06 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man lay down his life for his friends, a righteous man, Christ died for the ungodly, come to God for succour, comfort, condemn the world, Creator, Daily Meditations, dilly-dally, do whatsoever I command you, doubt, emotional humans, faith, fellow believers, foolish pride, for God so loved the world, for His great love, fragile, friends, give thanks and praise, God who is rich in mercy, greater love hath no man, have everlasting life, Havelock Ellis, he gave his only begotten son, heavenly Father, human sexuality, LOVE, lukewarm, mercy, No faith is our own that we hare not arduously won, our Higher Power is constant, provider, regeneration of our spirit, renewal of faith, sacrifice, save the world, self-pity, shout joyfully, sinners, spirituality, struggle alone, substitutionary sacrifice, succour, surrender, the cross at Calvary, the Lord's Sabbath, the rock of ages, the same yesterday today and forever, trust, vicarious death, wherewith He loved us, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whoever believeth in him should not perish, without strength
Ephesians 2:4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.
Aye mih Christian breddren, it’s that most wonderful day we call Sunday, when most of us celebrate the Lord’s Sabbath! It’s supposed to be a day of peace and rest and preparation for the upcoming week. But it also means that we ought to be heading out to the Lord’s sanctuary to meet and greet fellow believers and sing and dance and shout joyfully, and give thanks and praise to our heavenly Father, our Creator and generous Provider!
It’s called regeneration of our spirit! So let’s not dilly dally and come up with all sorts of feeble excuses not to go eh. Let’s get ourselves off to church!
And to buoy that directive, we have a rather pertinent quote from (Henry) Havelock Ellis, (1859-1939), an English physician, writer, progressive intellectual, social reformer and student of human sexuality. Hn! Havelock was really into life sir! (smile) Anyhow, he is reputed to have said that ‘No faith is our own that we have not arduously won.’
And that my people has a whole lot of truth in it, because as my One More Day Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness points out: ‘Everything that touches our lives influences our level of trust and spirituality.’
We are all fragile and emotional humans, so there will obviously be times when our faith rises and falls due to the circumstances that surround us. We all have rough times when doubts tend to creep in, especially when we lose things or people that we always expected to be around.
But, as my One More Day Daily Meditations further reminds us: ‘We can begin to regain that faith by remembering that our Higher Power is constant, even when our faith is not. We humans fluctuate between doubt and trust, but that doesn’t diminish the care that is always available to us. We need only surrender to that truth, and we find comfort.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth Friends! Our God is totally constant; the same yesterday, today and forever! Like the rock of ages, He’s always there ready to help and comfort us! But we have to come to Him to get that peace and comfort and renewal of faith. And that’s where so many of us fall down, because of foolish pride, self-pity or whatever, we refuse to come to God for succour.
But here again, the Daily Meditations reminds us that: ‘My faith – in myself and in my Higher Power – is built upon my awareness that I don’t have to struggle alone. I am strengthened when I admit to my spiritual needs.’
More indisputable truth Friends! There is absolutely no need for us to struggle alone when we have our heavenly Father always there to comfort and care for us.
Oh Friends, by refusing to go to God in faith and trust, we are only making our lives much more difficult than is really necessary. When we have a Bit like ours, we’re supposed to be running to God, not away from Him. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.’
Yuh hear that mih people, our God is rich in mercy and has such a great LOVE for us! We should be embracing that fact with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls; just wallowing in His mercy and LOVE, instead of ignoring it, or just being lukewarm towards it. Remember how Jesus promised to spew out the Laodicean church because they were only lukewarm? (Rev.3:14-16) Well it’s the same thing He’s liable to do with us, if we’re not enthused about Him and all that He stands for.
Now today I want to look at some scriptures that corroborate our Bit. And we’ll begin with these immortal words of Jesus that every believer ought to know. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
Tell me people, after hearing those words from Jesus, and then seeing Him fulfill the act of saving us by sacrificing Himself on the cross of Calvary, how could we not believe the Father’s great LOVE eh? I just can’t understand it.
Now listen to Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due (at the right) time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
Oh Friends, how can we even think about doubting God’s great LOVE for us after all of that eh? Chuh!
And the scholars’ words on that last verse might bring home the situation to us more forcefully. ‘5:8. Christ died for us: His death was vicarious. That is, He did not die merely for our benefit but in our place. His was a substitutionary sacrifice.’
Yeh mih people, we should have been the ones dying, but Christ died in our place. Doesn’t that make you feel grateful and appreciative? It should, because the Good Book says that the wages of sin is death. (Rom.6:23a) That means, we, the abominable sinners, are the ones who should be dying, not Jesus. But in God’s great LOVE for us, He placed all our sins on Jesus and had Him pay our sin debt in full. Oh glory to God!
So my brethren, if we doubt anything at all, which we shouldn’t, please DON’T EVER DOUBT Jehovah God’s amazing LOVE for us, His most wonderful, but also most ungrateful creation!
And we’ll end with these powerful and true words of Jesus. ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13). Then He went out and laid down His holy and sinless life for His friends.
What more can I say eh? Not a whole lot. I can only ask, are you Jesus’ Friend? Much LOVE!
…and Jesus’ definition of friends…ye are my friends…if ye do whatsoever I command you… (John 15:14)
02 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a close relationship with God, a tight hold on our reins, a torch of hope, Anselm, antidote, apathy, be thankful for what you have, believe in the light, Bruh Paul, Caribana, Christian homes, communion between believers, complaining about what we don't have, defense, do not practice the truth, ephemeral Being, Ephesians, ethical overtones, eyewitness, fairy-tale king, give thanks, God dwells within us, God is always right beside us, God is light, God's will, gospel truth, guidance, guilt, happiness, ignorance, immorality, in him is no darkness at all, Jesus Christ, laziness, lifts your spirits, light in the Lord, lighthouses, like pulling teeth, mere mortals, misery, moral purity, never get it, obedience, opposition to God, ordained by God, party people, petty excuses, practicing Christians, priae, profess to love God, reciprocating love, reconciled to God, reinvigorated, sacrifice, satanic world, set a proper example, sin's presence and power, spiritually unenlightened, Sunday, surrender, that ye may be the children of light, the bondage of sin, the heathen, the Holy Spirit, the infidel, the message we have heard, the shed blood of jesus christ, the things of this world, truth, violent death on the cross, walk as children of light, walk in darkness, walking in sin, wanty wanty, we lie, worship, Ye are the light of the world, ye were sometimes darkness
Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Okay all you party people, it’s Sunday, time to get up and get yourselves to church, for this is the day that was ordained by God for His children to gather in His sanctuary every week to worship Him and to revive and refresh our faith and witness. Yes Friends, leaving church makes you feel reinvigorated, renewed, and lifts your spirits.
