25 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after God's heart, adultery, bane, Bathsheba, blameless, boon, broken spirit, Christian, Christian maturity, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, compare yourself to others, confess our sins, confessions, contrite heart, evil, failed God, focus on you, God is faithful and just, God of my salvation, gospel truth, guilt, holy spirit, iniquity, inner renewal, joy, justified, light, loving-kindness, magnanimous god, motivate yourself, motivations, Nathan, pleas, positive feelings, purge me with hyssop, rejected by God, restored to God's service, righteousness, sacrifices burnt offering, salvation, self-worth, sensitivity to sin, serve, tender mercies, things we take for granted, to forgive our sins, transgressions, truth, uplifting questions, vibes, wash me, what makes me happy, whiter than snow, wisdom, worship
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Well my people, it’s that day we call Saturday; a boon for some, a bane for others, depending on how you choose to spend it. And there will be no trivialities this morning, (smile) we’ll get straight to our friend Anselm’s quotes because he has a couple of interesting long ones. He’s been really out to inspire us this week with a title of ‘How to Motivate Yourself:’
The first one says: ‘Compare yourself with yourself. Not with others. Comparing what you have and your results to what other people have and have accomplished can really kill your motivation. There are always people ahead of you. Most likely quite a bit of people. And a few of them are miles ahead. So focus on you. On your results. And how you can and have improved them.’
And that’s gospel truth friends! The worst thing you can do to your self-worth is to compare yourself to others because there will always be people doing better than you, and as Anselm says, that can likely kill your get up and go.
And he continues with the motivational theme by advising: ‘Ask uplifting questions in the morning. Here’s what you do; every morning ask yourself five empowering three-part questions this way: What am I ______ about in my life right now? What about it makes me _______? How does it make me feel? Put in your own value in the blank space.
For instance, a couple of my questions are: What am I happy about in my life right now? What am I excited about in my life right now? It’s important that you really feel how it makes you feel. When I think about the last part about what makes me happy right now I really feel it. These morning questions are great because the way they are set up makes you recognize things you take for granted and then they really get you to feel those positive feelings.’
I can find no fault with that friends, because we always need to have positive vibes in our lives, and the best way to do that is to concentrate on the things for which we are truly thankful, the things and /or people who bring a flood of light and joy into our lives. That’s why we keep saying when we hit the rough times to remember the good things that God has done for us in the past, don’t just concentrate and mope on the negative things you’re currently going through.
So my people, when things aren’t so good, look up to heaven, rather than down to hell. The Lord’s on His throne, in full control of His universe and He will hear your sincere pleas and confessions and answer them. As our Bit so truthfully says: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
And if you’ve reached a decent stage of Christian maturity, you ought to know and believe that and put it into practice. Now listen to one of the most sincere and heartfelt confessions of sin found in the Good Book; that when the prophet Nathan confronted Bruh David with the sin of his adultery with Bathsheba.
Hear Bruh David cry out to the merciful and forgiving God of his fathers from Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing. ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightiest be justified (found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen (brought forth) in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desireth truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou desirest not burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’(Ps.51:1-17)
Ah friends, what a pouring out of the soul! Bruh David knew where his bread was buttered and realized that he had screwed up mightily with Bathsheba. Now here are some insights into the psalm from the scholars.
‘Psalm 51. The psalm gives expression to why David was “a man after God’s own heart”: he was not perfect, but he had a sensitivity to sin that few knew about. Notice especially the use of the first person singular: mine iniquity, my sin (v.2), my transgressions (v.3), and so on. The first two verses are an introductory petition, rich with meaning in the use of four figures for forgiveness. After confessing his guilt (vs.3-6), David prays for inner renewal (vs.7-12), and promises thanksgiving and ministry (vs.13-17).
This passage clearly teaches that those who have failed God may be restored to the service of God. The prayer take not thy Holy Spirit from me (v.11) need never be offered by a New Testament saint, since the Holy Spirit indwells every Christian permanently (1 Cor.6:19). David’s cry here may reflect only the fear, not the reality of losing the Spirit, and being rejected by God. Thus, he asks God to restore the joy of his salvation, not salvation itself.’
Ah mih people, I hope we can take comfort from Bruh David’s words, and not be afraid to come to God with EVERY problem, EVERY sin we feel deep inside, knowing that sincere confession and true regret will bring forgiveness EVERY time. For that’s the magnanimous and merciful and forgiving God we serve and worship. Much LOVE!
…a broken spirit…a contrite heart…that’s all God’s looking for…
23 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, Absalom, adulterous affair, afraid, anointed, Bathsheba, blessings, clean up our act, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, cleansed, clear direction, clog our hearts, communication, confess our sins, confession of sins, creativity, curse, deserves to die, divine protection, forgive, forgiven, forsake sins, full weight of the law, God's grace, guideline, he is faithful and just, in sync with God, Israel, judgements, light, magnanimous god, mercies, mercy, Nathan, negative word, no pity, nobody, nothing to fear, pet, prosper, rebellion, repent, salvation, scriptural standards, secret places of our hearts, see the sins of others, sins, strength, success, supernatural, the Lord God of Israel, the strength of my life, Thursday's Blessings, to forgive us our sins, true motives, unrighteousness, whom shall I fear, wisdom
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Welcome to another bright, sunshiny day friends in the early spring of 2017! It just doesn’t feel quite like spring, with a minus something temperature.
