19 Apr 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new man, acorn, all power to Jesus, an empty church has more room for God, appropriate time, believe in Jesus, believers, belittle Jesus, caught napping, Christ crucified, confidence, conquering hero, death has prevailed, discretion, earthly demise, Easter Sunday, eerie feeling, eternal life, eternal Son of Jehovah god, everlasting truth, evil counterparts, exhortations, eyes of faith, faithful happening, favourwalk safely, fear, fellow believers, foolish, Garden of Gethsemane, get understanding, get wisdom, glory hallelujah, God's children, God's Spirit, Good Friday, grace, Hades, heavenly wisdom, ignorant things, individual situations, It is finished, Jesus Christ, Jesus' people, keep thy foot from being caught, knowledge, life to your soul, listen, Lord and Saviour, lost sould, LOVE, mighty conqueror, name of Jesus, oak, obedience, paragon, Praise the name of Jesus, recipe for favour, safety, salvation, saviour jesus christ, something constructive, sound wisdom, terror, the clouds drop down dew, the Lord shall be thy confidence, trouble from the wicked, truth, understanding, understanding better than silver, unwise, victorious over death, when the trumpets call up yonder, wisdom, wisdom better than gold, you shall not be afraid, you shall not stumble
Proverbs 16:16. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
Oh Friends, it is finished! The deed has been done! Jesus Christ has been crucified! Death has prevailed!
How unfortunate you say. However, please remember that for a mighty oak to sprout from a comparatively tiny acorn, or any tree to sprout from its seed, it must be planted in the deep, dark recesses of the earth; it must die first. The same goes for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For Him to rise again, He had to undergo death first, and spend time in the shadows of Hades.
But fortunately, unlike a seed that sometimes has to spend a long time being dead, being buried in the earth, our Saviour only spent two days. Glory Hallelujah! He died and was buried yesterday, Good Friday, and He will rise on the third day; that’s tomorrow, Easter Sunday; a new man, a mighty conqueror, victorious over death and its evil counterparts!
And all God’s children boldly and loudly declared: ‘All power to Jesus, the eternal son of Jehovah God! He was dead, and was buried, but on the third day He rose again, victorious from the grave, to proclaim salvation and eternal life for the lost souls who believe in Him! Praise the Name of Jesus, our conquering hero!’
Ah mih people, what a paragon we have in Jesus! That’s why it surprises, and also disappoints me when others cry Him down, try to demean and belittle Him. I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on them because they are suffering from a terrible deficiency; meaning that they can only see as far as their physical eyes can shine, there are no eyes of faith in their souls, the only thing that allows us to believe in Jesus.
Let us pray for those unfortunate persons, that sometime before their earthly demise, they will wake up to the true reality of the situation and accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour before it’s too late.
And what shall we ponder on today eh? Oh yes, my people, there’s a faithful happening that’s worth the telling! (smile)
Two nights ago, I was watching and praying with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The church was semi-dark, only lit by a few candles. At one stage I was there all by my lonesome, and as always, that situation brings to my mind the saying that an empty church has more room for God. And at those times I tend to believe it, because when there’s a crowd in the church, the bodies seem to take up all the physical space.
But there’s a kind of eerie feeling, being all alone in a semi-dark church late at night, as though the rest of it is filled with God’s Spirit! He just has more room to wander, not obstructed by human bodies. Anyway, the last couple of times I watched and prayed with Christ in the Garden, the Lord whispered a word to my spirit, in an area in which I guess He figured I needed improvement.
One year it was simply ‘LISTEN!’ Now that I’m still working on. (smile) I don’t remember what the other year was, how sad, but this year it was ‘GET WISDOM, GET UNDERSTANDING! Hn, Hn!
Oh my people, what an imaginative and wonderful God we serve! Hence our Bit for today: ‘How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!’ And those are words of everlasting truth my people!
And that jewel from Cousin Sol can be proven quite easily by these other words of his: ‘The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths (deeps) are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.‘ (Prov.3:19-20)
Oh Friends, it says there that the Lord used wisdom and understanding to create the universe. Now if those two things were so important in God’s work, why shouldn’t they be just as important in ours eh?
No wonder in his exhortations to obedience, Cousin Sol solemnly warns: ‘My son, let them not depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace (favour) to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).‘ (Prov.3:21-26)
Oh my people, my people, I would indeed be extremely foolish if I didn’t follow that recipe for favour and safety, especially after the Lord specifically put it in my spirit.
And please note my brethren that that was not meant for me alone, but for all of us; all of His people. He’s obviously seen the foolish, unwise, ignorant and evil things that are now preeminent in our world and is sending us a message to smarten up, to get with Jesus’ programme, so we don’t end up in the same God-forsaken place like the evildoers.
So Friends, let’s wake up and get with it nuh. We’re supposed to be Jesus’ people, that means we’re supposed to be wise, though we surely aren’t showing that in our everyday lives.
Therefore, let’s ponder our individual situations this Easter weekend, cause it’s a most appropriate time, and do something constructive about the negative and unwise things in our lives, for we certainly don’t want to be caught napping and wanting when the trumpets call up yonder. That’s heavenly wisdom my fellow believers. Please, let’s embrace it wholeheartedly nuh! Much LOVE!
…as my old mammy use to tell me…son, when you don’t hear…yuh going to feel…and feel hard too…and was she ever right…
P.S Please accept my apologies for a typo at the very top of yesterday’s Bit, (not for the Blog) where I wrote Luke 23:24a instead of Luke 23:34a. That’s if many of you noticed. (smile) Remember the ole fella’s only human, thus not perfect. Much LOVE!
03 Apr 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after-shocks, almighty god, always and forever, an endless sea, anchor, angels, becalmed, buckle down to our tasks, can never recapture time, caught napping, charge over thee, Chile, Christ's Second Coming, Christian ethic, comfort, crapaud smoke we pipe, deliver, die by the sword, disasters, don't ne lazy, drifitng, earthquake, eternity, evil, fallacy, forever lost, forgiveness, freer use of guns, get serious, glorify the gun, God is a refuge and fortress, God is alive, gospel truth, guide and protect, habitation, healing, heartfelt prayers, heralding, honour, Jesus, just our imagination, killing machines, known my name, lift thee up, live by the sword, long life, loss of life, LOVE, make our way right, mend our fences with God, mercy, natural disaster, nebulous being, no evil shall befall thee, no solid foundation, on the outside looking in, plague, property damage, Psalm 91, pull up our socks, put our lives in God's hands, salvation, set on high, shall not stumble, shooting in fort Hood, spending eternity with Lucifer, spirit is willing, stop fretting, strike thy foot, stumble and fall, take the bull by the horns, the flesh is weak, the Lord's grace, the Most High, the trumpet sounds, Thursday, thy dwelling place, time, trample, tread upon the lion, trouble, tsunamis, unconcerned about mankind, universe, use time fruitfully, use time wisely, walk safely, war zones, waste our God-given time, what have I done for the week, worrying
Proverbs 3:23. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
And then it was Thursday… ‘Thursday,’ I asked myself? How could it be Thursday already eh? It was just Monday a couple days ago…
And then I ask myself: ‘What have you done for the week?’ And myself truthfully replies: ‘Not a whole lot nuh.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends, because I can see the load of stuff sitting next to me, either to be read or actioned in some way. And it’s not like I’ve been watching a lot of television, playing computer games, or even sleeping. Hn!
