. On this gray-sky morning I kneel before You with David’s cry. O my Father, I cannot believe You would be less kind to me Than you were to David.’
And NO, God will NEVER turn away or be less kind to one of His very own children! That’s His ever-faithful promise! So we can be assured that whatever fear that’s troubling us, if we take it to God in prayer, we will receive relief and succour from it.
But isn’t it somewhat troubling that despite all the assurances and commands of our heavenly Father, re not to fear, we’re still such a fearful people? ‘Fear not!’ was one of the most used phrases by Jesus in His earthly sojourn. And when He said, ‘O ye of little faith,’ meant that we were also fearful, because faith dispels fear.
And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit for today; the immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 34: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ Yeh friends, simple, but ever so life changing words! And those from a great man of God!
That means, although we should not be always afraid, when those times arise, we should NEVER be afraid to call on our helpful and ever-faithful God for help. Note, Bruh David said, he called out in desperation, and the Lord heard and helped him. And He WILL do the same for each and every one who calls out to Him in all sincerity and truth!
And this is how Bruh David continues after our Bit: ‘They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
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. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps.34:4-10)
And all God’s children declared a loud, proud and ever grateful: ‘Praise the Lord for his everlasting goodness to the children of men!’ Yes friends, we know it’s the truth, even though we don’t always follow it!
And that ‘fear’ we’re talking about is not ‘fear’ in the sense of being physically afraid of God, though we should have a touch of that because of the awesome things He can do, but it’s a sense of reverence, of acknowledgement of His strength and power and goodness and LOVE towards us.
And the scholars offer this interesting comment on ‘Psalm 34. The historical background of this acrostic psalm (Hebrew poem of which the lines begin with the successive letters of the alphabet) is related in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. (Bruh David flees to Gath from Saul’s many attempts to kill him.) It bears all the marks of the testimony of one who narrowly escaped death, just as the passage in Samuel describes. As such, it contains the praise and testimony of the one who was redeemed (vs.1-10) and the seasoned instruction that can stem from such deliverance (vs.11-22).’
Now let’s hear some of that seasoned instruction: ‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good: seek peace and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:11-14)
That’s wise advice indeed from someone who experienced it! So let’s remember that today nuh, as we go home now declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we’re truly sincere, we’ll go out and share it all with others, as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…between fear and faith…there’s Jesus…Glory be…
18 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart fixed on God, assurance, back to Him, champion, children of God, confession, defeat, foolish choices, forever, God who never changes, God's discipline, griping, irrefutably true, Jesus Christ, Jesus never changes, live a life, lost opportunities, medical appointments, meet and greet, never be rectified, never be retrieved, never reject, new way of working, one objective, One Year Book of Bible promises, restore, Ruth Harms Calkin, s spirit of despair, surrender, the end of ourselves, the same yesterday, today, Toronto, travel time, vacation
Hebrews 13:8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
Ah friends, the vacation is over! I’m talking about my vacation from medical appointments in the city. Hn! Amazingly I had none last month. In fact I only had a couple in my area for the whole month! Wow! But that ‘s over now, and it’s why you’re getting the Bit so early. I have to journey into the fair city of Toronto for a mid morning doctor’s meet and greet. (smile)
And that’s just going to tie up the entire day! Steups! What with the travel time and waiting in the doctors office and whatever else crops up, by the time I get back home it will be late afternoon. And then to make things worse, I open my e-mail and find that they’ve changed the set up. Chuh man! I have to get accustomed to a whole new way of working. And the sad part is that the changes are always worse than what you had before.
But griping isn’t going to make it go away – and it’s free too. (smile) So here goes with something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin; something that we all need to constantly remember. It’s titled ‘The God Who Never Changes.’
Please pray with me: ‘It is irrefutably true: We have lost many opportunities that can never be retrieved. We have made foolish choices that can never be rectified. But we dare not live life in a spirit of despair and defeat. As children of God we need to understand that all God’s discipline has but one objective: To bring us to the end of ourselves and back to Him!