But that doesn’t truly matter once we’re alive and enjoying another day of new mercies and blessings specially prepared for this day by our magnanimous, merciful and magnificent God!
Yeh friends, we can handle anything once we are under the umbrella of God’s grace and mercy! Please remember that and let it be a signpost, a guideline, a lighthouse, or whatever you choose to call it, to our earthly journey.
Once we’re in sync with our heavenly Father there is absolutely nothing to fear!
As Bruh David so wisely and assuredly puts it in 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 big and bold answer to those questions my faithful, believing brethren is ABSOLUTELY NOBODY!
So let’s not be afraid of all the nonsense that’s currently happening in world; be concerned yes, but not afraid, for the Lord our God is with us wherever we go. But by the same token, we also have to be with Him, for Him to guide and guard and keep us safe from all harm.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Yes my people, it also behooves us to clean up our act, otherwise we can’t walk sincerely with God. We have to make continual and constant confession of our sins, so that we can be forgiven and cleansed of them by our heavenly Father.
If we don’t, then our souls will be clogged and bogged down with unrighteousness and we won’t have good communication with the Father. Now listen to some scripture that corroborates our contention.
First up is Cousin Sol from Proverbs, where he authoritatively declares: ‘He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.’ (Prov.28:13)
Please notice though mih breddren, that we don’t only need to confess our sins, but also forsake them, give them up. And that’s usually the difficult part, but try we must, for God doesn’t look at our outward actions, or listen to our talk, but looks deep down into the secret places of our hearts to discern our true motives.
And if you think that’s not true, just listen to how the Lord trapped Bruh David in his adulterous sin with Bathsheba. He sent the prophet Nathan to him with a nansi story about some traveler visiting a rich man, and the rich man, instead of taking one of his endless flocks to feed the traveller, he took the pet lamb of a poor man and fed the visitor. (2 Sam.12:1-4)
Now Bruh David got all hot and bothered over this tale and declared to Nathan: ‘As the Lord liveth, that man that hath done this thing shall surely die (deserves to die). And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.’ (2 Sam.12:5-6)
And the scholars add an interesting note to those verses. ‘12:5-7. How easy it is to see the sins of others without applying the scriptural standards to ourselves (cf. Matt.7:3-5). David called for the full weight of the law to be applied (cf. Ex.22:1).’
And that’s no lie my brethren, we all do it. But was Bruh David in for one of the biggest surprises of his life.
‘And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things (much more).
Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil (adversity) against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’ (2 Sam.12:7-12)
Ah friends, yuh see, we can’t do evil in secret and expect the Lord not to notice it. And the scholars tell us: ’12:10-11. These judgements came to pass literally in the sins of his (David’s) own household (ch.13), the rebellion of his own son Absalom (ch.15), and the civil war that followed (chs.16-20). David was never to fully know rest again.’
Yeh mih people, our God doesn’t make empty promises, and He sees ALL, and knows ALL, so it’s no use trying to run and/or hide from Him. Now let’s go home invoking our Thursday Blessings. And remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone or something.
In unison 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!’
Now let’s go out and put it all into action my fellow believers! Much LOVE!
…sin will forever clog our hearts…and keep us from God…until we truly repent of it…
P.S. I know it’s late and long, but it’s ever so good! (smile) Much LOVE!
21 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: attention, Babylon, bet your bottom dollar, birthright, children of the Most High God Jehovah, chosen people, comprehension, corruption, covet, cry out of violence, dictators, disaster, economic failure, erratic lifestyle, Esau, evil, friend of Jesus, God's ways, grievances, habakkuk, haughtily, heritage, how long shall I cry, inheritance, iniquity, Israel, joy in the God of my salvation, judgement, lentil soup, long-suffering, LOVE, make my feet like hinds feet, medication, merciful, Micah, never leave nor forsake us, oppressor, promise of God, punish, Rejoice in the Lord, remove your necks, salt water, salvation, sand, sea, share His love, strength, strife, sun, thankful, the beloeved of god, the power of their hand, the time is evil, the wicked, thou wilt not hear, thou wilt not save, tired of doctors, Tuesday Mantra, violence, walk upon mine high places, war, West Indian weather, workers of iniquity, wrath, ying and yang
Habakkuk 1:2. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Oh friends, what the ole fella wouldn’t give for some hot sunshine and oh so therapeutic salt water this Tuesday morning eh!
Now the sun’s shining brightly outside and it’s about 5 degrees, going up to somewhere around ten, but that’s not doing me any good at all.
Chuh! I need some real warmth, some sea, sun and sand and salt to help me get rid of this cold that’s been plaguing me for almost two weeks.
Right now, like Esau, I’d give up my birthright for some awesome West Indian weather. I’m sure that’s worth much more than the bowl of lentil soup that Esau gave up his birthright for. (smile)
I guess I might just have to go back to the doctor and check it out. But to tell the truth, I’m oh so tired of doctors and hospitals and labs and medication and the erratic lifestyle it’s all causing me to live. My ying and yang just can’t get into sync at all.