And we don’t want any petty excuses like I’m tired because I was out partying till late. You should have thought about that before. When you came home from work or wherever, you were tired too, but that didn’t stop you from going out to party, so please don’t let a little tiredness, plus a lot of apathy and laziness stop you from going to praise and worship and give thanks to your heavenly Creator this Caribana Sunday morning of 2015!
I’m chuckling here Friends, but seriously, that is the exact scenario that’s playing out in many Christian homes this Sunday morning. What is it eh about going to church that makes it feel like pulling teeth, but going out to parties requires a tight hold on our reins?
And yet we still profess to LOVE God so much. But how can you LOVE Him when you don’t want to go to His house and make nice with Him eh? I guess it’s partly because we still have this idea of God being some faraway, ephemeral Being, more like a fairy-tale king, who just sits on His throne in heaven on high and looks down on us mere mortals with only a cursory glance and an occasional nod.
But that’s the furthest thing from the truth Friends, because our wonderful God is always right beside us. In fact He dwells within us through the power of His Holy Spirit and He is very much interested in EVERY thing we do, because He truly LOVES us, with a LOVE so great that He even gave His one and only son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice so that we could be reconciled to Him! Now if that isn’t real true LOVE, I don’t know what is.
Somehow though, we seem to have a real problem reciprocating that LOVE! But if we truly want to spend eternity with Him in heaven, my people we have to get to a point of true LOVE, surrender and obedience to the Father’s will. Another part of our problem is that we’re too much into the things and ways of this wicked world, which are in complete opposition to those of God.
That brings to mind a recent interesting quote from our friend Anselm, who delights in inspiring us for a better tomorrow. And Anselm warns; ‘Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never have enough.’
And that’s gospel truth my brethren! Many of us don’t have enough because we are always concentrating on and complaining about what we don’t have, which only aggravates our spirits and drives us nuts. However, when we’re thankful for whatever we have, we bring a different element, a different emotion to the table; one of contentment, of sufficiency, at least for the time being, instead of constantly being uptight and wanting.
Remember the ole Jamaican saying: ‘Wanty wanty, never get it?’(smile) That’s also indisputable truth! As sincere, practicing Christians though, what we need to do is to set a proper example for the rest of the world, for the infidel, the heathen, to follow.
As Jesus so wisely puts it our Bit: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ And we all know that to be true, that’s why lighthouses were always built on hilly ground, so that their light could be seen from far and wide and give good guidance to the travellers seeking it.
That’s our mission on this earth people; to be guiding lights in a world of darkness. Not necessarily as overblown as a light house, but certainly at least as a large lamp.
As Bruh Paul advised the Ephesians when talking about the ways of the believer: ‘For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.’ (Eph.5:8) Yes my people, that’s certainly Jesus’ expectation of His followers.
And the scholars give us this bit of info on that verse. ‘5:8. Darkness indicates that the readers used to be spiritually unenlightened, and accompanying this ignorance was immorality with its resultant guilt and misery. Light denotes that the recipients are now to be religiously informed. Their knowledge of the truth is attended by moral purity and happiness.’
Ah mih breddren, what is it going to take for us to really wake up and see and truthfully accept the light eh? We have to do it real soon Friends, because Jesus can return at any moment, and then it will be too late.
Listen to how John describes God’s light in his first epistle. ‘This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ (1John 1:5-7) What awesome consolation Friends!
And the scholars offer this info on those verses. ‘1:5. Again John implies his eyewitness status, having heard of him, that is, Jesus. John passes on to the church teaching he first received from Jesus. Light and darkness here have ethical overtones. John is saying that God is perfect and good; there is thus no sin or evil in Him. This will have implications for followers of this God in the following verses.’
‘1:6. Walk in darkness means walking in sin. John may have had in mind people who claimed to be enjoying a close relationship with God, but whose lives were clearly characterized by sin. Such a state of affairs, John say boldly, is impossible; such persons are lying.’
‘1:7. “God is light” (v.5): To walk in this light, which is to live free from the bondage of sin (cf. Rom 6:18), is to make true communion between believers possible. Jesus’ violent death on the cross, which is what blood signifies, is the initial antidote for and ultimate defense against sin’s presence and power.’
Voilà! There we have it Friends! The only antidote and the best defence against Lucifer’s evil presence and power: the shed BLOOD of Jesus Christ! So please, let’s be wise and go to the cross and take hold of it nuh, so that we can run with it blazing like a brilliant torch of hope in the darkness of this satanic world. That’s wisdom everlasting! Much LOVE!
…while ye have light…believe in the light…that ye may be…the children of light… (John 12:36a)
08 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, All State, Amen, bet your last dime, better hands than All State, circumstances, confession, faith, for he is faithful that promised, glory hallelujah, God is faithful, God's faithfulness, happiness, heavenly blessings, hope, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, Isaac, joy, joy is God's creation, judged him faithful who had promised, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, make a way to escape, money in the bank, more than you are able to bear, motives, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, no ifs ands and buts, obedience, obedient to God's Word, One Year Book of Bible promises, pitiful, Praise the Lord, redeem us of our sins, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrifice, Sarah, saviour jesus christ, seek joy, sorry for ourselves, spiritual blessing, strength to conceive seed, suffer you to be tempted, surrender, temptation, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the church at Corinth, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Light, the Lord determines my joy, the Lord of hosts, the perfect image of jesus, the Son is shining, through faith, to a glorious future with Jesus, trust, truth, vulnerable, Wednesday Wail, without wavering, you can't fake joy, you can't hide joy
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Oh Friends, it’s a wailing kind of Wednesday – the Lord of Hosts is on His throne, the earth has been washed clean by a torrent of heavenly blessings yesterday, and now both the sun and the Son are shining ever so brightly all around the universe – so let’s wail nuh. (smile)
‘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 that’s exactly where our focus should be fixed my people; on the bright and shining Light that’s Jesus! For there is no where else that one can go to obtain the glorious wonders and blessings and promises that He has set aside for those who LOVE Him and are obedient to His commands.
Now here is something from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin which corroborates what we’ve just said.
It’s titled ‘JOY,’ and goes like this. ‘Joy! My favourite word. Circumstances may determine my happiness But, Lord, You determine my joy. Joy is sweetly honest. No wonder the minister said: “You can’t hide joy if you have it – You can’t fake it if you don’t.” Who can manufacture it Lord? Joy is Your creation. Who may have it? Anyone who asks. Thank You Lord for joy!’
And all God’s children said a loud and proud and grateful, ‘Amen! Praise the Lord for the joy He has given us!’
Oh Friends, what absolute and beautiful truth is ensconced in that poem! Joy is indeed the Lord’s creation, and anyone who wants it just has to ask for it. Come to Him in true surrender and obedience, and with faith ask for joy, and in His LOVING-kindness the Lord will grant your request.
So all of us who seek joy, not happiness which is controlled by circumstances, need only go to our heavenly Father with pure and true motives and ask for that most wonderful blessing of joy and it will be granted to us.