But some how or other, time has gotten away from me. Unfortunately though, time passes so quickly these days – that’s just our imagination yes, time’s been passing at the same speed all along (smile) – and once it’s passed, we can never recapture it. So it therefore behoves us to use it wisely and fruitfully while we have it.
On the other hand though, once it has passed, we need to stop fretting and worrying over it, and just move on with whatever time we have left. Hopefully, I can begin doing that today, because there is a fair amount of stuff to be done. And it’s not difficult stuff either, just time consuming. And though the spirit is often willing, the flesh is too often weak. (smile)
So Friends, let’s all try and pull up our socks today nuh, take the proverbial bull by the horns and simply buckle down to the tasks we need to accomplish. And that is all a part of our Christian ethic too – not to be lazy and waste our God-given time.
And we’ll just quickly mention two of the latest disasters to hit the West; that of the 8.2 level earthquake that hit off Chile’s north coast yesterday. Let’s pray for all those involved and hope that there is no further loss of life or property damage, through tsunamis and after shocks.
Now that natural disaster we can’t do much about, but the shooting in Fort Hood, the U.S. Army Base … Steups! When is the foolish shooting going to stop eh? So many people are killed everyday by guns, outside of war zones, totally unnecessary deaths, yet we still glorify the gun, even allowing it greater and freer use within our society nowadays, as well as making improvements, to make them even better killing machines.
Ah Lord eh! We seem to have conveniently forgotten the old adage that he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. That pertains to guns too my people.
Anyway, despite all the negatives involved, let us send up heartfelt prayers to heaven, asking for the Lord’s grace, mercy, healing, comfort and forgiveness on all those involved.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.’
Yes Friends, if more of us would put our lives in God’s hands, and try to live the way He desires of us, fewer of us would stumble and fall. But foolishly we seem to consider God as some nebulous being, way out there in the farthest reaches of the universe, either unconcerned about mankind, or simply unable to help him.
Oh my people, that is a fallacy of enormous proportions! Our God is alive, in control, and right here with us – ALWAYS AND FOREVER!
But until we truly believe that and consequently act on it, we’ll be forever lost, becalmed on an endless sea, just drifting, hither, thither and yon, with no solid foundation to anchor us.
And we have the perfect scripture to back all of that up. It comes from Psalm 91, appropriately titled, ‘God is a refuge and fortress.’ Please listen closely to the psalmist as he declares his holy case.
‘Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation (dwelling place); There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh (near) thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder (cobra): the young lion and the dragon (serpent) shalt thou trample underfeet.
Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life (length of days) will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps.91:9-16)
Oh Friends, what’s more to say eh? NOTHING! For that passage of scripture says it all!
Oh mih breddren, it’s so simple and easy – just like the work I’ve been putting off. (smile) We just need to get serious and do it. If we make our way right with Almighty God, He will guide and protect us. If we don’t, then it’s cleaners for us; crapaud smoke we pipe; we’ll end up on the outside looking in, spending eternity with Lucifer rather than Jesus.
Now that surely doesn’t sound like such a wonderful idea! So please, let’s mend our fences with our Creator as soon as possible nuh; preferably today, RIGHT NOW, so that we won’t be caught napping when the trumpet sounds up yonder, heralding Christ’s Second Coming. Much LOVE!
…God has given us two choices…spend eternity with ME in heaven…or spend it in Hades with Lucifer…the choice is ours…wisdom though, strongly advises we pick the first option…
27 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, almighty god, blessings, buy and eat, call upon God, come and drink for free, come unto me, comfort, Controller, courage, Creator, drunks, dwell with humanity, eternal life, excellent job, faithful believers, faithfully, faithfulness, for our benefit, free gift, glorified, God is the greatest, God works on our behalf, God's purpose, God's thoughts higher than mans, God's ways higher than man's, gospel, grace, highway 401, Holy Ghost, holy spirit, hunger and thirst after righteousness, in Jesus' name, indulge in sin, indwelling of the holy spirit, Jesus Christ, keep on doing it diligently, knowledge, let the wicked forske his ways, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, magnanimous, mercy, milk, mind-boggling offer, motivate the believer, omnipotent, pardon, peace, Pothole Season, potholes, provider, put it into serious practice, return unto the Lord, righteousness., rivers of living water, roads in bad shape, salutations, salvation, seek the Lord, sgnificant cracks in the roads, source of new life, Spirit of God, spiritual experiences, spring, take all this to heart, teetotallers, unconditional LOVE, understanding, walking in Jesus' footsteps, whoever is thirsty, wicked world, wine, winter weather, wisdom, without money, without price, workmanship
Isaiah 55:1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.’
Oh my Friends, salutations and blessings, and courage and comfort, with wisdom and peace to all you who desire to walk faithfully in the tough but energizing footsteps of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, this chilly Thursday morning at the end of March 2014! May He, in His wisdom and great faithfulness, grant us all that we need to go out and do an excellent job in His Holy Name! Amen!
Now today I want to share something from a comic strip called Rhymes with Orange, posted in the newspaper a couple of days ago. This particular scene shows two police officers, one white, one black, sitting in a patrol car, with the white one telling the black one: ‘Look for the cars driving straight… They’re the drunks. It’s the teetotallers swerving all over the road.’ And at the bottom of the strip, there’s a sign that says: ‘POTHOLE SEASON.’
And although all that is meant as a joke, right now it could be taken quite seriously in Toronto and its environs, because I’ve never seen our roads in such bad shape. This winter’s been real hard on them. The potholes are usually prevalent, but this year there are also significant cracks extending for long distances on all the roads.
I recently drove down the major highway 401 that runs north of Toronto, it’s one of the busiest in the world, and right by the airport, the cracks and potholes were so bad that it didn’t make sense to try and avoid them. In some places you’d think you were driving in some impoverished third world country.
And on my street, the cracks go almost all the way down, on both sides of the yellow, dividing line. I also noticed yesterday like they attempted to patch up some of the more serious cracks and holes, but that only makes the ride bumpier. Chuh!
And despite the calendar saying it’s now spring, don’t fool yuh fat nuh, the winter weather is still here, though the weather people have promised us a short break this week.
Anyway my people, all of that is small potatoes – until you have to take your vehicle to the mechanic (smile) – and we can handle whatever comes against us because our God is the GREATEST; not only omnipotent, but also magnanimous to a fault, and He always works on our behalf, for our benefit!
How awesome my people! We have a powerful and magnificent God who is always with us, working for our good. And it is all shown right here in our Bit: ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat: yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.’
Now how can we ever refuse such a mind-boggling offer from our Creator, Controller and Provider eh?
But unfortunately many people are doing exactly that. Only because they don’t really understand what this life is all about, whom Almighty God truly is, and how He operates.