On the other hand though, I must be thankful for the attention I’m getting, for that’s what is possibly keeping me around and getting me better.
Oh I have no doubt that the Lord in His awesome wisdom and power will ensure that I get better and live a decent lifespan so that I can do all the work He’s appointed me to do, but sometimes this long-suffering season just gets to me. (smile)
And now that I’ve aired my grievances, let’s get on to something that’s much more important than me nuh. (smile) Something like our Bit, which highlights the utter evil and corruption of our world. ‘O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!’
Yeh friends, our world is so corrupt and evil that it just boggles the imagination, and is rather reminiscent of Israel when Habakkuk cried out to the Lord.
And we saw how the Lord used the evil empire of Babylon to punish the Israelites, though Habakkuk further complained and asked God why He should use the wicked to punish his people, and that judgement should also fall on the Babylonians. (Hab.1:12-17)
But we need to remember that God’s ways and His comprehension are infinitely higher than ours, and though the Babylonian empire did eventually fall, He used them for a teaching tool to His chosen people Israel.
I don’t know what or whom the Lord is going to use to teach us this time, but be forewarned, judgement WILL COME to us if we continue down the wide and evil highway on which we are currently travelling.
The Lord might be long-suffering and merciful and all that, but He can only take so much of our nonsense, and at some time His wrath is going to explode on the workers of continuous iniquity. You can bet your bottom dollar on that!
Listen to this promise from the prophet Micah, re woe to the oppressor of the poor. ‘Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work (work out, plan) evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.
And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away (seize them): so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage (inheritance).
Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil (I am devising disaster), from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.’ (Mic.2:1-3)
Please notice friends, that all of God’s promises come through, whether they be for good or for disaster. And our day is truly evil, so it’s only a matter of time before the Lord reins us in.
And who knows if He isn’t already doing so with all the natural disasters taking place all over the world, plus our own man-made disasters with widespread war and strife and economic failure and several new dictators in the making, and we’re just not paying attention?
Anyway my people, though the earth’s future might look somewhat grim, as believers, we have the sure promise of God that He will NEVER leave nor forsake us, and we desperately need to hold on to it.
And as Habakkuk said at the end of his book, though life may be exceedingly rough: ‘Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds (deer) feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.’ (Hab.3:18-19)
Yes friends, when we put our absolute trust in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we will NEVER be disappointed!
Now let’s go home assured of His goodness and mercy by enthusiastically declaring our Tuesday Mantra. ‘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 declared that in all sincerity and truth, then we can now go out and put it all into action. Much LOVE!
…true wealth is what you are…children of the Most High God Jehovah…not what you have…
20 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenaline, an easy row to hoe, antidote, aura of love, Christ is Lord indeed, complaints, confidence, contention, cry out to thee of violence, dangerous, disease, enthusiasm, every foe is vanquished, first day of spring, glorious kingdom, habakkuk, how long shall I cry, humble servants, hunger, iniquity, injustice, Jesus' face, Jesus' Second Coming, jobs, judgement, justice, keeping families together, let not your heats be trouble, lies, LOVE, mansions, Monday blues, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my Father's house, plundering, poverty, Praise the Lord, rain, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, replica, salvation, spiritual armour, stand up for Jesus, steadfast faith, strife, surrender, surround, taunts, the Babylonian Empire, the dust of the earth, the Great War, The Israelites, the Rapture, the righteous, the trumpet call obey, thou wilt not hear, thou wilt not save, trust, truth, undeserving children of men, unfair, ungodly world, useful purpose, violence, wickedness, wiles, wisdom, woes
Habakkuk 1:2. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Oh friends, welcome to this the first day of spring in the northern climes!
Now isn’t that something wonderful for sore ears to hear on this crisp Monday morning? It surely is! But spring weather is not guaranteed friends; according to the weather forecasters, we should have a high of about 2 degrees Celsius and possibly a drizzle of rain in the morning hours.
However, just like we’ve had much spring time weather in winter, the tables can, and most likely will be turned somewhat. But there’s nothing to worry about, for we have you covered with our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, the antidote for all your Monday morning blues and woes and complaints.
So let’s sing it like we truly mean it nuh; in strong voice and with lots of enthusiasm so that a big beautiful smile will have no alternative but to blossom on our choirmaster, Jesus’ face.
Altogether 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!’
Wow friends! That was indeed wonderful! And a bright smile did blossom on Jesus’ face! Glory Be! I don’t know if it was the thought of spring being in the air or what, but we did make an impact on heaven this Monday morning. Praise the Lord! So let’s see if we can’t take that same adrenaline fuelled attitude out with us now and do some mighty deeds in Jesus’ name, as He desires and expects of us.
But the reality of the situation my brethren is that it’s not an easy row to hoe. We might have all the good intentions in the world, but the evil enemy will not let us go forward without a fight. And as I was seeking a Bit this morning, I was drawn to the cry of the prophet Habakkuk back when Israel was in a most ungodly and evil state. ‘O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!’