That means we need to stop searching for that fleeting thing called happiness that the world touts, and instead seek the everlasting and complete spiritual blessing of joy that only comes from God Almighty.
And for your info, the promise for that poem is the one we all know and LOVE so much. “Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Neh.8:10 NLT)
Yes Friends, more absolute and wonderful truth! That’s why the ole crook Lucifer always tries to steal our joy, to get us feeling pitiful and miserable and sorry for ourselves, because he knows that’s when we’re most vulnerable. So we need to guard our joy with great care and concern, for once it’s lost, Beelzebub is in control.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, another foundational truth of our faith. ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’
And that my brethren is even better and truer than money in the bank! Your life’s in much better hands than All State when you give it to the Lord and Creator of this world through His Son and Saviour Jesus Christ! No ifs, ands and buts about it!
And if you don’t believe me, let’s look at some scripture that denotes the Lord’s faithfulness to His people. And we’ll begin with one from Hebrews: ‘Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of (bore) a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.’ (Heb.11:11)
Yeh mih people, if a Deity can promise that you’ll bear a child when you’re around ninety years old and deliver that promise in due course of time, then how can you ever doubt His faithfulness eh?
Just look at how Abraham himself went to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice when the Lord asked him. He must have been somewhat uncertain since the Lord had promised that Isaac would be his heir.
But after having walked with God for so long, having left his homeland simply because God told him to, and seeing God’s faithfulness all through his wandering, deep down inside he must have known that his God would do something to avoid that tragedy.
And the Lord did, providing a lamb for the sacrifice after seeing that Abraham was indeed willing to sacrifice Isaac. (Gen.22:1-19)
Now hear Bruh Paul, another man that placed everlasting faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This in his first missive to the church at Corinth.
‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’ (1 Cor.10:13)
Oh Friends, what a faithful God we serve and worship!
Now hear this explanation from the scholars. ’10:13. Make a way to escape (lit, “an egress” or “way out”). In early Greek usage, this term had the sense of a landing place for a ship. The idea is thus not that He will enable us to escape temptation, but that He will enable us to land intact on the other side.’
Yeh mih breddren, we won’t always escape the temptation, but God’s faithfully promised to make a way for us to come through it with flying colours. And remember too, that all the problems we face in this life are in some way, shape and form, designed to bring us closer to the perfect image of Christ.
So please, let’s not be afraid and anxious when times and circumstances get rough, remember that we have a most faithful God, who has promised to look after us…and He certainly will. You can bet your last dime on it! Much LOVE!
…God’s faithfulness has been proven for all time…by the sending of His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross…to fulfill His promise to redeem us of our sins…how much more do we need to trust His faithfulness eh…
15 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abuse the weekend, almighty god, aura of love, blessings, Colossians, comfort your hearts, complaining, confidence, conquerors, corrupt communication, Creator of the universe, enthusiasm, eternal life, evangelism, everlasting consolation, evil, faith, fellowship, for by grace you have been saved, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, glory in my infirmities, good hope, gospel truth, grace, His only begotten Son, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, lies, living God, lord god almighty, lord jesus christ, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, minister grace, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Monday Morning, my grace is sufficent for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, negative, not of yourselves, Oh Lord God Almighty, opportunity, pep in our step, pity parties, redeeming the time, rejuvenation of spirit, rise to the occasion, sacrifice, saved through faith, seasoned with salt, self-serving, sins, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that which is good, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the power of christ, the thorn in his flesh, to the use of edifying, ungodly world, unmerited favour, walk in wisdom, whining, wisdom, wise behaviour, witnessing
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:
Oh Friends, unfortunately the two big days off for the weekend are now over… And I hear a loud ‘Steups!’ in response. (smile)
That means today is Monday…yes Monday, and we need to get ourselves up and out to labour for another week, so that we can earn some money, often a pittance, to try and lead a half-decent life.
We all know it’s not the ideal scenario, but it’s what we have, so let’s just get over ourselves, stop the pity parties, the whining and complaining and rise to the occasion as Jesus desires of us. And remember that if you abuse the weekend, you won’t be fit for anything come Monday morning. So enough with the sermon, (smile) instead let’s belt our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a whole lot of vim and vigour.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh chuh people! That was a rather hoarse, half-hearted and off-key rendition! Jesus wasn’t thrilled at all. You could see Him shaking His head all through it, while His face bore an unhappy, puzzled ‘what else can I do eh?’ expression.
Anyway Friends, it’s too late to worry about that now. Hopefully though, just singing it boosted our adrenalin output and put a li’l pep in our step, enabling us to go out and do a good job in Jesus’ name.
We also need to remember quite clearly from whence all our blessings flow; from Almighty God. And one of the biggest blessings, if not the biggest, ever to befall mankind is enshrined in our Bit. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’
Mama Mia! I can’t help but say it Friends – what a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship! And there should be NO DOUBT whatsoever about that, just judging from the fact that He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our disgusting sins. Has any of the other supposed gods ever done anything like that? Obviously not, because they are all dead, inanimate, ephemeral objects. But the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the ONE AND ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD!
And all God’s people shouted a loud and lusty: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes Friends, our God is a true living and breathing Being, who sees and knows all that goes on in our world.
Now let’s turn to some provocative scriptures that deal with grace. And one of the most famous ones occurs when Bruh Paul asks the Lord three times to take away ‘the thorn in his flesh.’ But the Lord’s response is certainly interesting. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ (2 Cor.12:9)
Yes my people, in our weaknesses God’s power is demonstrated, for when we are unable to bear up in our own strength, God’s grace pulls us through. Please remember that in times of weakness and frailty. He doesn’t always solve our problems, but He ALWAYS gives us the wherewithal, the grace to handle them in our weakness.
Now hear what Bruh Paul says later on to the Ephesians, re the new life in Christ. ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.’ (Eph.4:29)
Ah mih people, are we following those wise words of advice? I certainly hope so, because it is imperative that our words lift up, benefit those who hear them. We can’t expect others to come to Jesus if our words are negative and self-serving.
Then to the Colossians, he says: ‘Walk in wisdom toward them that are without (outside), redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.’ (Col.4:5-6)
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ‘4:5. Paul turns from his responsibilities for evangelism (v.3-4) to the Colossians’ evangelistic duties (v.5-6). They are to walk in wisdom or “live wisely” in their relations toward them that are without, that is, unbelievers. Redeeming the time is to make the most of every opportunity. They are to seize every opportunity to display wise behaviour toward the unsaved and to use it as a chance for witnessing.’
And yuh know what Friends? Those same sentiments apply to us in these worrisome and difficult times.
‘4:6. An example of wise conduct (v.5) is daily speech that is gracious (with grace) in nature. Such speech is to be seasoned with salt, that is, characterized by the wisdom of verse 5. Gracious, wise conversation will enable the Colossians to know how to answer every man when speaking to him about the gospel.’
That also applies to us today my brethren!