His desire is always to restore us, never to reject us. His goal is always to use us, never to ignore us. With confession, renewed surrender, and a heart that is fixed on Him, God will do in us whatever He needs to do to make us whatever He wants us to be. Every necessary change God chooses to make is wonderfully possible because of Jesus, who never changes.’
And all God’s people declared a loud, proud and grateful shout of ‘Glory to God for His never changing character and wonderful ways!’ Yeh friends, we have to be eternally grateful that our God never changes, else what a mess we’d be in, with Him moving from one position or character to another as the spirit moved Him.
But thankfully, as the Bible Promise for the poem above and our Bit declare: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.’ Glory be my people! Jesus is a stalwart, an unchanging champion, therefore we can put ALL of our faith, trust and hope in Him, because what we see we will always get, it won’t change form one moment or day to another!
Knowing that our Foundation Stone, the Rock, the Fortress upon which we build our lives is unchangeable certainly breeds stability and trust my brethren! Yes, things within God’s world might change, but God doesn’t. Hear this powerful assurance of God’s, through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah.
‘Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax (grow) old like a garment, and they that dwell within shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished (broken). (Is.51:6)
Ah mih people, the things that God made, the heavens, the earth and people shall disappear and fade and die, but the Lord’s salvation and His righteousness will live forever! What wonderful, reassuring news!
And if that verse didn’t touch your hearts (smile), then listen as Isaiah continues: ‘Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.’ (Is.51:7-8)
Ah mih breddren, if that did not touch you, then you don’t know righteousness and the law of the Lord is not in your heart, and for your great benefit, you’d better right that situation as soon as possible. Because here’s what will happen eventually: ‘Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning (sighing) shall flee away.’ (Is.51:11)
And the scholars offer this explanation of all that: ‘51:1-16. Heavens shall vanish away…and the earth: Isaiah looks down the corridor of human history to a time when the heavens (atmosphere) and the earth will be no more. He likens the earth to an old…garment, meaning the earth will one day wear out (a fact borne out by the second law of thermodynamics) and only the ransomed and redeemed shall return with singing unto Zion and experience everlasting joy.’
Oh what a joyful time that will be my fellow believers…but only for those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour! So I’d strongly advise you to get with the programme immediately, if you want to be one of the ransomed and redeemed singing with everlasting joy in the not too distant future! Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are.
In strong voice, and with sincere sense of purpose: ‘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!’
So having said all of that, to be true to our calling, we now have to go out and share it! Much LOVE!
…only through Jesus…will you come to everlasting singing…salvation…and joy…
11 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a desert place, a driving sense of urgency, a rat race, accept with calmness, adversity, assuring me, beloved of God, calms my inner muddle, come ye yourselves apart, communion, condemn myself, cuts through the confusion, enjoy, Florence, friend of Jesus, guidance, had no leisure, he said unto them, head on a charger, here and there, Herod, hurricane season, hurry, imposed on me, in christ, John the Baptist, just for fun, keep keeping on, legitimately snatch, many coming and going, miracles, Moments of Leisure, more loving, more patient, more understanding, multiple demands, no glory, North Carolina, not for the swift, obeyed his Father, One Year Book of Bible promises, peaceful solitude, plan more wisely, prayer, reading, rest a while, resting, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, shopping, significant damage, smell the roses, so much as to eat, spend time, Spirit of wisdom, step aside, strong voice, thank you, the fast track, the sure of foot, the wafting breezes, think more clearly, to rest, true heart, Tuesday Mantra, went apart, without apologizing, worry
Mark 6:31. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart (aside) into a desert (deserted) place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
Here we go again friends with the hurricane season! Hurricane Florence is barreling towards North Carolina today! I guess all we can do is pray that at the last minute the storm will veer away from the land, and if not, that it does not do significant damage.
Ah Lord eh! As the ole people would say; when it’s not one thing, it’s another. But it’s all a part of life and we just have to keep on keeping on in Christ, regardless of what adversity comes against us. But here is an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that assures us that every so often, it’s wise to step aside from the rat race that’s life nowadays and rest a spell. It’s titled ‘Moments of Leisure.