Oh my people, tell me if Habakkuk’s description of Israel doesn’t very closely resemble that of our current world, as he continues his cry to the Lord? ‘Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance (trouble or toil)? for spoiling (plundering) and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife (there is strife) and contention. Therefore the law is slacked (powerless), and judgement (justice) doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about (surround) the righteous; therefore wrong (perverse) judgement proceedeth.’ (Hab.1:3-4)
Yes friends, our world is indeed a perfect replica of Israel back then! The violence and strife and endless toil for insufficient pay, the plundering, the wickedness, the slackness of the law which inevitably leads to injustice, the widespread hunger, poverty, sickness and disease are all very prevalent in our time too; a time that’s been the most progressive since the Lord made man from the dust of the earth and breathed His breath of life into him. Steups!
Ah Lord eh! What’s to become of our society eh friends? Let’s hope it’s not like what befell the Israelites, where God used the Babylonian Empire to teach them a lesson; destroy them and take them away captive. Let’s hope the Rapture, Jesus’ Second Coming, occurs before World War III breaks out, because at the rate we’re currently going, that last Great War seems unavoidable.
But be not afraid my precious people of God, remember our Lord and Saviour’s promise. ‘Let not your hearts be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3)
Wow mih brethren! What a wonderful promise! And we all know that Jesus never reneges on any of His promises, so once we consistently abide in Him, and He in us, we’re set for eternity!
And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord for His goodness to the undeserving children of men. Bless His Holy Name!’
Now friends, let’s go out and do His work without fear of the evil enemy, blessed by the confidence and assurance His word inspires in us. That’s what true followers and believers do. Much LOVE!
…stand up…stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
18 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a godly manner, a good foundation, an assurance, confide in god, couch potato, earthly possessions, eternal life, eternity, failure, faith, fear of success, financial resources, following Jesus, generosity, generous, good works, grocery shopping, haughty, heavenly rewards, highminded, household chores, lazy, liberal in giving, LOVE, moth and rust doth corrupt, procrastination, responsibility, rich, ruin, salvation, selfish world, sharing, sleeping in, step of faith, the living God, the Lord loves a generous giver, the message of Jesus, treasures upon earth, trust, trust in uncertain riches, warning, wealth, words of wisdom
Matthew 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.
Ah mih people, the ‘confuffling’ day called Saturday is upon us once again. It’s ‘confuffling’ in the sense that for some it signifies sleeping in and a couch potato existence. However, for others it entails numerous household chores as well as grocery shopping and other running around.
That means some people work harder on Saturdays at home, than they do all week at their place of employment. What an ironic side to our modern-day, have all the gadgets to make life easier society!
Anyway, enough of my snide comments, let’s turn to some of our friend Anselm’s quotes of this past week. You know he always aspires to inspire us with his quotes. Listen to this first one: ‘To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.’ And there’s much truth to that, for we often sit down and ponder doing something for so long, that we end up not doing it.
That leads us to this second quote. ‘Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the ‘someday I’ll’ philosophy.’
Oh friends, I don’t know if that’s the real reason people procrastinate nuh, although I’ve had that experience with someone sometime aback. I wondered why they didn’t accept the opportunity that I was giving them to do something at which they were good at. I found out later from a close relative that it was because they were afraid of succeeding, and the added responsibility that would bring. I don’t think I procrastinate because I’m afraid of success nuh, I think I procrastinate because I’m just downright lazy. (smile)
And I like this last quote because it’s so appropriate to our faith. ‘You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.’ That’s ever so true when it comes to following Jesus! It’s like the staircase; once you know that it’s there, you don’t need to see all the steps at once, since some of them wind out of sight. So you just climb it, expecting that there will be another step, and another one until it reaches to the top of wherever it is going.
Following Jesus involves the same action, we just call it faith. Once you’ve accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour, you know that He will always be there for you because of the promises He’s made in His word. The problem in trusting Him in our early faith walk comes from our fear of failure.
But like climbing the staircase, until you take that first step of faith, you’ll never know whether He’ll be there for you and keep His promises. We just have to step out in faith my people. And after you’ve stepped out a few times and seen His awesome promises fulfilled, each step becomes a little easier.
Consequently, we ought also to listen to His words of wisdom and warning in our Bit. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.’
Now Jesus must know what He’s talking about since He’s been to both heaven and earth. But many of us still doubt His warning, much to our detriment. So let’s get some commentary on the subject from someone else, Bruh Paul, in his first letter to Timothy.
‘Charge (command) them that are rich in this world (present age), that they be not highminded (haughty), nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute (give), willing to communicate (share). Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.’ (1 Tim.6:17-19).
That’s Bruh Paul’s recommendation for those who have much earthly possessions. So it doesn’t mean if you are rich you can’t go to heaven. You have to use those riches in a good and godly manner.
Now hear these explanations from the scholars. ‘6:17-18. Paul charges wealthy believers (1) not to be proud and look down on those who are not rich, (2) to confide in God rather than in unstable riches, (3) to be rich in good works by generously sharing their surplus of financial resources with the needy. To be ready to distribute is to be generous in sharing. To be willing to communicate is to be liberal in giving.’