And we’ll end with Bruh Paul’s words to the Thessalonians. ‘Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath LOVED us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish (establish) you in every good word and work.’ (2 Thess.2:16-17)
Oh Friends, I wish those exact sentiments upon us all today, as we go out into the crazy world to live and work for Jesus. Much LOVE!
…grace…the totally unmerited favour of God…given to totally undeserving men…a true and wonderful testimony…of God’s great LOVE for us…
25 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a mirror image, abundantly pardon, arrogance, brimstone and fire, celebrate, confidence, deceiver, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enemies, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, for free, forgive their sin, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, God is faithful, gospel truth, gracious, heal their land, holy spirit, humble servants, I am the way, invitation, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, like pulling teeth, long-suffering, LOVE, Lucifer, Memorial Day, merciful God, mercy, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, my people which are called by my name, no man comes to the Father but by me, Noah, Oh Lord God Almighty, patient, plenty rope, pray, pride, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, repentance, rest, righteousness., sacrifice, salvation, save his soul, seek my face, seek ye the Lord, serve a useful purpose, shall humble themselves, spiritual armour, spunk, steadfast faith, taunts, the earth was corrupt, the Great Flood, the table's turned, then will I hear from heaven, transgressions, truth, turn away from their wicked ways, turnabout is fair play, ungodly world, victory, violence, when a man's ways please the Lord, wicked nature, wiles, wisdom, worship our Creator
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Come on people, it’s Monday; time to rise and shine and get with the programme!
But some of our Friends in the U.S. laugh and declare: ‘Not today my brother! Today is our Memorial Day holiday, and that means no work today, period! Just like you had your Victoria Day holiday last weekend and laughed at us lowly plebs who had to go to work down here, well the table’s turned now.
It’s time for us to celebrate while you go out and labour. As they say, turnabout is fair play, or something to that effect. Hn, hn! But we do wish you the best in all your labouring today. (smile)
Yes Friends, our U.S. brethren are putting it to us today. But we can handle it. So to show that there are no hard feelings, and to help all those who have to go out and labour, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle hymn with spunk and powerful, positive thoughts of victory.
All together 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!’
Now that was spunky enough, but obviously the loudest voices were those of our U.S. brethren. They could afford to sing loud and lustily because they have a whole day of celebration in front of them. But as I said last week, let’s remember to keep Granny’s advice front and centre in our hearts and minds; ‘drunk or sober, mind yuh business.’ For the ole deceiver, Lucifer is out there just prowling for anyone he can latch on to. And we certainly don’t want that to be any of us.
Now let’s turn to our oh so important Bit, one that can make the difference between eternal live in heaven, or everlasting death and damnation in Hades. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
Oh Friends, what a wonderful invitation from a gracious and merciful God! But from day one, our wicked nature, pride and arrogance seems to have been our downfall, as we’ll see when we deal with the last of the four things we need to do for God to hear from heaven and forgive our sin and heal our land, which we desperately need.
Way back when, in the time of Noah, the Bible declares: ‘The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way on earth.’ (Gen.6:11-12)
Ah mih people, it was just a mirror image of today’s world! And what did God do? He caused the great flood and destroyed all the inhabitants, beside Noah and his family. Now doesn’t that say something to us; that it’s possible for Him to wipe out everybody again? Obviously we don’t seem to think so. But remember our God is a faithful God, who keeps His promises, and He promised that the next time would be with brimstone and fire, not water.
Meanwhile Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.’ (Prov.16:7)
Oh Friends, that ought to have us just crawling over each other to make our ways please the Lord. But that’s certainly not happening. In these supposedly modern times, it’s like pulling teeth to get people to truly worship our Creator. But our God is so patient and long-suffering that He gives us plenty of rope, hoping against hope that we will not hang ourselves.
Hear His free offer of mercy to all, through the prophet Isaiah. ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:6-7)
And again in Jeremiah, the Lord offers mercy and forgiveness for repentance. ‘Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive (preserve himself). Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.’ (Ezek. 18:27-28)
Ah mih breddren, what else do we want the Lord to do eh? How often must He offer the same thing and we refuse His wonderful offer? All down through the ages He’s offered us forgiveness for repentance, but we’re too stubborn and proud to accept it. He even gave us His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our sins, and yet we still don’t think it wise to be obedient to His dictates. That’s a fool’s wisdom my Friends.
Anyway people, we’re running out of space and time, so we’ll continue this dialogue tomorrow, the Lord in favour. In the meanwhile, let’s end with these words of absolute truth from Jesus, which says it all. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6)
Now my wise Friends, (smile) let’s go and ponder that statement, and with Jesus’ help, bring our lives into line with it, for that is the wisdom of all wisdom. Much LOVE!
…evil and sin should never be so rampant in our world…when genuine forgiveness, mercy and salvation… are so readily available…for free to boot…
09 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heartfelt call, a myriad of reasons, a showboat act, all praise and glory to the Lamb, as we forgive our debtors, be not as the hypocrites, Calvary, commandments, conquering the hearts of men and women, daily bread, deliver us from evil, double visionm sitting on the fence, ecstatic babblings, Elijah, ever-Loving, forgive us our debts, give God some thanks and praises, glorious earth, glory hallelujah, go forth to love and serve the Lord, god, Gramps Schuller, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, in Jesus' name, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ won my heart, lead us not into temptation, leading and guiding, LOVE, love to pray standing in the synagogues, lustful, may be seen of men, misuse, Mount Carmel, New Testament, no man can serve two masters, our hearts and souls, our number one priority, pray to thy Father in secret, pray without ceasing, prayer, prophets of Baal, public prayer, restrictions, reward thee openly, robert h schuller, sacrifice, seek ye first the kingdom of God, selfless love, Sermon on the Mount, slefless, the bright Light and Love of jesus, the foundation prayer, the glorious truth, the greatest mountain climber, the heathen, the htings of heaven, the Lord's prayer, the prince of darkness, thine is the kingdom, thy will be done, too enamoured of the world, total obedience, vain repititions, warm and affectionate, worthless things
1 Thessalonians 5:17. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!
Oh Friends, on this Thursday spring morning, which looks like it will be another rainy day in my area, let’s give our wonderful God some thanks and praises nuh, for allowing us to see another fruitful day on His glorious earth.
And though our physical surroundings might be raining and cold or extremely hot and miserable, our hearts and souls are always warm and affectionate, because of the bright LIGHT and LOVE of Jesus flowing through them.
And all of God’s children said a loud and proud: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise and glory be to the Lamb that was slain for us on Calvary’s hill!
And this morning I want to share a paragraph from the Hour of Power Devotional, where Gramps Schuller, (Robert H. Schuller) now sadly deceased, gives us a look at Jesus from his perspective.
‘Jesus Christ was the greatest mountain climber of all times. He climbed all the way to the top of the mountain of Calvary. And from that point He has been conquering the hearts of men and women for two thousand years. From His mountain peak, Jesus Christ won my heart.’