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, thank You for the moments of leisure And peaceful solitude I can legitimately snatch Here and there Without apologizing. Thank You for assuring me That I needn’t condemn myself When I spend some time Reading or resting Or shopping just for fun. Thank You for convincing me That there’s no glory In a rat race.
I’ve discovered, dear Lord That an hour or two “Away from it all” Calms my inner muddle And cuts through the confusion. Without a driving sense of urgency I think more clearly – I plan more wisely. I am more patient, more LOVING More understanding with my family. I even accept with calmness The multiple demands imposed upon me. Thank You so much, dear God For the certain knowledge that Jesus (Who always obeyed the Father) Went apart from the crowd to rest. So must I!’
Yes friends, it’s essential that we step aside once in a while from our oh so busy lives and just smell the roses and enjoy the wafting breezes sent from heaven to calm our convoluted and confused spirits! Taking this world too seriously will only lead to breakdowns in all areas of our lives. Our bodies, minds, and souls simply were not meant to keep on going continually at the fast pace the world is dictating these days.
So please step aside and rest every so often. Just leave the world and all of its nonsense alone for a spell and rest in the comfort of your God, doing whatever makes you calm and comfortable. It’s not a sin to do that. It’s more likely sinful to continue on the fast track when your body is crying out for rest and release.
And we have a perfect example of that necessity in our Bit and the Bible Promise for the poem. After Herod killed John the Baptist and gave his head on a charger to His wife, the disciples came and told Jesus about it, also about what they had done and taught.
‘And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart (aside) into a desert (deserted) place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert (deserted) place by ship privately (by themselves).’ (Mark 6:31-32)
Oh my people, if our Lord and Saviour saw the need for occasional rest and privacy, why wouldn’t we eh? Instead of allowing the world to drive us unceasingly in our efforts to gain earthly wealth and power, we need to slow down every so often and take a break from it all.
And right after that instance above, He fed the multitude of five thousand with five loaves of bread and two small fishes, then He sent them away again to rest. ‘And straightway he constrained (compelled) his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before (before him) unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people (multitude). And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.’ (Mark 6:45-46)
Even Jesus needed to rest and recuperate after doing those miracles and having so many people around Him just pleading for their own desires to be fulfilled. It does take a toll on the human body when it’s bothered and badgered too much. And please note what Jesus went away by Himself to do; pray. Pray to His heavenly Father to ‘renourish’ His spiritual self and seek the Father’s guidance, for He came to do the Father’s work, and that necessitated occasional deep communion.
So my brethren, we need not take the fast track that the world offers us. We have the option of taking the slower one that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ offers. So which will it be eh? It’s all up to us individually, but I do hope that the Spirit of wisdom guides us to accept the latter, because that’s the wiser and more amenable choice.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and true heart: ‘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!’
So let’s go out and do exactly that nuh! Much LOVE!
…the race is not for the swift…but for the sure of foot…
05 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, alive, another blessed day, Bless His Holy Name, boundaries, cast us off, chain, chisel, cleanse, comforting knowledge, comforts, Counselor, crash, crucifixion, crush, directed the Lord's Spirit, do god's work, do the will of who sent me, encourages, eternal future, ever-loving deity, finish his work, flood, free from outside influence, get away with nonsense, gives us chances, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God will exist forever, God's freedom, grasp anew, halfway home, He is the greatest, He is worthy, he went away again, I AM, if this cup may not pass away, inconsistency, independence, intentions, Jesus' darkest hour, justice, kicking, kind, knowledge, looking forward to, loving, melt, melt you with my love, method of Achievement, mine, Moses, my food, my love, nature, not looking back, o my father, One Year Book of Bible promises, our intention, our priority, planet earth, Praise the Lord, prayed, rebellion, resentment, rules, Ruth Harms Calkin, self-centredness, stifle fears, taught him, thanks and praise, the breath of God, the burning bush, the created, the creation, the Creator, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Good Lord, the method, the path of judgement, the Samaritan woman, the same, the second time, the well of Jacob, thy will be done, turn our lives around, understanding, unless I drink it, volition, Wednesday Wail, who is the boss, with my blood, with myself
Matthew 26:42. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.