‘6:19. When wealthy believers generously share (v.18), they secure an assurance (laying up in store for themselves a good foundation) that in the future (against the time to come) they will indeed enter heaven (lay hold on eternal life). Salvation is not purchased by the giving of money, but generosity demonstrates the reality of one’s faith. Since the believer trusts God and not money, he gives. This giving shows where his heart is and that he views his wealth in light of eternity.’
So friends, this Saturday morning, let’s ponder our wealth and what we are doing with it nuh. Are we giving generously, or frugally? Remember the Lord LOVES a generous giver! And there is so much need in our crazy, disjointed and selfish world, that only through generous giving will it ever be lessened. So as true believers, let’s try and give even a li’l more than we’re currently giving nuh. You’ll be amazed at what it will do for your heavenly rewards. Much LOVE!
…to give…from our hearts…and yet to give…that is the message of Jesus…
13 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a decent lifestyle, aura of love, bright and early, calm, carnal, chutzpah, confidence, conquerors, Creator of the universe, distresses, do business, dreaded day, eat, enthusiasm, Ethan the Ezrahite, friends, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's mighty wings, God's wonderful works, He maketh the storm a calm, hit the road, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, improved result, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, licentious, lies, like a drunken man, lord god almighty, LOVE, lustful, mercy, mistake, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, perky, Praise the Lord, protection, rage, raucous, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, safety, sailor, salvation, spiritual armour, stagger, steadfast faith, storm, storms of life, taunts, the children of men, the helm, the infidel, the only God there is, the stormy wind, the waves are still, the workingman, trials, tribulations, trust, truth, ungodly world, verve, weekend, wiles, wisdom, wit's end, work
Psalm 107:29. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
And then it was Monday; that dreaded day of the workingman! But as we keep saying friends, if you want to eat, then you have to work. And if you want to work without too many problems, then you have to live a decent lifestyle.
You can’t expect to be carnal and licentious and lustful all weekend, then get up bright and early and perky on Monday morning and head out. But many of us still do it, somehow expecting to make the same mistake and see an improved result. Sorry friends, it just doesn’t happen that way.
But we have some help for you; it’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It wakes you up, rejuvenates you, and gets you ready to hit the road, refreshed and energetic. So let’s sing it now nuh, with plenty enthusiasm and verve and chutzpah and all those other good things which enhance a song.
In strong voice and perfect harmony: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that was good friends; a li’l bit raucous and rough, but certainly not lacking in enthusiasm! And most importantly, it brought a chuckle to Jesus, our choirmaster’s spirit. He appreciated the energy we put into it. So now we’re ready to go out and do battle with the infidel in Jesus’ name, because it’s only in His name are we ever going to be victorious!
And today my brethren, we have a very interesting, truthful and awesome Bit, but before we get to it, let’s hear it in context. It comes from Psalm 107 – God’s wonderful works to the children of men.
The psalmist writes: They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in the great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then they are glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired heaven.’ (Ps.107:23-30)
Oh friends, what an omnipotent but merciful and magnanimous God we serve and worship! He has power to cause storms both on the seas and also in our lives, but He also has the awesome power to still, to calm those same raging storms!
The important thing to note is that when the storms rage around us, and we stagger and reel like drunks, we need to call out to Him for help and mercy. And you’ll notice that’s exactly what we’ve done in our opening this morning.
We’re faced by a storm of not wanting to get up to go to work, but we know we have to, so we cried out to Him in our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and He mercifully gave us the grace and strength to go out and do His will. How awesome is that eh my people?
There’s NO OTHER GOD LIKE OURS! In fact our GOD, IS THE ONLY GOD THERE IS! Matter fix! (smile)
So please, let’s not allow the storms, the trials and tribulations of life to get us down, or rather keep us down, for we have the most powerful Being in the universe as our God to turn to, and He has faithfully promised never to leave nor forsake us, once we stay under the protection and safety of His mighty wings.
And if you don’t believe me, listen to Ethan the Ezrahite, as he talks about God’s sure promises to David from Psalm 89. ‘O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.’ (Ps.89:8-9)
Yes my brethren, the universe is the Lord’s and all therein! Let us never forget that and like true and wise believers, act accordingly during the storms of life that we all must face. Much LOVE!
…when storms rage…let Jesus take the helm…for He is the best sailor there is…
11 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a thief in the night, agony, amateurs, Anselm, aspire, at any time, be sober, bearing me up, breathing fire, build up one another, cares of life, carousing, children of darkness, children of light, comfort yourselves, darkness, depart this earth, drunkenness, edify, encourage each other, enjoy our tomorrows, equal opportunity employer, evil doers, exterminate, fair, faithfulness, fat fannies, forgiving, get up and go to work, helmet, hurs, inspiration, inspire, invent, knickers, leads and guides, licentious lifestyle, lord jesus christ, LOVE, loving-kindness, make amends, minutes, plead for forgiveness, positive difference, rich people, salvation, scientists, Second Coming, self-controlled, sit and wait, sleep, surfeit, swing of things, take heed to yourselves, the breastplate of faith, the hope of salvation, the Lord's Day, the Warrior King, the wicked, time, tomorrow, trials, tribulations, unawares, under the weather, up to scratch, use our time wisely, wake, warning, watch, weighed down, white charger, winter's morn, wrath, your hearts be overcharged
Luke 21:34. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged (weighed down) with surfeiting (carousing), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Aye mih people, how all yuh doing this cold winter’s morn eh? The ole fella’s feeling a bit under the weather this morning, seems like I’m getting a cold or something of the sort. But not to worry, for the Lord is bearing me up, as He faithfully promised in His word, and I’m soon going to get into the full swing of things and begin writing the Bit like a champion. (smile)
Ah friends, how could I not LOVE the Lord eh after all the faithfulness and LOVING-kindness He’s shown me over the years? I come to write, and I don’t know what to write, and He leads and guides me. I come to write, and I’m not feeling up to scratch, and He uplifts me, gives the wherewithal to do His bidding.