However Friends, that’s where we come in. It’s our job, as faithful believers, to get out into our extremely violent and wicked world and tell them about Jesus; of His unconditional LOVE, and free gift of grace that leads to salvation and eternal life.
We need to get the unbelievers -and many supposed believers too – to a place where they can truly appreciate these verses: ‘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.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:6-9)
Yes my brethren, only when mankind fully understands, appreciates and believes those words, will he be able to sincerely seek refuge in our most wonderful Deity, Jehovah God!
And all of what Isaiah says is no lie my people, because we’ve seen Jesus saying the same thing. And we’ll quote another of Jesus’ immortal sayings on people hungering and thirsting for righteousness.
‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, (feast of the tabernacles) Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water.’ (John 7:37-38)
Oh fellow believers, that’s the third time that Jesus has spoken of giving living water to those who believe in Him. Now what does He mean by that eh? The next verse clears that up.
‘(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe in him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)’ (John 7:39)
Yes mih breddren, it’s the Holy Spirit which indwells ALL believers, that Jesus is referring to! And we’ll close with some interesting comments from the scholars, re the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
‘7:39. One of God’s purposes since the beginning has been to dwell with humanity and enjoy fellowship with us. He does it in this dispensation through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1) occurs automatically when a person is saved; (2) is not an “experience,” but produces spiritual experiences; (3) remains permanently; (4) is the basis of all the other ministries of the Holy Spirit; and (5) is the source of new life in the believer:
Illustration: When Paul met 12 disciples of John who did not know of the Holy Spirit, he knew they needed to be saved. So he preached the gospel to them (Acts 19:1-5).
Application: The Holy Spirit’s indwelling should motivate the believer to be careful not to harm his body nor indulge his body in sin. (1 Cor.6:19-20). (First Ref. Ex.35:31; Primary Ref. John 7:37-39; cf. 1 Cor.12:13.)’
Oh Friends, please, please let’s take all this to heart and either put into serious practice, or if we have already done that, then let’s just keep on diligently doing it nuh! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Much LOVE!
…and he hath filled him (Bezaleel)…with the spirit of God…in wisdom…in understanding…and in knowledge…and in all manner of workmanship… (Ex.35:31)
26 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leader, a witness, abundance, accept God's offer, afraid of free stuff, always working for our good, amazing offer, belt of truth, blessed eternity, breastplate of righteousness, can't come to the Father but through Jesus, caught in schemes, chutzpah, come buy and eat without money, come to the waters, come unto me, commander, covenant, deal, delight in fatness, don't have any money, eternal life, eternity, everlasting, everlasting life, example of righteousness, flocking to God, forgiveness, fountain of water, free gift of grace, get up and go, God is always with us, helmet of salvation, immortal, incline your ear, Isaiah, Jacob's Well, judgement day, loving kindness, Lucifer, magnanimity, magnificent God, mercy, milk, moan and groan, never thirst, no need to worry, on the outside looking in, pass up, poison, poisoned dart, powerful God, Praise the Lord, salvation, Samaritan woman, sandals of peace, scam, shield of faith, sounds too good to be true, sour and sombre mood, spiritual offer, suit of spiritual armour, sure mercies of David, sword of the Spirit, taken in, testimony to god's mercy, Thank the Lord, the best, the Good Book, the greatest offer ever made to man, the Life, the Truth, the Way, thirst again, we can handle whatever comes against us, who ever's thirsty, wine, wisest decision, word to the wise, words of jesus, your soul shall live
Isaiah 55:1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat: yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s in a somewhat sour and sombre mood this Wednesday morning. In fact from since last night he’s been that way. And there isn’t any good or valid reason for it, because I’m fine in all other aspects of life. But I just don’t have the chutzpah, the get up and go that I usually have.
Even stuff that usually thrills me, didn’t do so last night. I guess the mind, body and soul are either tired, or that wily Lucifer espied a little hole in my armour and sneaked in a poisoned, fiery dart.
But yuh know what mih people, we’re going to correct that right now by putting on a new suit of spiritual armour…
There, it’s done! I have on a new suit with no blemishes whatsoever! I’m fully dressed in my helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, sandals of peace, shield of faith, and by my side is my trusty sword of the Spirit, my Good Book!
So Lucifer won’t be able to get in again, and we’ll freeze out what little poison is left in my soul. Thank the Lord!
Yes Friends, the ole fella’s spirit is already on the rebound. Praise the Lord! And there’s really no need to ever worry, because we can handle whatever comes against us since we serve and worship a powerful and magnificent God who is always with us, working for our good.
And He declares His awesome magnanimity right here in the words of our Bit. ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat: yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.’
Oh my people, that’s one deal no human being can beat or afford to pass up!
But strangely enough, many of us are doing just that; passing up the greatest offer ever made to man! We’ll flock to some business place that claims to have a fantastic deal, although more times than not it’s a scam, but very few of us are flocking to God for this free gift of grace. How sad my brethren!
But I guess we’re all afraid of free stuff and things that sound too good to be true. However, everyday many of us are still being taken in, caught in schemes that sound way too good to be true. We plunk down our hard earned cash, only to see it disappear into the wild, blue yonder. Then we moan and groan about if we’d only known.
Steups! On the contrary friends, this offer of God is one we’ll moan and groan about, because we HAVE NOT ACCEPTED IT! For come the judgement day, there’ll be no excuses or chances to make it right. So please listen, and wisely accept God’s offer, RIGHT NOW! Believe me, it’s the wisest decision you can ever make in this life!
And moreover, it will directly affect what happens to you from the day your body returns to the dust from which it was made, right through to eternity. Now you obviously don’t want to experience anything but the BEST in eternity, and this free offer of grace, salvation and eternal life is the ONLY THING that can guarantee you a blessed eternity!
And we saw yesterday that if you accept this spiritual offer, your soul will delight in fatness, in abundance. (Is.55:2) And there’s even more to this amazing offer, as Isaiah declares: ‘ Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.’ (Is.55:3)
Oh brother, if you ever received the same kind of mercies that Bruh David received, then it means you’ll be deluged with mercy and LOVING-kindness, because that’s how the Lord treated him!
And consequently, Isaiah could declare: ‘Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.’ (Is.55:4)
The Lord also holds out Bruh David as an example to us of righteousness, as a witness, a leader, a testimony to His awesome mercy and LOVING-kindness. But we’ll never enjoy any of that abundant mercy and LOVING-kindness until we accept God’s free gifts of grace, mercy, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life.
And we’ll close with some immortal words of Jesus… Sorry, all of Jesus’ words are immortal. These particular ones come from His conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.
‘Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall NEVER thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14)
Oh my brethren, that’s it right there in a nutshell! If you want to enjoy everlasting life, then you HAVE TO ACCEPT Jesus’ offer of spiritual upliftment. IT’S THE ONLY WAY!
Please remember that and act on it RIGHT NOW nuh, because we don’t know when Jesus will return, but once He does, it will be too late.