And isn’t that the glorious truth Friends? Jesus climbed to the top of Calvary and offered Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf, and for that selfless, ever-LOVING deed, He won our hearts hands down!
So why aren’t we showing more of that selfless LOVE to our brothers and sisters like he did eh? Who knows my people, who knows?
I guess there must be a myriad of reasons, but I suggest the strongest general one is that we are too enamoured of the world and its bright, lustful but worthless things, and not interested enough in Jesus and the things of heaven.
But remember that Jesus warned us to seek the kingdom of heaven first, that should be our number one priority, then our heavenly Father would add all those things that we need here on earth to us, for He knows our needs. (Matt.6:33)
He also warned us that no man can serve two masters; we can’t serve God and the prince of darkness at the same time. (Matt.6:24) That double vision and sitting on the fence attitude will get us nowhere with either personage, because they both desire total obedience.
That brings us to our Bit: PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.’
And let’s jump right away into Jesus’ teaching on prayer from the famous Sermon on the Mount. ‘And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites (pretenders) are: for they LOVE to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou prayest, enter into thy closet (inner room), and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.’ (Matt.6:5-8) That’s the truth in spades my people!
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ‘6:5-6. Praying, like giving, is to be done to the Lord, not to man. Jesus said that people LOVE to pray standing in the synagogues. Both a time and place for prayer were customary in the ancient Jewish synagogue (cf. Mark 11:25)
Therefore, Jesus is not condemning the practice of public prayer, but rather the misuse of it. Because of the statement enter into thy closet, some have suggested that all public prayer is wrong. This would be contrary to the rest of the New Testament statements about prayer, commandments and restrictions regarding prayer, and examples of prayer meetings (cf. Acts 12:12)
The principle here is that the believer should not make a show of his prayer nor the answers he receives to prayer in such a way as to call unnecessary attention to himself.’
‘6:7. Jesus warned that we use not vain repetitions (Gr. battalogeo denote babbling or speaking without thinking). Such prayer was characteristic of the heathen. A good example of this is found in the ecstatic babblings of the false prophets in the Old Testament and in the prophets of Baal who confronted Elijah on Mount Carmel (cf. 1 Kin.18:26-29).’
There we have it Friends! Prayer should be a humble, simple, often private, but sometimes public call to God, without a whole set of talking and repetition like we sometimes tend to do, figuring that the more we say, the more God will hear and answer. But that’s totally wrong my people. The Lord hears us the very first time.
After that, Jesus taught His disciples our foundation prayer, which is certainly worthy of hearing again. ‘After this manner therefore pray ye: Our father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt.6:9-13)
And now my brethren, my fellow believers in Jesus, having said that prayer, let’s go forth to LOVE and serve our magnificent and magnanimous God nuh, with the awesome power of His Holy Spirit leading and guiding us this day and forever. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen! Much LOVE!
…prayer ought to be a heartfelt call…not a showboat act…
03 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a holy and just God, accursed of God, agony, And they crucified him, atonement, Beelzebub, behold thy mother, bondage, breathed his last, Bruh David, brutality, Calvary, casting lots, crown of thorns, crucifixion, dastardly deed, diabolical, disfigured picture of Jesus, Easter Sunday, Eli Eli lama sabachthani, embrace Jesus, eternal life, eyes of faith, Father forgive them, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit, fear, fellowship, for thy know not what they do, forgiveness, free from the bondage of sin, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, gave up the ghost, generous help, Golgotha, Good Friday, greed, grin and bear it, gruesome scene, heartache, horrific, hot noonday sun, inhumanity, injustice, jeers, Jesus' sacrificial death, judgement day, lifeblood, LOVE, Lucifer, lust for power, makes countless thousands mourn, man's inhumanity to man, minions, mockery, mocking, my god why hast thou forsaken me, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, parted his garments, picture of Jesus, Psalm 22:18, reconciliation, relaxation, rest, resurrection, ridicule, sacrifice, salvation, saviour jesus christ, scourging, Simon of Cyrene, sin and suffering, sin-bearer, sins, spiritual death, sufferation, take up our crosses and follow Jesus, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that it might be fulfilled, the beginning of something good, the prince of darkness, today thous shalt be with me in paradise, torment of sin, unconditional LOVE, victory over hell death and the grave, Woman behold thy son
Matthew 27:35. And they crucified him, and parted (divided) his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted (divided) my garments among them, and upon my vesture (clothing) did they cast lots.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! And one we call Good Friday to boot. How can that be though, when such a dastardly deed, such a great injustice, a crucifixion, was perpetrated on a holy and sinless man two thousand years ago? How can it be that we call such a day good eh, especially when it was no ordinary crucifixion, but a horrific and cruel one, filled with all sorts of unimaginable brutality and inhumanity?
That’s the epitome of our saying that man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands suffer and mourn! But I guess we call it good because it was the beginning, the initializing of some thing good. Without that sacrifice on Good Friday, there would have been no resurrection on Easter Sunday, no victory over hell, death and the grave.
And it’s also good in the sense that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gave His life so that we could be free from the bondage of sin once and for all. We have to look at it that way Friends, otherwise it was just a brutal injustice.
And believe you me, Jesus paid a heavy, heavy price for our disgusting sins, for as we said above, it was no ordinary crucifixion, but a most cruel and heartless one, fuelled by fear and greed and the lust for power, the same things that are still controlling our world today.
Oh my people, please take a moment and consider the inhumanity that Jesus suffered before He even reached Calvary; the scourging, the spitting, the ridicule, the mocking, the slapping, the crown of thorns, the tearing of His flesh by the cruel whips with all sorts of sharp things attached meant exactly for that purpose.
In this modern day and age, although we’re still cruel, I don’t think we can truly capture the thoroughly disfigured and tattered picture of Jesus when He came out of Pilate’s place, then was given His cross to carry, though He could barely walk and His wounds were by then terminal. It was only a matter of time.
It’s a good thing that somebody had the bright idea to get Simon the Cyrene to help Him bear the cross, otherwise I doubt He would have made it to Golgotha that evil place of the skull, which we Christians now term Calvary, a much nicer name. Then being made to lie outstretched on two planks of wood and nailed to them with huge metal nails, in such a way that death would be painful and prolonged. Steups!
Can you imagine that gruesome scene Friends, of Jesus being put to lie down on the cross and nailed to it, then have it raised upright and what little lifeblood He had left, being set to drain slowly and painfully out of Him? And to make matters worse, they crucified Him between two common criminals. Chuh!
Ah mih people, can you look through your eyes of faith and see Jesus, all torn and tattered, just languishing up there on that cross in the hot noonday sun? Believe me Friends, it was definitely no little price that Jesus paid for the banishment of our sins nuh! That’s what you call real ‘sufferation.’ The Father really put it to Him.