Consequently my heart rejoices and my lips offer Him much thanks and praise, for He is a most wonderful God! Amen! So now that I’m uplifted, (smile) let’s get on with writing the Bit nuh. And since today is Saturday, we’ll look at a couple of quotes from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
The first one is fairly long, and says: ‘Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can’t buy more hours. Scientists can’t invent new minutes. And you can’t save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you’ve wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.’
Now all of that is quite true, but the problem is, how many more tomorrows do we have eh? Moses in his only Psalm, Psalm 90 – From everlasting to everlasting thou art God – pleaded with the Lord: ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom). (Ps.90:12)
Yes my fellow believers, none of us know when we’ll depart this earth, so we have to use our time wisely. That’s why we have to do what the second quote advises. ‘Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.’
Ah friends, we can’t afford to be like amateurs and sit on our fat fannies and wait for inspiration. We just have to get up and do whatever needs doing! That’s the only way to make a positive difference in our world and also enjoy our tomorrows, regardless of how many we have left. And that segues very nicely into out Bit; Jesus warning re His Second Coming, and the way we should not live our lives.
‘And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged (weighed down) with surfeiting (carousing), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.’
That means we ought always to be prepared, be ready for whenever He returns, be it today tomorrow or many years hence. The important thing to remember here friends, is that Our Lord and Saviour will one day come back as the Warrior King, on His white charger, breathing fire and ready to exterminate the evil doers.
That we know for a fact, but we just don’t know when. And since it could be at any time, we can’t afford to be caught with our knickers down at our feet. (smile) So we cannot live a licentious lifestyle and be caught unawares, either by our passing, or His return, for then there will be no further opportunity to make amends and plead for forgiveness.
Now yesterday we saw where Bruh Paul told the Thessalonians that the Lord’s return might come like a thief in the night (1 Thess.5:2) Today we’ll continue his message. ‘But ye brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. But ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (self-controlled).
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and LOVE; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together (encourage each other), and edify (build up) one another, even as also ye do (are doing).’ (1 Thess.5: 4-11)
There we have it friends, straight from the mouth of Bruh Paul! We are not children of darkness but of light, and as such ought to live sober and self-controlled lives, watching out for Jesus’ return. And if we do that, then we won’t be affected by the trials and tribulations, the agony that the wicked, the children of darkness will suffer on the Lord’s Day.
As true believers, we will be spared the Lord’s wrath. So let’s be sensible and wisely redeem whatever time we have left nuh mih breddren, for that time could be up at any second, without any warning. Much LOVE!
…either your last breath…or Jesus’ return…can spell the end of your time…so please be prepared…
07 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, Adam and Eve, be as God, beginning of time, consequences, disobeyed God, divination, eternal life, evil, fall of man, forbidden fruit, freely eat, friend, good, good for food, greed, Hananiah, heaven, idolatry, iniquity, Jeremiah, Jesus, leave all the consequences to Him, listening to God, little, LOVE, lust, make one wise, obey God, Paradise, promise, rebel against God, rebellion, rebellious, rush hour traffic, salvation, Samuel, Satan, Saul, share His love, stranded, stubborn, stubbornness, surely die, taught rebellion, the beloved of God, the friend of Jesus, the knowledge of good and evil, the serpent, the sin of witchcraft, things of the world, trust a lie, Tuesday Mantra, what peopel say about me, wisdom, your eyes shall be opened
1 Samuel 15:23. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…
‘Rebellion! Rebellion! Rebellion!’ That’s the pattern of behaviour currently taking place in our world friends. Man is rebelling against both God and man. You see it clearly in all our relationships. Nobody wants to follow the tried and true order, we all want to do our own thing, which is only causing us more problems than ever.
Even the weather is rebelling. Today in my area, in the first week of March it’s going to be something like 11 degrees Celsius. Hn! That’s certainly not a norm. Last year when I came back from Tobago around this time it was something like minus 7.
And I’m saying all of that just to make an excuse for the Bit being so late: my body rebelled against me this morning and refused to get up at a decent hour. (smile)
Yeh friends, the ole bod just slept right through the waking up hour! But to a certain extent I can’t give it wrong, for it spent almost two hours yesterday afternoon locked up in a cramped car in the rush hour traffic trying to get home.