As they say, a word to the wise is sufficient, so please be wise today my brethren and make sure that you’re on the wonderful inside when Jesus returns, and not on the damned outside sorrowfully looking in. Much LOVE!
…I am the WAY…the TRUTH…and the LIFE…NO MAN cometh to the Father…BUT BY ME… (John 14:6)
25 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adventuresome, afflictions, alive and kicking, anger, apathy, assured, awesome wisdom, bad, bless God's Holy Name, blessed, buy and eat, call upon the Lord, christ's character, come to the waters, covenant, delight in abundance, diligent, dr robert h schuller, dread, engourage, everlasting, exhilarating, faith, faithful promises, faithfulness, false dead pretenders, fear, filled, forgiveness, free gift of salvation, free offer, frutiful and faithful plans of god, Gentiles, good, goodness, gospel truth, hearsay, Hour of Power, humbly praise, immortal words, into forever, invitation, Isaiah, Israel, Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus Christ, joy, leading and guiding, life with Jehovah god, light of Jesus Christ, long-winded, LOVE, magnanimous, mercy, negative emotions, negative things, no money, omnipotent god, one and only true God, our benefit, our Lord and Saviour, pain, paths of righteousness, personal experience, planet earth, promises, reaction to circumstances, reaction to problems, reflection, refresh your minds and souls, refreshing, refreshing attitude, righteousness., Romans 8:28, salvation, scriptures, seek the Lord, self-pity, semblance of peace, Sermon on the Mount, soul, spend money, spiritually hungry and thirsty, stand strong, steadfast, strife, take them in stride, tests, thirsty, to all and sundry, unfortunate situations, universal offer, unsatisfactory labour, ups and downs, walking with God, wisdom, wisdom from heaven, wise advice, with God's help, without money, without price, wonderful adventure
Isaiah 55:1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Oh Friends, through the great and tender mercy of our wonderful and omnipotent God, we’ve been blessed to see another beautiful day upon His exotic creation, Planet Earth!
And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord for bringing us through another dark, dreary and scary night into the bright, awesome and most refreshing and secure light of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! We humbly praise You and bless Your Holy Name! Amen.’
Yes mih people, when you’re walking with God, or at least faithfully trying to do so, your life becomes a wonderful adventure, filled with ups and downs, goodness and mercy, LOVE and forgiveness, good and bad, tests and afflictions!
But please know that it all works out to our benefit in the end, according to God’s fruitful and faithful plans for our lives, as entrenched in the promises of Jeremiah 29:11, and Romans 8:28. Please read those scriptures and refresh your minds and souls, so that you can stand strong and steadfast on them.
And to further encourage us, here is some very wise advice from Gramps Schuller – Dr. Robert H. Schuller – from his Hour of Power Devotional. ‘Learn to live by this refreshing attitude: “It’s not what happens to me that matters most; it’s how I react to what happens to me.”
And that my Friends, is the gospel, gospel truth! What happens to us is indeed important, especially when it involves stuff like pain, anger, strife and other negative things. But even more important is how we react to those circumstances.
We can take them in our stride, obviously with God’s help, and maintain some semblance of peace and/or joy in our spirits. Or we can just give in to self-pity, apathy, dread, fear, and all the other negative emotions that tend to bombard us when unfortunate situations occur.
And today we have a rather appropriate Bit that addresses that problem. ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.’
Oh mih breddren, what a magnanimous and universal offer from our most marvellous God! That’s a free offer of mercy to ALL and SUNDRY!
There’s NO other supposed deity who has ever, or can ever offer such a wonderful gift to their believers, because they are not true deities, but false, dead pretenders, while the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD, IS ALIVE AND KICKING! And kicking mightily too… right into forever!
Now here are some interesting comments from the scholars on our Bit and subsequent verses: ’55:1-7. God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come and eat and drink without money (or freely).
He promises an everlasting covenant to the Gentiles like the one He established with Israel. His invitation to all men is clearly stated by the appeal, Seek ye the Lord, and call ye upon him.’
Oh Friends, it’s so sad when people deliberately choose not to follow Jehovah God, for they know not what they are missing! Doing life with Jehovah God is a most exhilarating, refreshing and adventuresome experience… and this not hearsay, but personal experience!
That’s because you never know what He’ll be up to next, but you do know, you’re completely assured that whatever happens, He’s walking with you, leading and guiding you along paths of righteousness, working you into a reflection of Christ’s character, all for His Name’s Sake. Wow!
And though the road may be rocky and rough, there’s faith in your heart, based on His faithful promises, that eventually things will be fine.
And I like how Isaiah continues after our Bit: ‘Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (abundance).’ (Is.55:2)
Ah mih people, what a wonderful invitation! And there’s a lot more to say, but since I’m endeavouring to keep the Bit short and sweet we’ll end shortly with some immortal words from Jesus.
And please don’t ever think that I don’t try to keep it short, but sometimes that’s how the Spirit leads me, or there just isn’t enough to spread over two days, plus the fact that I’m just naturally long-winded. (smile)
Anyway, here are Jesus’ immortal words on the subject, which come from the Sermon on the Mount, one of the Beatitudes. ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt.5:6)
Oh my fellow believers, another faithful promise for us to stand on! So please let’s stand on it, today and everyday, and thus be filled with righteousness, every day of our lives!
That’s awesome wisdom – wisdom that can only come from heaven! Much LOVE!
…to seek…to seek… and yet to find God…in His everlasting mercy and forgiveness…
19 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after God's heart, alive and kicking, atonement for sins, believe, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed the Lord, brimming with energy, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, disbelief, enthusiasm, eternal life, everything belongs to God, evil world, exalted, excited, exhortation, faithfulness, for ever and ever, fragance of God's knowledge, genuine faith, God will always make a way for us, God will never give us more than we can handle, God's power, God's wisdom, good news, greatest blessings, greatness, grumpy, head above all, heavenly Father, honour and glory, immeasurable, in god's hand is power and might, in the blink of an eye, Jesus, Jesus' gospel, joy, kingdom of god, leap of faith, Lord and Saviour, Lord god of Israel, LOVE, loving kindness, majesty, marvels and miracles, modern technology, my spirit came alive, noised abroad, not ready to face the day, only wise God, praise God's glorious name, Praise the Lord, prayer, reconciliation, rejuvenation, riches and honour come from God, salvation, see god work wonders, selfless sacrifice, Spread God's Word, tests, Thanks be to God, thanksgiving, the glory, the Great Commission, the kingdom, the Lord's faithfulness, the power, the Son of God, the work of the Holy Spirit, thine is the kingdom, time in prayer, tired, to all and sundry, triumph in Christ, victory, willing to do God's bidding, wine and roses, wisdom, wonder of wonders, word of caution
Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s excited this morning! Why? I really don’t know, because there’s nothing to be really excited about except being alive and kicking!
The story though, is that I woke up sort of early this morning, feeling tired and not ready to face the day, so I went back to bed. I got up an hour or so later, still somewhat tired and grumpy – and don’t you dare say that’s normal (smile) – but I could not afford to give in to my tired feelings and go back to bed, for the Bit would be even later than it already was going to be.