In my humble opinion it did not have to be so cruel, but I guess it just goes to show how disgusting and diabolical sin is and was, and that the only way to truly get rid of it was by a serious sacrificial death of a sinless person. And unfortunately Jesus was the ONLY ONE who fit that description.
It also shows how serious the Father is and was about His dislike for sin, if He could allow such terrible atrocities to be performed on His only Son. If you think it hurts us, just imagine the heartache He must have felt nuh, seeing His Son go through so much agony, and knowing that He could stop it with a simple word, but also knowing that if He did, sin would then forever run rampant throughout His universe, with no end in sight, and the evil Lucifer would have won the war.
Being a holy and just God, He just could not allow that, so like we say, He just had to grin and bear it. And yet we still doubt His wonderful and unconditional LOVE for us!
What hurts too Friends, is that after that most expensive price Jesus paid for our forgiveness, for our reconciliation and atonement, for our salvation and eternal life, so many of us simply ignore Him, or don’t take him as seriously as we should.
That’s not only unfortunate my brethren, but rather foolish, for if we don’t embrace Jesus and all that He stands for then we’ll still end up in the pool of fire come the judgement day with the wicked Beelzebub and all his other minions, and His sacrifice would have been worthless.
Oh Friends, the Father sent His son to pay the price for our abominable sins because He did not want to lose even one of His most wonderful creations, mankind, to Lucifer. So why aren’t we being wise and truly accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour eh? That’s the multi-million dollar question?
Instead, we’re sadly moving away from Him in droves, embracing the worthless and sinful stuff of the world, foisted on us by the prince of darkness and his evil lackeys. That’s only going to bring us more sin and suffering, and it’s oh so foolish, when Jesus has already paid the price for us to be free from the bondage and torment of sin.
But yuh know what my brethren, Jesus was such a mighty and majestic man, that throughout it all He didn’t complain. He knew that that was the reason for which He was made man, and though He pleaded some with the Father to change the plans, deep down He knew that it was not going to happen, so again, like we all have to do at times, He just grinned and bore it.
He withstood the mockery and jeers and otherwise that were hurled at him while He hung there limp and helpless on the cross. The only sad words that reached His lips on the cross were as the Good Book says: ‘And about the ninth hour (noon) Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt.27:46)
Yes Friends, in that moment, as the scholars explain; ‘Here we have the high cost to Christ of His atonement for our sins, who was accursed of God as our sin-bearer, (cf.2 Cor.5:21; Gal.3:13) and suffered the agony of spiritual death for us.’
Ah mih breddren, as our Bit so sadly says too: ‘And they crucified him, and parted (divided) his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted (divided) my garments among them, and upon my vesture (clothing) did they cast lots.’ That prophecy comes from Psalm 22:18, words of Bruh David.
But you know what Friends, Jesus is so beautiful, that even on the cross He still reached out to us. He pleaded with the Lord; ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34) Then to one of the criminals who were crucified with Him and who embraced His sanctity as they hung there together, He sincerely promised: ‘Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.’ (Luke 23:43)
And to show how much He cared for His mother, the Good Book tells us: ‘When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he LOVED (John), he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.’ (John 19:26-27)
What’s left to be said eh, my people? Only this: ‘And when Jesus had cried with aloud voice, he said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost (breathed his last).’ (Luke 23:46)
Oh Friends, on this solemn Friday which we call good, and on which we didn’t even shout for joy, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ since most people are already off work, for it’s a public holiday in most places, let’s Chant our Friday Chant nonetheless as we spend the day in worship and ponder what the day means to us as a congregation, as well as individuals.
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.’
Oh my people, it’s long and somewhat involved. (smile) But that’s what I was guided to write. I just hope it brings home to us the real hefty price that Jesus paid for our sins to be forgiven, and brings us ever closer to Him. Much LOVE!
…to all serious believers…today…let’s take up our crosses and follow Jesus…for that’s what he desires of us…
22 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aimless, be not conformed to this world, by the renewing of your mind, children of God, Christian, Christians, closer to God, commitment, communicate with God, conforming, diligence, divisive, drifting, endurance, evil and ungodly world, faith, friends, furthering God's glorious kingdom, gnarled bark, grow, grow up into Christ, hypocrites, intorspection, Israel, Jesus Christ, journey with Jesus, Lent, Lenten season, LOVE, loving kindness, mature, misgiving, mores, patience, perfect will of God, perseverance, Pharisees, prayer, righteous lives, righteousness., sacrifice, scorn, set purpose, St. Francis, Sunday, testimony, the Lord's Day, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the things of the world, two-faced, values
Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Well Friends and fellow believers in Jesus Christ, once again the cycle of 7 days morphing into a week has begun. This is the day of the Lord, the first day of the week, and to show proper respect and our grateful appreciation for His goodness and LOVING-kindness last week, and this coming week, we ought to go to His sanctuary and offer up praise, worship and thanksgiving with other believers and receive the strength, encouragement and confidence to face another week in this mish-mash, predominantly ungodly world.
I already had my churching for today. And Friends, the ole fella read the scripture in church and shook my tambourine with much pleasure. Mama Mia! I like this church. It doesn’t seem to have a choir or organ, but they have an African drum and tambourines and the voices really are loud and proud, filling up the whole church with prayers, praises, songs of worship and thanksgiving!
And the female lay reader preached a mighty powerful sermon this morning on the meaning of Lent; a time for introspection, for growing, for giving up things of the world, so that we can get closer to God. And as usual, I saw people from my youth, people I have not seen in many a day. I guess there’s no place I can go in Tobago without meeting someone who knows me, my, mother, my father or my grandfather.
Unfortunately it will be my last visit on this trip. Next Sunday I’ll be back in my cold St. Francis church back in the North Country, but it’s only the surroundings that are cold, the people are warm and lovely and friendly! Hi there my people back at St. Francis! I missed you all, but not the cold weather. (smile)
And since Lent is a time for us to grow in the nature and image of Christ, this morning when I read this most appropriate passage from The One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, I obviously couldn’t pass it up. It’s titled ‘Grow Up.’
And it says: ‘Picture with me: a piece of gnarled bark tossed to and fro over the crashing breakers. First one direction, then another, back and forth, over and under. Aimless. No set purpose. Drifting… always drifting. What an accurate picture of an immature Christian. Nothing but spiritual puttering. Up and down, in and out. One study group for a few weeks, then another. One church for a while, then another.
Undisciplined, unsteady, one day soaring, the next day wading in self-pity. No consistency. The apostle Paul tells us to grow up! Not grow older, but grow up into Christ. What we are today is more important to God than what we were yesterday. Our life journey with Jesus is now – this very day, this very hour. Why yearn for change if we’ve made no effort to follow the direction God has already given us?
To grow spiritually we must be single-minded. Our one goal? To be conformed to the image of Christ. He longs for our willingness to let Him root us, cultivate us, water us. Above all, God wants our total commitment. He will take anything we give Him, except second place.’