Ah Lord eh! I don’t know how some people do it day in and day out nuh. Having waited an hour to see the doctor, I left the parking garage in the big city around thee thirty, but did not get home until five fifteen. I could possibly have walked home quicker.
And it’s a good thing I decided to stop for gas too, because at that rate I would have ended up stranded on the highway. So now you know why the Bit is this late. (smile)
And since we began by talking about rebellion, I thought it only fitting to continue the topic in our Bit, because it really is a big problem in our society, in fact has been since day one.
‘For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…’
Yes my fellow believers, we all know those words as coming from the prophet Samuel to Saul, the first king of Israel, when he disobeyed God and thus lost his kingship. Rebellion against the Lord God Jehovah is indeed a very foolish thing to do, for there will always be serious consequences to pay at some time or the other.
Listen to this incident from Jeremiah, where he talks to the supposed prophet Hananiah. ‘Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; the Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.’ (Jer.28:15-17)
Yuh see friends, it’s not only those who actually rebel against God that meet a sad end, but also those who teach rebellion against God. And from the beginning of time, we have been paying for the most foolish rebellion ever: that of our forefathers Adam and Eve not listening to God and eating of the forbidden fruit.
‘And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ (Gen.2:16-17)
Oh my people, what’s so difficult to understand about that eh? You have oodles of fruit to eat in a paradise, where all you have to do is tend the garden and enjoy and exotic life. But no, mankind is so stubborn and rebellious and foolish that Eve allowed the serpent to trick her into eating the forbidden fruit.
In response to his question about what fruit they should or should not eat, Eve replied. ‘But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods (as God), knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes (a desirable thing), and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.’ (Gen.3:3-6)
And thus occurred the sad and foolish fall of man! Adam and Eve never considered the abundance they had, but the little they did not have. And Satan uses that same trick on us even unto today, emphasizing the little we don’t have. And we still fall for it, through our lust and greed, consequently ignoring the abundance that we have been blessed with.
Ah friends, please don’t allow the foolish things of the world to make us rebel against our Creator. He has given us all that we can ever need down here on earth, plus the promise of salvation and eternal life with Him in heaven.
Please, please, let’s not throw it away, like our forefathers did, for some simple earthly pleasure or possession that’s not worth anything. Otherwise we’ll lose all the wonderful blessings of God, like they did.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra in all sincerity and truth. ‘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!’
Yes friends, let’s remember who we are and go out and behave in a suitable manner nuh, for that is wisdom untold. Much LOVE!
…the best advice…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles – Charles Stanley)
06 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a roof over our heads, abundant life, aches and pains, aura of love, backbone, battle, belly, buckler, confidence, consequences, deliverance, enemy, enthusiasm, faithfulness, fortress, friends, get a move on, groaning, hemming and hawing, hope, humble servants, I am helped, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, moaning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my heart greatly rejoiceth, my heart trusted in him, my shield, placing all our eggs in one basket, pussyfooting, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, Rock, salvation, scared to stand up, shield, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, The Lord is my strength, three squares, tiredness, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, will I praise him, wisdom, with my song
Psalm 28:7. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Ah well friends, another Monday is upon us, and we don’t have much choice but to get up and go to work – that is provided we want to continue having a roof over our heads and eating three squares a day. (smile) So let’s just stop the pussyfooting, the hemming and hawing, the moaning and groaning about our aches and pains and tiredness and just get up and get a move on nuh.
And as always, we have the antidote for your Monday morning discomfort; it’s called the Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s sing it out now as one purposeful earthly choir, in loud voice, believing all that we sing.
‘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!’
Good show friends, good show! Jesus, our choirmaster wasn’t ecstatic, but neither was He displeased, and that says a lot. So let’s take all the adrenaline that’s now flowing through our bodies and go out and put it to good use, put it into action on Jesus’ behalf as He desires of us.
And we have the perfect Bit to go along with our Monday trials: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ Words of indisputable truth from Bruh David my brethren!
And if we are true believers, then those words ought to aptly describe us and our actions! And there is no better time than this Monday morning to show the world our true colours!
What I like about our Bit too, is that it’s so logical: If the Lord is my strength and shield, then I will obviously put a whole lot of trust in Him. Mama Mia! Consequently He will help me, and the logical conclusion to all that is I’ll be happy and rejoice and sing praises to His holy name for His faithfulness and LOVING-kindness towards me. Glory Hallelujah!
Yes friends, they tell us not to put all our eggs in one basket, but where the Lord God Jehovah is concerned, we can NEVER go wrong by placing all our eggs in the single basket that His LOVE and caring represents!
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Bruh David again, this time from Psalm 18 – Thanksgiving for deliverance. He boldly proclaims on opening: ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God; my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:1-3)
What strong language, what strong faith my people! Do we have that kind of faith and trust? I surely do hope so, otherwise we are certainly losing out on the Lord’s goodness. And Bruh David wasn’t afraid to declare His feelings to all and sundry. The million dollar question now is whether we have the parts, the backbone and belly to do the same?