But wonder of wonders, after spending some time in prayer with our heavenly Father, my spirit just came alive, and now I’m brimming with energy, enthusiasm, joy and LOVE, ready to face the evil world that we dwell in!
Now that rejuvenation could only have come through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. As I keep telling us, our God’s not foolish, His wisdom is immeasurable. He knew that I had to write the Bit, and couldn’t do a decent job if I was feeling low down and grumpy, so He rejuvenated my spirit!
And as Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to (leads us in) triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour (fragrance) of his knowledge by us in every place.’ (2 Cor.2:14)
Oh Friends, our God is such a wonderful Deity! Please don’t ever doubt it! He never leaves us in the lurch, especially when we cry out to Him in genuine faith. But the problem though my brethren is that we first have to BELIEVE; to BELIEVE that He is a helper of those who truly seek Him.
And that’s where a lot of us falter… we don’t truly BELIEVE.
Now do you think I could have been writing the Bit going on 8 years now on only my strength? No way Jose!
And you all know how I laughed in disbelief when the Lord first broached the idea, pleading my lack of knowledge etc. etc. But the Lord persisted, and I finally agreed to do His bidding.
And my people, over the years, as I have tried my best, I’ve seen the Lord’s faithfulness in helping me to do His bidding. And now, now I’ve reached a point where I have NO DOUBTS whatsoever as to the Lord’s faithfulness and LOVING-kindness to those who are willing to do His bidding!
But we first have to make that leap of faith. And I challenge us to wisely make that leap of faith today, RIGHT NOW, if you sincerely want to see God work wonders in your life!
Now one word of caution; don’t get the idea that it will be all wine and roses when the Lord begins to work in your life. Hn! On the contrary, it might get more difficult as He tests us to see if we truly want to be a part of His kingdom.
But please remember that He will NEVER give us more than we can bear, and WILL ALWAYS make a way for us to handle the situation, even when there seems to be no way. I can vouch for that.
And all this ties in quite nicely with our Bit, immortal words of Jesus on prayer: ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’
Yes Friends, only if the kingdom, the power and the glory are truly the Lord’s, can He work marvels and miracles in our lives! So to see and experience one side of the equation, you must sincerely believe the other!
And nobody’s said it better than Bruh David, when he exhorted his people in thanksgiving and prayer. ‘Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.’ (1 Chr.29:10-14)
Oh mih people, mih people, could Bruh David excite a body and spirit with prayer or what! I guess that’s why the Lord called him a man after his own heart.
So even before Jesus, the Son of God declared it, Bruh David recognized that the universe, the power and the glory were all God’s, and penitently noised it abroad. So too my fellow believers, ought we to noise the kingdom of God abroad to all and sundry.
And fortunately it’s never been easier to do than in these times of modern technology, where information can be transferred and transmitted to those in faraway places in the blink of an eye. Yes my brethren, we are the first generation that’s physically able to comply with Jesus’ Great Commission and spread the Word to ‘ALL NATIONS.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
So please, let’s get ourselves together and joyfully spread the good news of Jesus’ wonderful gospel nuh; of His selfless sacrifice, His atonement for our sins, His enabling of reconciliation with the Father, and the wonderful promises of salvation and eternal life! Wow! Those are indeed the GREATEST BLESSINGS that the world has ever known!
And we’ll close with some appropriate words from Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the ONLY WISE GOD, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Tim.1:17)
And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of joy, which resounded across both heaven and earth. ‘Praise the Lord God Almighty! For His is indeed the kingdom, the power and the glory!’
Much, much LOVE, my fellow believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
…unless you truly believe in God’s power…you won’t ever see it working in your life…
16 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new day, absolute truth, adoration, almighty god, Barak, be humble before God, blessedness, Bruh David, catastrophe, catastrophic situation, celebration of the Sabbath, cock of the walk, common denominator, comprehend, control our destiny, Deborah, devoid of God's presence, different, elucidation, encouraging words, exalt the Lord's name, extolled, faithfulness, fear of God, fellowship, forgiveness, God's intentions, God's miraculous help, God's purposes, God's Sovereignty, God's thoughts are not ours, God's ways are higher than ours, God's Word, habits, heavenly guidance, human failings, indisputable truth, insecurities, Israel, Jesus Christ, judge of Israel, length of days, loving kindness, mercy, Moses, new song in my mouth, omniscience, parable of the rich fool, petty things, Pharaoh, pleasureable life, praise, praise unto God, preserve me from trouble, pride, prophetess, psalm 40, rituals, rulers of all we survey, salvation, sameness, self-confidence, self-importance, Sermon on the Mount, sing praise to the Lord God of Israel, song, songs of deliverance, Spirit Being, successful life, Supreme Being, thanksgiving, The Lord is my strength, the Red Sea, the Sabbath Day, trust in the Lord, worship
Psalm 40:3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Ah mih people, a new day has dawned over half the world, with different kinds of weather in different places; places that are populated with different kinds of flora and fauna, different kinds of people espousing different habits and rituals; but amazingly, all falling under one common denominator, the Creator of it all, Almighty God!
Wow! What a giant of a Being our God has to be to create all those differences, as well as all the sameness that we possess and enjoy!
No wonder He can rightfully proclaim through His spokesperson Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8)
And there is certainly no disputing those words of absolute truth my brethren because we simply cannot comprehend all there is to comprehend about our Creator.
As the scholars note on those verses above: ‘ 55:8-13. God’s sovereignty and omniscience are extolled by the statement that His thoughts (i.e. purposes or intentions) and ways (derakim, or “directions”) are higher than ours.
While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purposes. Therefore He reveals Himself to men by His word, which shall not return to Him void (in vain). The Word of God, therefore, accomplishes His purpose in announcing salvation to all mankind.’
And that’s why, with our small brains, we tend to gravitate to small, petty things; things that we can see and which can fit into our relatively small comprehension space. (smile) But however we cut it Friends, undoubtedly there is a Spirit Being afloat in the universe out there that is immensely and immeasurably greater than us!
And until mankind comes to truly recognize and believe the fact that we are not the real rulers of our lives, nor are we controllers of the happenings in the universe, and stop thinking so highly, god-like, of ourselves, but instead be humble before the great Spirit of God, we will forever be plagued with all kinds of insecurities and human failings, ranging from total insecurity and lack of self-confidence to overblown pride and self-importance.
Now if that isn’t a Bruh Paulian sentence, I don’t know what is! (smile)
Yes Friends, until we come to truly realize that we’re not ‘cock of the walk,’ rulers of all we survey, then we’ll never be truly happy or contented. And how can we be rulers of all we survey, when we don’t control our destiny and our lives; meaning the things we try to accomplish, the length of our earthly days and our general well-being.
And Jesus pointed out that lack of control so admirably when talking about oaths in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.’ (Matt.5:36)
We also see our inability to control our length of days, when Jesus spoke the parable of the rich fool, who had so much he decided to pull down the old barns and build new, bigger ones to store his goods and lead a leisurely, pleasurable life.