Oh my people, those are such moving words of truth that I don’t see how we can ignore them if we truly want to be a mature Christian. Like everything else in this world, it takes, diligence, patience, perseverance, endurance, faith, prayer and the sweat of our brow to grow, to come up higher in Christ too. That means we can’t be wishy-washy and wavering, sitting on the fence, jumping down to one side or the other as the fancy takes us, or where the grass seems greenest.
And the promise for that passage is our inimitable Bit, memorable words from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. And we’ll start with the first verse of the chapter. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom.12:1-2)
Oh Friends, that is the perfect recipe for the wandering, wavering, wishy-washy Christian! In fact for any Christian at all, because that’s how we become true children of God, reflecting the true image and character of Jesus Christ, which is God’s eternal plan. And the scholars have some very good explanations on those verses, so let’s check them out.
’12:1. By the mercies of God summarizes all that God has accomplished for the believer in Romans 1-11 in justifying the believer (chs. 1-5), enabling the believer to live a righteous life (chs 6-8), and being faithful to Israel (chs 9-11). That ye present refers to a definite act of presentation. The verb is used of offering a sacrifice that became “holy” under the Levitical system (cf. Ex.29:37).
This shows that the Christian life begins with total commitment and irrevocable presentation. Your bodies: The body has been an instrument of sin (ch 6). Now it is to be presented to God as a channel through which the righteousness of God is manifested.’
12:2. Be not conformed (lit. “stop conforming yourselves”). They are to resist being poured into the mould of the present thinking, value systems, and conduct of this world. This term is used only here and in 1 Peter 1:14.’
Oh my brethren, that last sentence says it all! We supposed Christians, followers of Christ are being too influenced by the mores, vales and conduct of this evil and ungodly world. So how can we expect to be true Christians when we’re not following the will and work of Jesus Christ eh?
That’s why so many unbelievers look down on us with scorn and serious misgiving, comparing us to the hypocrite Pharisees of Jesus’ time and thus refuse to attend church or commit their lives to Jesus. And they’re quite right too! How can we expect people to join something that’s so conflicted, divisive and two-faced?
In other words Friends, we’re not helping God’s cause with that kind of behavior, but driving it into the ground. And there’s no better time than this Lenten Season to check ourselves and see where we may be coming up short for Jesus, and seriously communicate with Him to help us change, grow, mature, and thus do better in furthering His glorious kingdom.
So let’s concentrate on that today nuh my people, for all of us can use God’s help to improve our earthly witness. Much LOVE!
…the best testimony for Jesus…is through our true and righteous lives…anything less is not good enough…
21 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a son of Abraham, almighty god, another chilly morning, awesome Deity, be saved, become more important than God's work, Bruh David, come to seek and save, encouraging, enthusiastic, eternity, fit for the kingdom of god, friends, God's direction, God's work, gospel truth, Gramps Schuller, halfway home, he is become my salvation, Hour of Power, human frailty, I am Eager, I will exalt him, idols, Jesus, Jonah, Living Deity, looking back, lost, loving kindness, make the most of today, make the most of yourself, mercy, Moses, move forward, my father's God, neck of the woods, no turning back, omnipotent, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, peace, pledged to change his evil ways, Possibility Thinking, protective wings, put His hand to the plough, repented, restful. rejuvenating weekend, sacrifice, salvation, Salvation belongeth unto the Lord, salvation is of the Lord, Selah, stand strong and steadfast, that which is lost, the giver of salvation, the good shepherd, the lesser things of life, the Lord is my light and salvation, the Lord is my strength and song, the Lord is the strength of my life, the Lord spake unto the fish, the Most High, the Son of man, the voice of thanksgiving, there will never be another now, thy blessing is upon thy people, turn to Jesus, under the weather, vanities, wandering, Wednesday, whom shall I fear, Zaccheus
Psalm 3:8. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Well Friends, it’s another chilly morning (-12 C) in my neck of the woods. It’s also Wednesday, which means we are halfway home to the restful and rejuvenating weekend, so please hang in there, stand strong and steadfast in faith, for there’s no turning back.
As Jesus stated so straightforwardly: ‘No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9:22) So we’ve got to move forward, not allow the lesser things of life to become more important than God’s work.
And I am a perfect example of that right now, because this morning I’m somewhat under the weather, I seem to be getting a cold. I’m surprised that it’s taken this long to affect me, for the duchess has had it badly for the past week, and I’ve also been around a few other people who are fighting it.
And believe me, there’s nothing I would like better than to have remained in my nice warm bed and sleep it off. But the Bit, God’s work, has to take priority over my runny nose, my sneezing, my aching body and my general human frailty. (smile)
And to help us get going this Wednesday morning, here’s a poem from my favourite Devotional, the Hour of Power by Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller). I just LOVE the way he writes, with such a positive, enthusiastic and encouraging spin. This one’s titled: ‘I AM EAGER.’
Please pray it with me. ‘Lord, you’ve put the whole world together and you’ve put me in the middle of it because you want to say something to me and through me today. May your beautiful peace fall gently, softly, sweetly, and beautifully upon my mind –now.
I am ready to listen and eager to move ahead, today, with “Possibility Thinking.” Amen. There will never be another now – I’ll make the most of today. There will never be another me – I’ll make the most of myself.’
Oh Friends, I do hope that has brought some eagerness for life and God’s direction into our souls today! And as the last part so rightly declares, ‘there will never be another now.’ So please let’s make the most of today, for that’s all we have.
And now we’ll turn to our Bit, which has been running for a few days, but that’s because it’s a rather important and substantial part of our Christian faith. ‘Salvation belongeth to the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.’
Ah mih people, those words just ring out loudly with gospel truth! For salvation comes from no other but Almighty God, who also blesses His people with all their earthly needs when they truly and sincerely seek Him. What an awesome Deity He is my brethren!
And here are a few scripture passages to prove the point. Listen to Moses, from the earliest times, declare it in his song. ‘The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation (praise him); my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’ (Ex.15:2)
Moses couldn’t put it any simpler and clearer than that Friends! And besides, who would know about God and His ways better than him, since he had so much dealings and experience with the Most High.
Now hear another man of great faith and experience with God, Bruh David, tell it like it is in this popular verse from Psalm 27. ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps.27:1)
And the answer to that my people, is NOBODY! For remember that our God is omnipotent and the only true and living Deity in the entire universe! So there’s no need to be afraid of anybody or anything, once we’re safely ensconced under His protective wings.
Meanwhile, Jonah, after coming to his senses in the belly of the fish, wisely declares: ‘They that observe lying vanities (worthless idols) forsake their own mercy (LOVING-kindness).
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon dry land.’ (Jon,28-10)
Yes Friends, salvation is truly from the Lord! Once Jonah acknowledged that, the Lord saved him out of the fish’s belly. And that’s basically what salvation is; saving us.