Oh I know that some of us have it, but too many of us don’t. We are still scared to stand up and acknowledge Jesus as the overwhelming force in our lives. But my fellow believers, until and unless we can courageously stand up amongst the heathen and declare our LOVE for Jesus, regardless of the consequences, our lives will never amount to much, or be all that they can be.
The heathen isn’t afraid to stand up and preach Lucifer, so why should we be afraid to preach Jesus, who has already defeated Lucifer? Our reluctance and fear to lift up Jesus is just making the enemy stronger my people. And is that what we want to do? I’m sure all of us would give out with a deafening ‘NO!’ But it’s not what our actions are showing.
Now let’s end with some more words of Bruh David that address the above question, from Psalm 56 – A confident prayer for help. He wrote this when the Philistines took him in Gath. ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps.56:3-4)
What more can I say eh my people? Not a whole lot. We all know Bruh David’s story, and though it was not all wine, song and roses, it was a very rich and abundant life, both physically and spiritually. And it would be difficult to find a better spiritual mentor than Him – besides Jesus of course. So since we all know what we ought to do to lift up Jesus, let’s do it nuh. Much LOVE!
…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
05 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a person of excellence, a shield, all the day long, another one bites the dust, as for me and minse, be joyful in thee, believers, bless, bless the righteous, blessed assurance, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, bondage, born of his spirit, cancer, caring, celebrate life, chains of fear, compassion, confidence, delight, ever-faithful, excellence, favour, free from fear, glory divine, God's Word, goodness, heaven, heir of salvation, hope, Jesus' comforting arms, joy, leukemia, looking above, lost in his love, LOVE, loved life, next life, praising my saviour, promises, purchase of God, rapture, rejoice, reluctant to believe, reneges, resting in peace, sacrifice of praise, salvation, scourge of humanity, shout for joy, submission, take it in stride, the righteous, this is my song, this is my story, thou good and faithful servant, trust, trustin God, visions of rapture, waiting, washed in his blood, watching, we will follow the Lord, whose hope is the Lord, wisdom
Jeremiah 17:7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
‘And another one bites the dust!’ Yes my brethren, another friend of mine has been smitten by that unrelenting scourge of humanity, cancer – the leukemia strain. Ah Lord eh! Will it ever end? Perhaps not, so we need to take it in stride. For about two years she courageously battled the disease, but all to no avail. I guess God just had other plans for her.
We celebrated her life yesterday with a most hearty goodbye. Everyone said she would have been most impressed by it, because she LOVED life, and always gave of her best in all aspects. That was the overwhelming sentiment; Lovine was a person of excellence! And I’m sure Jesus held His arms wide open to her, as He joyfully declared: ‘Welcome home, Crescent Lovine Vernon-Micaleff, thou good and faithful servant!’
And though it will be hard on the family and friends who are still here, we all know that she is resting in peace in the comforting arms of Jesus, smiling down at us, telling us not to worry, that eventually we will meet again. And we all know that, so though she may not be here physically with us, her spirit will always remain in our hearts.
And in her honour today, we will open our praise and worship with one of the last songs she asked her family to sing with her before she passed away – the wonderful hymn of praise and trust ‘Blessed Assurance.’
So friends, let’s rock heaven with the sacrifice of praise of our lips as we sing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. (Refrain): This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels, descending, bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. (Refrain): Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His love. (Refrain) This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.’
Ah mih people, all heaven was touched by our heartfelt rendition! And yuh know what? The only way to be able to truly believe and enjoy those sentiments contained in the hymn is by doing what our Bit advises. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.’
Yeh friends, we can only have that joy and confidence in His LOVE and caring and compassion and meeting Him in heaven in the next life to live forever, when we totally believe, trust and hope in Him and His Word! That’s why I can’t understand why so many people today are running away from God, instead of towards Him, for He is the ONLY ONE who can save us from both ourselves and the evil world around us!
The only thing that can break the chains of fear which keep us in bondage is total trust in the Lord God Almighty, not partial! And until mankind recognizes and acknowledges that, we’ll just keep sinking further down in the mire of evil in which we’re currently immersed. End of sermon! (smile)
Now let’s check out some soul searching scripture that corroborates our Bit. Listen up first to the psalmist from Psalm 125 – God surrounds his people. ‘They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion which cannot be removed (moved), but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about (surround) Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.’ (Ps.125:1-2)
What a marvellous promise my fellow believers! If you don’t want to believe it and then act on it, there’s not much I can say. Now hear this most awesome promise of our most amazing God. Jeremiah speaks on His behalf. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’
Now why would God make such a wonderful promise if He didn’t mean to keep it eh? And we all know that He’s ever-faithful and never reneges on any of His many promises, so why are we so reluctant to believe Him and put our entire trust in Him eh? Only God alone knows yes!
And we’ll close with these wise and wonderful sentiments from Bruh David, taken from Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection. ‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that LOVE thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord wilt bless the righteous: with favour wilt thou compass (surround) him as with a shield.’ (Ps.5:11-12)
Oh friends, I don’t know what else to say nuh, except, that as for me and mine, we will follow the Lord. That to me is the wisdom of the ages! Let’s hope that you and yours feel the same way. Much LOVE!
…trusting God…is the only way…to be free from fear… (Uncle Charles – Charles Stanley)
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