‘But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?’ (Luke 12:20) More words of indisputable truth my brethren!
And I guess it must be in one of those moments of elucidation, of really understanding his total inability to live a successful life devoid of God’s presence, heavenly guidance and LOVING -kindness that Bruh David must have penned Psalm 40 and the encouraging words of our Bit. ‘And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.’
Oh Friends, likewise, it’s only when we realize our inability to successfully exist down here on this wicked earth without God that we also can attain to a greater understanding of ourselves, our universe and our Most High Creator!
Now that awakening would most certainly cause us to sing songs, both old and new, to the Supreme Being, for that’s how truly understanding His Supremacy works.
Earlier on in Psalm 32, the blessedness of forgiveness, Bruh David also wrote: ‘Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about (surround me) with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Ps.32:7)
For sure my people, when we’re facing some catastrophic situation, songs of deliverance from earlier times ought to flow steadily from our lips. And when the Lord delivers us from the catastrophe, new songs of deliverance are always born from the grace, the mercy, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness showered down upon us!
And today we’re going to look at two of those songs of deliverance born of God’s bountiful mercy and faithfulness to Israel. The first one is the Song of Moses, which celebrates Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt and their successful escape across the Red Sea from Pharaoh’s army.
‘Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song (possibly defence), 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 his name.’ (Ex.15:1-2)
Powerful words of praise, thanks and acknowledgement my people! And you can read the rest of it for yourselves from Exodus 15:3-21.
And the second song of deliverance comes from Deborah and Barak. Deborah was a prophetess, the judge Israel at the time, and Barak, the army general when they defeated the much larger and better equipped Canaanite invaders – with God’s miraculous help of course.
‘Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel (when leaders lead in Israel), when the people willingly offered themselves (volunteered). Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.’ (Judg.5:1-3)
Yes Friends, it’s that kind of song that ought to come out of our mouths when the Lord God Jehovah blesses us!
And you can read the remainder of Deborah and Barak’s song in Judges 5: 4-31. It’s much longer than Moses, but just as beautiful!
Well mih people, that’s it for today. The Bit’s longer than I intended and somewhat late – but what else is new eh? (smile) I surely hope though that we all learned something, if not from my ramblings, (smile) then surely from the scriptures we’ve highlighted.
And since today’s the celebration of the Sabbath for many of us, what better way is there to proclaim it than in fellowship with other believers, in full-throated song eh? NONE! Much LOVE!
…in the greater scheme of things…it doesn’t really matter whether we sing old or new songs nuh…just as long as we sing songs of…praise, worship, adoration, LOVE and thanksgiving to our wonderful God and Creator…and plenty songs too…
21 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: achieving reconciliation, Adam, alienated, angelic beings, ascension, atonement, bacchanal, blessings, borders, boundaries, bounden duty, Bruh Paul, celebrations, Christ's contention, clothed in righteousness, Colossians, come to seek and save, death, deceitful one, dilgently address, disobedience, divine means, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enemy, erect strongholds, evil, false step, fellowship, follow Jesus, free gift, Friday chant, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's holy throne, good news, gospel truth, Granny's advice, great commission, heavenly presence of God, heavenly rewards, heavenly wisdom, heretics, holy, holy spirit, humanity, implementation, in the future, inferiority, Jesus Christ, jesus name, Jesus' gospel, joyful shouting, judgement, justification, leggo-beast, let our hair down, lost, LOVE, made peace, malicious, Mardi gras, Mas in T&T, mythological figure, never go wrong, New Orleans, obedience, perfectly holy, poisonous fangs, proper relationship with Christ, protection, put a spoke in your wheel, reconciliation, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, resurrection, righteous, righteousness., Rio carnival, roaring lion, sacrificial death, salvation, sinners, sly, Son of man, standard warning, superiority, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the blood of his cross, things in heaven, things on earth, to live by, ultimate purpose, unaccepteable, wicked works, wisdom, words of caution
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
And then it was Friday…! That’s obvious with all the joyful shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Work soon over, and the partying start…! Thank God is Friday yes!’
And nowhere right now are the shouts louder and more joyous than in Rio for their carnival, New Orleans for their Mardi gras, and T&T for Mas… Bacchanal fuh so! As those bacchanalian celebrations are only another week away.
However Friends, despite your not liking to hear Granny’s words of caution, because you think it puts a spoke in your wheel, stops you from doing certain things, it is indeed necessary for your protection.
That’s because it’s at these kinds of ‘leggo-beast’ celebrations, where the evil, deceitful one is ever present, like a roaring lion, constantly on the lookout for someone to get his poisonous fangs into, and thus erect strongholds in our minds, souls and bodies. (1 Pet.5:8)
But since this is unacceptable in a believer’s life, we need to ensure that certain boundaries, certain borders are not crossed, are not invaded by the sly and malicious enemy. Thus Granny’s warning ought to be taken very seriously. ‘Sonny boy, please, ah beg yuh, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’
And that’s really a standard warning we should all live by, my people, especially in big celebratory times, when we let go and let our hair down.
And as always, to help us get the right perspective for using the weekend, let’s chant our Friday Chant with all sincerity. ‘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.’
Yes Friends, the weekend’s not only for partying, but also for rest and fellowship. Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ And this is definitely the last day for it. (smile)
So what scriptures do we have to share that support Christ’s contention that He came to save us? Let’s begin with Bruh Paul talking to the Colossians, re reconciliation in and through Christ.
‘And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in (on) earth, or things in heaven. And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight.’ (Col.1:20-22)
Now here are some thoughts from the scholars on those verses. ‘1:21. Reconciliation is the act whereby God, through Christ’s atonement, brings men who are at odds with Him back into a peaceful, proper relationship with Himself.’
‘1:22. In the body of his flesh through death (or, “by His fleshly body through death”). The Colossian heretics may have argued that Jesus’ humanity and death indicate His inferiority to the angelic beings in the universe. Paul turns the argument against them, showing that His death points to His superiority; for His death is the divine means of achieving reconciliation to God.
To present you holy… in his sight (or, “to bring you holy… into His presence”). This expresses the ultimate purpose of reconciliation: it is to eventually usher the believer, made perfectly holy, into the heavenly presence of God.’
Oh my brethren, we can NEVER GO WRONG, IF WE FOLLOW JESUS!
And finally, listen to Bruh Paul in his missive to the church at Rome, talking about sin through Adam, and salvation through Christ. ‘Therefore, as the offense of one (false step) judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so be the righteousness of one (righteous act) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.’ (Rom.5:18-19)
And that’s the gospel truth of all gospel truths, my fellow believers in Jesus Christ!
And the scholars have this to say re those two verses. ‘5:18-19. Paul’s reference to Adam shows that he understood Adam to have been a real person. Adam was not a mythological figure any more than Jesus was.’
Oh Friends, our Jesus was definitely not a mythological character, for it’s only through His sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension that we are now able to come before God’s holy throne clothed in righteousness.