And we’ll close with these fateful words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to Zaccheus, after He had lunched at his place, and Zaccheus repented and pledged to change his evil ways.
‘And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:9-10)
Yes Friends, ONLY our great God can save, can grant salvation to the lost! And that’s exactly what our Saviour came to earth to do! Let’s sincerely hope that He has found and saved us all, so that we can spend eternity with Him, wherever He might be, for that’s truly the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…are you lost…are you wandering aimlessly through life…then turn to Jesus and be saved…for He is the Good Shepherd…the Saviour of the lost and aimlessly wandering…He is the giver of salvation…
20 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a holy and righteous God, a just God, a pattern of success, a prayer for God's help, a sinful creation, act of compassion, all the ends of the earth, almighty god, amazing, ancient time, anointed one, ascension of Jesus, atonement for our sins, awesome, awesome Deity, be obedient to god's will, be ye saved, benevolence, benevolent parent, blessed, Bruh David, communication with God, compassion, empowering Spirit, enabling, encouraging, fall from heavenly grace, Father, fatherly status, fellowship, finite minds, friend, friendship, generous, generously bestowed, god, God broke His own heart, grace, heartfelt prayer, heavenly Father, humble, I am God, in Jesus' name, inheritance, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, kind, living truth, LOVE, loving, man's history, mercy, Messiah, none but Almighty God, obedience, our Lord and Saviour, peace, prayer, precious blood of Jesus christ, promise, raise our heads to heaven, reconciliation, relationship, reproach, resurrection, sacrifice, Salvation belongeth unto the Lord, Selah, shepherd, shout of thanks and praise, sinned, sinned and fallen short of God's glory, Spirit of God, take counsel together, thank you, thankful, thanks and praise, thanks in our hearts, the apple of His eye, the Lord is their strength, the saving strength, there is no God else beside me, thy blessing is upon thy people, truth, Tuesday, turn to me, unconditional LOVE, understanding, uplifting, walk the straight and narrow path, we serve and worship, wisdom, words of thanks
Psalm 3:8. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Oh Friends, welcome to another one of Jehovah God’s beautiful days – this one called Tuesday!
And would you believe that he made it specially for us; that we could rejoice and be glad in it, while being obedient to His will and having brilliant communication with Him, as a Friend, a Father and our God?
Wow! What an awesome Deity we serve and worship my people!
And that’s not even the whole story; for when we had foolishly sinned, when our forefathers had fallen short of God’s glory, and thus instigated His reproach and our fall from heavenly grace, He did not reject us, but instead, through the wonderful and unconditional LOVE that He bears for us, His most brilliant and amazing creation, He sacrificed His only son, Jesus Christ, so that we could be once again welcomed into Friendship, Fellowship and Fatherly status with Him!
Oh Friends, Almighty God LOVED us so much that he broke His own heart so that reconciliation could be achieved between a sinful creation and a holy and righteous God!
Mama Mia! How truly awesome, amazing, LOVING, generous and kind is our heavenly Father!
And yet so many of us still doubt that He even exists, and that He does indeed LOVE and desire constant and consistent communication with us.
Chuh! If sacrificing the apple of His eye, His Son Jesus Christ doesn’t prove His all encompassing LOVE for us, His ungrateful and sinful children, then I don’t know what else will, for it is the greatest act of compassion, of mercy, and of grace that has ever been made in man’s history!
So my fellow believers and followers of Jesus Christ, let’s raise our heads, hands, hearts and eyes to heaven this chilly Tuesday morning and gratefully utter a few words of thanks to Almighty God.
Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly father, You are such an amazing and benevolent parent, that there are no words to truly describe Your LOVING- kindness to us. Our vocabulary is so small and narrow that the most our finite minds can come up with is Thank You! Thank You for being so wonderful to us, although we don’t truly deserve Your grace, mercy and forgiveness.
And above all, we most heartily thank You for sending Jesus to earth to be the atonement for our sins! That alone shows the great compassion and LOVE that You have for us!
And today, we ask that through Your enabling and empowering Spirit, You lead and guide us safely, enable us to do Your Holy Will, to live out the plan You have for our lives, so that we can maintain the wonderful relationship we have forged with You over time.
Please give us Your peace, wisdom and understanding so that we may not stray, but walk the straight and narrow path that leads directly to You. This we pray in the name of Your precious Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!’
Oh my brethren, I sincerely tried to keep it to a few words, but I just couldn’t cut it any shorter. (smile) And though the length of our prayers isn’t the important thing, sometimes we just have to let what truly is in our hearts just flow out until it comes to its own natural end. That’s what happened with me there just now.
And would you believe that the Spirit of God working in me, is now saying that our God is so great and wonderful that we ought to give Him another glorious shout of thanks and praise! So why don’t we eh? (smile)
‘Yes Lord, Your people are so blessed, so thankful for Your blessings and Your benevolence, that we just want to exclaim another big and loud, ‘THANK YOU! Thank You for all that You’ve done, are currently doing, and has promised to do in our lives!
We give You enormous praise, and promise to be as obedient to Your Will as we humanly can. We pledge this on the precious blood of our dear Jesus, who was sacrificed on Calvary’s cross for our misdemeanors, and because of that, we’re now back in Your fold again, made a new creation through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
We LOVE You Father, and will praise and glorify Your Holy Name as we lead our earthly lives today, and every day! Please accept our humble, heartfelt prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen!’
Oh mih people, I’m chuckling here, as it seems the Holy Spirit has just led us to a day of prayer. And it’s all consistent with the words of Bruh David proclaimed in our Bit. ‘Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.’
Those are words of absolute truth Friends! Salvation is indeed of and from the Lord, His free gift of grace, and His many blessings are so generously bestowed upon His people.
And a mighty torrent of thanks and praise rose up from His grateful children. “Oh thank You, thank You Father! That’s the best that we can say, but You can read the true level of thanks in our hearts!’
Now let’s look at a couple of scripture passages that attest to the truth of our Bit and all that we’ve said today. Listen to Bruh David state the awesome and living truth again from Psalm 28 – A prayer for God’s help.
‘The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed (Messiah, commissioned One). Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed (shepherd) them also, and lift them up for ever.’ (Ps.28:8-9)
No one else can do those things my brethren! None but Almighty God!
And we’ll close with God’s own words on the subject, spoken through His prophet Isaiah. ‘Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together; who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto (turn to) me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.’ (Is.45:21-22)
Oh my brethren, I implore us to take those words of absolute truth and write them indelibly in our hearts, souls and minds, so that we can use them to our benefit in these truly trying last days! That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…the unconditional LOVE…the mercy…the grace…the forgiveness…and the blessings of God…are now flowing through me…in a wonderful pattern of success…
P.S. Friends, it’s late, but it’s wonderful; uplifting and encouraging! (smile) Hope it touches you as much as it touched me in writing it. Much LOVE!
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