Alive! Alive and kicking mih breddren! Yea! The Good Lord has seen it fit to allow us to see another blessed day on His wonderful Planet Earth! Glory be! That means He still has stuff for us to do down here. So let’s go out willingly and do His work today nuh! Make it our priority this Wednesday, as it ought to be!
And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Bless His holy Name, for He is indeed worthy of much thanks and praise! Amen!’
Yeh mih people, our God is indeed a great and powerful God, but also an ever-LOVING and caring deity. That means He doesn’t just cast us off, even when we deserve casting aside. But He works with us, encourages and comforts us, gives us second, third, fourth and even fifth chances to turn our lives around. No other supposed deity does that! That’s why He is indeed the GREATEST!
But though He’s LOVING and kind and all that, He still has rules and boundaries and will not allow us to get away with too much nonsense. I’m reminded of that by this piece in our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Method of Achievement.’
Please pray with me. ‘I said to You: Lord, crush my resentment Chisel my rebellion Chain my self-centredness Crash my inconsistency Stifle my fears. You said to me: I will cleanse you with My blood I will melt you with My LOVE I will flood you with Myself Until you grasp anew – Our intention is the same But the method is Mine.’
Glory be mih people! The method is certainly God’s! He will do whatever we want, but it will be His way, according to His will, and His time! He’s just reminding us who is the Boss! Who is the Creator and the Created! And though He is indeed our Friend, our BEST Friend, He is also our Lord, our God, our Maker and Master, so we have to know our place! Amen!
Even Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour acknowledged that the Father’s will was most important. As He says in our Bit, when He was anguished in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before His crucifixion. ‘He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.’
Yeh friends, even in Jesus’ darkest hour, He acknowledged that the Father’s will was uppermost. And all through His earthly sojourn He never claimed that He was here to do His will, but always the Father’s. Listen to His reply to the disciples when they offered Him food at the well of Jacob, after He had spoken to the Samaritan woman. ‘Jesus saith unto them, My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’ (John 4:34)
Ah my brethren, doing the Father’s will should also be our main job on this Planet Earth! He made us, created us for His purpose and if we’re truly faithful, we’ll do what He desires. He has a plan for every life He creates, and it’s our duty to talk to Him and find out what He desires of us personally.
And the scripture promise for our poem today was this interesting passage from Isaiah. ‘Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him the path of judgement (justice), and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?’ (Is.40:13-14)
And the simple answer to that friends is NOBODY! It was ALL His own doing!
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation re the Freedom of God. ’40:13. God is the only Being in the universe that possesses independence from the Creation. The only limits to God’s freedom are in His own nature and attributes. He is unlimited in His existence. Because His existence relates to His nature rather than His will, God will exist forever. He who exists by reason of His nature rather than His volition must have existed – and must continue to exist – forever.
Illustration: When God revealed His nature to Moses at the burning bush, He called Himself “I AM” (Ex.3:13-15). This name emphasizes God’s self-existence, the fact that He has always existed and always will. Application: Neither anyone nor any outside force will affect God’s relationship to us. He will deal with us according to His nature because He is free from outside influence. (First ref. Gen.6:17; Primary Ref. Is.40:13; cf. Rom.12.1).’
Ah friends, that might be somewhat confusing to some of us, but my favourite part is that nothing or no one will influence God’s relationship with us. Yayyyy! Glory to God! Now, having said all of that, let’s go home rejoicing, declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our position in Christ Jesus!
So in strong voice, with sincere hearts, let’s wail mih breddren! ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And as always, I can’t help but think that the eternal future with Jesus will be even more glorious than we can hope or imagine! Much LOVE!