And that’s the GOOD NEWS OF JESUS’ GOSPEL, which He asked us to go forth and share with all mankind, to all the corners of the earth, so that all the earth would hear it and have a chance for salvation. (Matt.28:19-20)
Please my fellow believers, let’s take that commission very seriously and diligently address ourselves to its implementation. For it’s not only our bounden duty, but also heavenly wisdom, and will bring us great heavenly rewards in the future too. Much LOVE!
… he who doesn’t know the Son…unfortunately…will NEVER KNOW the Father…
19 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Saviour is born, abode in heaven, all right physically, angels, apostles, be foolish, believe not, chief cornerstone, Christ the Lord, Christmas, crummy earth, darkness, depend on, derail, develop a good attitude, disobedient creation, eternal death, eternity, ever-loving Lord and Saviour, every aspect of life, exaggeration, exile, exile in Babylon, faith and trust, faithful God, far-sighted, fear not, fellow believers, fulfill our god-given tasks, giving us the tools to do the job, God's promises, good frame of mind, good tidings, great joy, guiding light, heart-warming, high priest, humanitarian purpose, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Jewish people, judge not, judge the world, kernel of an idea, kin to lying, latter years, light of the world, like a million dollars, lost, LOVE, love and revere God, mankind, Maytones, merciful, mighty god, modus operandi, mountain goat, navel string is buried, never giving us more than we can bear, never leave or forsake us, no easy task, no stone left unturned, one way, ought to grow, Passover, Peter, physical aspects of the body, physical capabilities, please the Father, positive effect, preaching Christ crucified, promote His Holy Church, read God's word, relationship with heaven, repatriation, responsible, righteousness., rough around the edges, rough row to hoe, sacrifice, salvation, serious effort, shepherds, sinless soul, smile, son of god, stand steadfast and strong, straight from the heart, surrender your will, testimonial, Thanks be to God, the city of David, the Lord's planted us, the mind, tired, to be obedient, to seek and to save, to work in sync., Tobago, under the weather, undergo some sacrifice, ungrateful pagans, unsaved, walk in obedience, wayward, whole spectrum, wonder of wonders, words of truth, work diligently, work out all things for our good, Zion Land
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, last night I went to bed feeling somewhat tired and under the weather, but wonder of wonders, I got up this morning feeling like a million dollars! Wow! All thanks be to our great and wonderful God!
Well… let’s not exaggerate nuh, for exaggeration is kin to lying… Let’s say like three quarter million. (smile) But the important thing is that I’m up at a decent hour, in a good frame of mind, and feeling all right physically, though obviously not as good as I felt back in Tobago.
Oh mih breddren, what amazed me most in Tobago was how physically strong and fit I felt after about the first week, as compared to how I feel up here in the cold north country. The sea, the sand, salt, sex and rum does have a most positive effect on the physical aspects of the body, (smile)and we all know that once the body is feeling fine, the mind will operate on a higher level, since they’ve been programmed to work in sync.
To tell how physically strong the ole fella felt, I took my cane with me, because sometimes I need it going up steep inclines, but from the day I put it up against the dressing table in the bedroom, I never touched it until the day I was ready to come home, for I was walking up steps, hills and other steep inclines like a mountain goat. Now now, we’re only talking about the goat’s physical capabilities, not his other characteristics. (smile)
But then again, it’s important for us to realize that wherever the Lord’s currently planted us, that’s where we ought to grow. And though my dreams are focused on spending my latter years in Tobago, where my navel string is buried, I am also determined to do my best up here as an exile in the cold.
The Lord promised the Jewish people that after a sojourn of exile in Babylon, He would return them to Jerusalem, and He did. Now I’m believing for the same thing; after forty something years of exile in the new age Babylon, I’m hoping, praying and believing for repatriation to Tobago. Oh Friends, please pray that the Lord will be merciful unto the ole fella and grant him that wish.
Anyhow, for all you beautiful people who are feeling a little, or even plenty rough around the edges this morning, please take heart, if I can develop a good attitude and stand steadfast and strong with our Creator, then so can you. But you have to make a serious effort to be obedient, to be willing to undergo some sacrifice.
We all talk about becoming like Jesus, but yuh think Jesus had it easy? No way Jose! Yuh think He wanted to leave His comfortable abode in heaven and come down to this crummy earth and sacrifice His sinless soul for a bunch of ungrateful pagans? I very much doubt it.
But the Father asked Him to, because He was the ONLY HOPE, His wayward and disobedient creation called mankind had. And if there was one thing Jesus desired more than anything else was to please the Father!
And Friends, that too should be our guiding light, today and everyday, right down through eternity! Our heavenly Father’s wishes and will must be the all-consuming, engine-driving modus operandi of our lives. And if it isn’t, then something’s wrong somewhere, and it will consequently derail the good and wonderful relationship with heaven that we ought to have.
Now my fellow believers, don’t get me wrong, what I’m advocating is no easy task, rather, it’s a rather difficult row to hoe. But if we depend on, put our faith and trust in God’s promises of never giving us more than we can bear or handle; always giving us the tools to do whatever He’s called us to do; to work out all things for our eventual good; and never to leave or forsake us, then we WILL be able to fulfill our God-given tasks.
And please notice that those promises cover the whole spectrum, every aspect of life, so there’s no stone left unturned, or area left unaccounted for. That’s how responsible and far-sighted is our God!
Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here because I came downstairs to my study just now, not knowing what I’d write about, when suddenly the opening kernel of an idea struck me, and I simply picked up pen and paper and began writing, and the words and ideas just kept flowing!
Mama Mia! So how could I not sincerely LOVE and revere our wonderful and faithful God with all my heart, mind, body and soul eh? Please believe me when I say that He is indeed a mighty and faithful God!
But you’ll never find that out for yourself until you make a serious effort to get to know Him, surrender your will to His, read His Word, then try to walk in obedience to it. You most likely will have to sacrifice something(s), but you’ll eventually notice that what you’ve gained, is much more important than what you’ve sacrificed.
But enough rambling and ‘preambling’, I hadn’t planned on writing a testimonial, but apparently the Lord desired one. And who am I to say Him nay eh?
Now let’s check out our most informative and heart-warming Bit. ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ And unfortunately my fellow believers, too many of us are still lost and unsaved.
But as we’ve been doing, let’s turn to some scriptures which truthfully declare and support the purpose of our Bit. And the first one comes from Luke’s gospel, where the angels are talking to the shepherds in the fields, while they watch their flocks by night.
‘And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.’ (Luke 2:10-11) And that’s the basis for our great celebration of Christmas, just passed.
The next scripture comes from Acts, where the apostles are up before the high priest and Jewish council, when they refused to stop preaching Christ crucified.
In one of his powerful moments, Peter declares to the council: ‘This is the stone which was set at nought of (rejected by) you builders, which is become the head of the corner (chief cornerstone). Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ (Acts 4:10-11)
Yes my brethren, THERE IS NO OTHER WAY FOR A MAN TO BE SAVED BUT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST! And I had to put that in big, bold letters so that it would resonate and permeate right to the very depths of our being and make us understand what’s truly at stake in this life.
And we’ll end, as I always like to when possible, with some words from Jesus, further acknowledging His earthly purpose. These words come from a session in Jerusalem where some Greeks who had come up for the Passover requested to see Jesus.
Listen to our wonderful Leader once again proclaim His most humanitarian purpose. ‘And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.’ (John 12:45-47)
Oh my people, what faithful words of truth and action! Because He did show us the LIGHT, and saved us from eternal death by dying in our stead. Please note though, that the first time Jesus came, it was to SAVE the world, the next time He comes though will be to JUDGE it!
So today, let’s not be foolish and dispute His testimony, but understand, be wise and accept Him as our true, ever-LOVING Lord and Saviour… the wonderful Son of God, who sacrificed it all for us!
Let’s be thankful and grateful and work diligently to promote His Holy Church here on earth, as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…as the Maytones sing in their song…there’s only one way to Zion land…only one way…there’s only one way to righteousness…only one way…and that’s through Jesus Christ…
P.S. Oh Friends, I know the Bit’s somewhat long, and a tad late, but it’s what I’ve been guided to write today. Besides it comes straight from the heart, and I rather like it. (smile) Hope you do too. Much LOVE!
18 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accepting Jesus, aggressive, almighty god, angel of the Lord, appeased the evils, awesome truth, bad beginnings, baptizing, bring forth a son, call his name Jesus, cramp, drama, early morning horrors, earthly actions, elixir of sleep, eternal life, eternal separation, eternity, evil one, fool's wisdom, foolish spirit, foundational concept of the gospel, free and easy salvation, free gift, from their sins, full bladder, glory hallelujah, God's will, God's Word, good endings, gospel of Matthew, gospel truth, grace of God, heart-warming, heaven, hogwash, holy spirit, ignorance, indisputable, Jehovah Saves, Jesus Christ, Jesus' purpose for coming to earth, John the Baptist, Joseph, lead and guide, Lord and Saviour, lost, Loving Father, Lucifer, mention of Jesus' name, miserable, New Testament, penny section, refuse to accept, refuse to be saved, rejecting Jesus, repenting of sins, rest, River Jordan, salvation, save, save his people, saving grace, saviour, scriptures, settle in our souls, sinful condition, sinful destination, sleep, Son, spoil our day, take away the sin of the world, that which is lost, the Lamb of God, to save sinners, to seek and to save, to work with God, tossed and turned, unwise moves, war-like, wisdom, wisdom of the ages, wise and good Spirit
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Oh Friends, I greet you all this snowy morning with the piece of wisdom that ignorance is a helluva thing yes! (smile) And that’s no lie, it’s the gospel truth!
Now hear the reasons for my assertion. Sometime after two o’clock this morning, I was summarily awakened by a cramp in my left thigh. Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as some I have, but as I swung my legs off the bed to attend to the cramp, I also realized that my bladder was full. So I got up and hobbled to the bathroom.
Don’t laugh, because that was a good hobble, some day’s I can’t even hobble, I’m more like the hunchback of Notre Dame. Unfortunately though, by the time I had appeased the evils in my body, I found that the sleep had left my eyes.
Now this is where the ignorance comes in. In spite of being wide awake, I insisted that it was too early for me to get up, so I went back to bed, where I tossed and turned, devoid of the elixir of sleep, foolishly telling myself that though I couldn’t sleep, I was getting valuable rest.
Steups! What hogwash! And the sad part is that when I did get up, it was much later than I had planned. Chuh! And that’s why the Bit is somewhat late.
Ah Friends, the evil one will do those sorts of things to us, or rather will lead us to make those sort of unwise moves, so he can spoil our day. But with the grace of God, I’m choosing to believe the cliché that bad beginnings make for good endings. Glory Hallelujah!
Glory Hallelujah indeed! If I had listened to the wise and good Spirit instead of the foolish, evil one, I wouldn’t have put myself through those early morning horrors.
But thankfully our wonderful and LOVING Father in heaven saw how lost and miserable we were in our sinful condition and sent His beautiful Son, Jesus Christ to save us, both from ourselves and the ole crook Lucifer.
As Jesus so assuredly says in our Bit: ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’
And yuh better believe my people, that there are many of us, in fact, way too many of us who are still lost, and worse yet, refuse to be saved, even though Jesus went out of His way and provided free and easy salvation, through simply repenting of our sins and accepting Him as our Lord and Saviour.
Hn! But I’m not here to preach… Chuh! It’s amazing how that word preach likes to flow from my pen, although I insist that I’m not a preacher. (smile) Anyway, I’m not here to talk or teach about that this morning. Yeh, I’m more of a talker and teacher than preacher. Shut up my children! No noise from the penny section! (smile)
What we’ll continue doing today, in this last message on the topic of Christ coming to save us, is look at scriptures which proclaim and/or attest to that fact.
Oh my brethren, I need to retract one thing in that statement. This doesn’t seem to be the last message on Jesus’ purpose for coming to earth! Why? Because I was just checking to ensure that I had exhausted my supply of scriptures on the subject, when the Holy Spirit led me to a whole bunch more.
Yuh see Friends, when you’re sincerely trying to work with the Lord, He does lead and guide you to His Will and to His Word. Sorry for those of you who like to move on to a new Bit every day. But sometimes we need to hear certain things in the Word, again and again, for them to truly settle in our souls.
And we’ll begin our scriptures today with a most important verse from the gospel of Matthew, where the angel of the Lord appears to Joseph and tells him about the serious piece of drama that was about to be enacted in His life, and consequently the world.
‘And she shall bring forth a son, (referring to Mary, his betrothed) and thou shalt call his name JESUS (Saviour): for he shall save his people from their sins.’ (Matt.1:21)
Oh my fellow believers, nothing could be clearer and more explicit than that! Jesus was coming to earth as a SAVIOUR!
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘1:21, 22. Call his name JESUS: The name of the child Jesus (Heb. Yehoshua) means “Jehovah Saves.” This points to the very purpose of Christ’s coming into the world – to save sinners.
Placed early in the New Testament, this statement becomes the foundational concept of the gospel. Jesus, by His very name and nature, is the Saviour.’
Yes Friends, even Jesus’ name conveys the message of saving and salvation! So why are so many humans still so reluctant to receive and accept His saving grace eh? Even to the point of getting aggressive and war-like when they hear His name mentioned! Who knows? I guess we all have our various reasons for rejecting Christ’s free gift of salvation and eternal life.
But Friends, I’m here to tell us that whatever reason you choose for rejecting Jesus, it’s a fool’s wisdom, for ONLY Jesus, the Son of God, begotten before every and anything else in this world, can save us from our sinful destination of eternal separation from Almighty God! And that’s definitely not going to be a nice place to spend eternity!
And we’ll close with this magnificent scripture from the John the Baptist, where he was baptizing the repentant at the river Jordan. ‘The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29)
That my people, is the indisputable, most awesome and heart-warming truth! Please accept it as such, and gear all your earthly actions towards it, for in it lies the wisdom of all the ages. Much LOVE!
…just sit and contemplate for a moment…where you’ll end up if you reject Jesus…certainly no place like heaven…
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