…God is…was…and always will be…that’s comforting knowledge to the believer…
30 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deep inner wholeness, Beautiful Things Happen, bountiful blessings, changing circumstances, close association with God, comapssionate heart, comforting God, confidence, courage, creativity, curse, day by day, delivers them, discovering hidden treasures, do for myself, eyes full of tears, faith, favour, give thanks, gladness for the upright in heart, gladness in my heart, God's goodness, God's unsurpassable generosity, guidance, hang with the Lord, harvest time. agrarian society, hate evil, he preserves the souls of his saints, in a lifetime, in quietness, indisputable truth, joy in our souls, less dependent on others, lie down in peace, light is sown for the righteous, live life with God, Love the Lord, make their own decisions, makes me dwell in safety, mercy, more than in the time, my heart is full of joy, negative word, not so easily disturbed, One Year Book of Bible promises, out of the hand of the wicked, peace of mind, populace exults, prosperity, Rejoice in the Lord, responsive to, Ruth Harms Calkin, share blessings, show it in our conduct, sincerely befriend, talent, that's life, the assurance, the memory of his holy name, the vagaries of the weather, their corn and wine increased, thou has put, Thursday Blessings, trust in God, turning away from God, whispered secrets, wisdom
Psalm 4:7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and wine increased.
It’s a beautiful though somewhat cool Thursday morning! Yeh, the vagaries of the weather are already showing up. And if the weather people are right, today won’t be anywhere as hot as the last two days. But as the man says: ‘That’s life!’ And so we have to live it as it comes.
And yuh know what friends? When we live this life with God, ‘Beautiful Things Happen,’ as our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin tells us.
Please pray with me. ‘O God Such beautiful things happen When I meet you day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance. I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You.
My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To Your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’
Indisputable truth friends! All of it! Every last word! When we hang with the Lord daily, beautiful things do happen in our lives! Glory to God, my brethren! Oh, if only the majority of the world would hear that, believe it and do it eh! What a wonderful place our world would indeed be!
And we would all be saying like Bruh David does in our Bit, taken from his evening prayer of trust in God, which is the Bible Promise associated with the ‘Beautiful Things Happen’ prayer. ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and wine increased.’
Oh precious people of God, isn’t that saying something? It surely is, if we can have more joy in our souls than the people have at harvest time. For harvest time is indeed the most joyful time of the year in an agrarian society. That time when the whole populace exults over the bountiful blessings that the Lord has showered down on them. And if one can get happier than that that, then it is indeed a joyous time, and only possible through close association with our heavenly Father.
And hear how Bruh David continues nuh. As a consequence of such gladness in God, he proudly proclaims: ‘I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps.4:8)
Oh my people, my people, what assurance we can get when we sincerely befriend our great and LOVING and comforting God! He allows us to lie down and sleep in peace, no worries whatsoever! Now who in their right minds wouldn’t want to have that experience eh? Apparently a lot of people, because a lot of them are turning away from God.
All I can say to that though friends, is that as for me and mine, we WILL follow the Lord! No ifs and buts about it! Who doesn’t want to follow Him and enjoy the joy and peace of mind it brings, that’s their problem. We can only tell them about it and try to show it in our conduct. They still have to make their own decisions.
Listen to what another psalmist says on the subject. ‘For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods. Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance (for the memory) of his holiness (His holy name).’ (Ps.97:9-12)
Oh ye current day saints of God, are you living such joyful lives; rejoicing and giving thanks? I certainly hope so. And if you aren’t, then it’s all your fault, for the Lord our God and faithful Provider has placed it all out there for us to enjoy. It’s now left to us to accept the gladness and mercy that He offers. Please be wise and reach out and accept it, for it doesn’t get any better than God’s goodness.
Now for those of us who have wisely accepted God’s goodness and seen the prosperity in our lives, let’s go home declaring the myriad blessings that the Lord has showered down on us; so much so that our souls can hardly contain them. (smile)
As one strong, enthusiastic and sincere voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Ah mih people, that shows God’s unsurpassable generosity! Now let’s go out and be just as generous nuh, for that’s why He showered us with so many blessings in the first place. Much LOVE!
…blessings are not truly blessings…until they are shared…
07 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a daisy bouquet, awesome embrace, be joyful, be obedient, cascading down from heaven, coincidence, disciples, drought-stricken earth, empty promises, epitome, for our sins, friend of Jesus, God's creation, God's Holy Will, he first loved us, hinges on, hug you more often, hugged me, hugging yourself, hurry, hypocrisy, I love you, lightning, living God, LOVE, love his brother, loves to love, mirrors God's love, mistake, no discernible reason, nourish, One Year Book of Bible promises, practiced my lessons, real love, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, showers of blessings, slow down, soothing to the ears, Thank You Lord, the beloved of God, the centrepiece, the propitiation, thunderstorms, to the soul, too busy, trust Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, ulterior motives, waiting in the wings, we love God, weather reporters, Who Me, wonderful god, worry
1 John 4:19. We LOVE him, because he first LOVED us.
Thank You Lord…thank You, thank You, thank you! And you all must be wondering what I’m thanking the Lord so profusely for eh? Well it’s for finally sending showers of blessings on my area yesterday. After a couple weeks of empty promises from the weather reporters about thunderstorms etc., yesterday afternoon they finally delivered.
And I have to chuckle, as at one stage I went out on my front porch to witness the phenomenon, (smile) and was promptly driven back inside by two brilliant flashes of lightning. Then later in the night we got a couple of good showers, so much so that the ground is still wet this morning.
And yuh know friends there’s no sound as soothing to the ears and the soul as that of showers of blessings cascading down from heaven to nourish the drought-stricken earth. And that didn’t happen by mistake or coincidence, but was planned by our wise and wonderful God. How great and thoughtful is He eh!
And here is another instance of how great and wonderful and caring our God is. Check out this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled, ‘Who Me?’
‘Lord All of a sudden today You picked me up And hugged me And hugged me For no discernible reason. I was puzzled. After all – I hadn’t picked up my toys Or practiced my lessons Or brought You a daisy bouquet – Hesitantly, I asked why. You smiled and said: I LOVE you, that’s all. Then you added: I long to hug you more often. Why don’t You Lord? You are too busy. Too busy, Lord? Too busy hugging yourself.’
And isn’t that the awful truth my brethren? We’re too busy hugging ourselves and going about our business to notice that the Lord is waiting in the wings to just take us up in His awesome embrace and shower us with some of His most wonderful LOVE, so that we can be joyful here on earth and be obedient to His holy will.
And He doesn’t have any ulterior motives. He just LOVES us because we’re his awesome creation! Don’t we all hold dear the things we create? Of course! And so does our living God! Remember what the Good Book says? ‘And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.’ (Gen.1:31)
Yes friends, God admired His handiwork, of which we were the most important aspect, so it’s just natural that He LOVES to LOVE us…if we’d only slow down and allow Him to. And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today: ‘We LOVE him, because he first LOVED us.’
Aw my fellow believers, such touching, heartwarming and truthful words! Our Creator LOVED us from the moment He made us, before we were even aware of the emotion. He placed that emotion of LOVE in us as the centerpiece of our very existence.
And John earlier explains the whole scenario in these few choice words of gospel truth. ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10) Now that’s what you’d call REAL LOVE!
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘4:10. No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’
Yes my brethren, our puny and finite minds cannot understand God’s action, of sending His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to die on our behalf, piling our sins on Him as the great scapegoat, so that we could be reconciled to Him, have fellowship with Him, and once again become righteous in His holy eyes. But nonetheless, it is the standard to which faithful believers and followers of His marvellous Son, Jesus Christ are expected to follow.
As John says: ‘If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God whom he hath not seen?’ (1 John 4:20)
Now that’s a very good question my people. How can we LOVE something or someone we’ve not seen, and hate what or whom we’ve seen? In this context about LOVING God, it’s just impossible! But we do it nevertheless and unfortunately show ourselves to be hypocrites of the highest order.
But here is the final word on the situation as John tells it. ‘And this commandment have we from him, That he who LOVETH God LOVE his brother also.’ (1 John 4:21)
And the scholars spell it out in simple language for us: ‘4:19-21. Our LOVE, if it exists and mirrors God’s LOVE at all, is not our own but God’s doing. The epitome of hypocrisy is the claim to LOVE God while withholding LOVE from others. For Jesus Himself commanded that he who LOVES God is to demonstrate this through LOVING others.’
And with that reminder tugging at our heartstrings my precious people, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, proudly letting the world know who and whose we are.
Now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we truly believe that, then we need to go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others. Only then will we be His true disciples! Much LOVE!
…in God’s universe…everything hinges on…LOVE and LOVING…
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