08 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a formidable task, a land that flows with milk and honey, all Christians hands on deck, aura of love, blessings, brought us into this place, Canadian, Christ's love Revolution, confidence, drunk or sober, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fellowship, fomenting, forgiveness, friends, generous help, given us this land, glorious kingdom, glory to God, Granny's warning, hope, Jesus Christ, joy, keep God first place, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, mind yuh business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, offering succour to the stranger, peace, pushed God out, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, righteousness., salvation, sending portions to the poor, society runs 24/7, spiritual armour, staying on the straight and narrow path, sunk as deep in the mire, thanksgiving, the fruits of our labour, the fruits of our prosperity, the Holy Spirit, The Israelites, the Worker Bee, this is the day the Lord has made, trust, truth, ungodly world, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wide and destructive path, wisdom
Deuteronomy 26:9. And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
Yes my people, it’s Thanksgiving Day in Canada! Glory to God! As the psalmist says: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) In fact, all weekend we’ve been celebrating and doubly rejoicing. Why? Because we have been obeying the Lord’s ordinance, as delivered to the Israelites by Moses, bringing the fruits of our prosperity to offer it before the Lord, sending portions to the poor and offering succour to the stranger!
And why wouldn’t we eh my brethren when ‘He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.’ And does this great land of Canada ever flow with milk and honey? It surely does, because we are living so much better than most of the world. Oh, like everyone else, we have our problems, but thankfully we have not sunk as deep in the mire as some of the other countries around.
We have not pushed God out of our society as much as they have. But if we continue on the wide and destructive path we’re currently on, we will eventually get like them. And the only thing that will stop us is by concentrating on staying on the straight and narrow path of Jesus; fomenting His LOVE Revolution, and thus keeping God first place in our society. And to do that successfully, we need all Christian hands on deck because it’s a formidable task, and no one else can do it, or is even interested in doing so.
Hn! Looks like I’ve preached the Sermon before the preamble. (smile) Anyway, the Holy Spirit knows where it’s leading me. And let’s not forget that today is Monday; the day so many of us LOVE to hate. And Glory be! It’s a holiday in this great land, therefore many of us won’t be going out to labour today…
And I hear a great groan from those who have to go to work because our modern society runs 24/7. But as always, we do have the cure for your Monday Blues. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! And it does work. So let’s get to it nuh…with whatever enthusiasm you can muster.
‘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!’
And all God’s people continued with a loud, hearty and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’ as they feel their spirits miraculously lifted and their minds and bodies become more alert. Oh friends, that’s the power of the Holy Spirit; the worker bee of the Holy Trinity! And if we’re wise, we’ll pay more attention to Him as He tries to guide us in godly fashion, moment by moment.
And as always, the loudest and most raucous voices belong to those not going to work and have been deeply involved in the celebrations. And before I forget, for all you celebrators, Granny’s warning is a must this weekend. Don’t care if yuh tired hearing it, but it will protect your soul! Sonny Boy; drunk or sober, please mind your business!
Now getting back to the Thanksgiving story, here is some interesting scripture the Israelites were told by Moses to say and do after they had presented their offering of first fruits. ‘And now, behold I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.’ (Deut.26:10-11)
Yes friends, it’s our God-given right to enjoy the fruits of our labour with the poor and the stranger in our midst, but only after we have given the Lord His share first. Remember, EVERYTHING belongs to the Lord, and it’s only through His grace and LOVING-kindness that we are able to get wealth and become prosperous. So for those of us not going to work today, let’s rejoice and celebrate in the gifts God has blessed us with, but also remember to share our blessings with the less fortunate. Much LOVE!
…give thanks to the Lord…for His goodness endures forever…
04 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brother is born for adversity, a compassionate heart, a friend, a friend loveth at all times, a pagan women, a second option, abundance, aught but death, belief and faith in Jesus, bright sunshine, clap of thunder, come to ruin, comforted me, courage, creativity, curse, damnation, dr robert h schuller, eternal life, Euripides, faithful, flooding the land, forgave me, friends show their love, godly favour, greater love, hath no man, hellfire, horde of women, Hour of Power Devotional, in the name of Jesus, in times of trouble, Jesus' lineage, large entourages, lay down his life for his friends, lifted me, lonely- struggling, most valuable gift, Naomi, negative word, never failed, not in happiness, obedient, part thee and me, plague of locusts, rejoiced with me, renewed me, Ruth, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, serving, share blessings, show himself friendly, sinking, sinning, steadfast, sticketh closer than a brother, succeeding, success, suffering, supported me, thanks and praise, the cross at Calvary, the Lord reciprocates, the throes of sleep, Thursday's Blessings, thy god my God, thy people my people, truth, What a Friend, what a friend i have in Jesus, wisdom
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Looks like a gloomy, ‘riney’ day. But who knows eh? By the time I go back upstairs after writing the Bit, bright sunshine might be flooding the land. The weather is so temperamental these days; temperamental like… wisdom dictates that I not say it, else I might just have a whole horde of women on my case like a plague of locusts. (smile)
But brother, a majestic clap of thunder echoed through the area sometime in the early hours of the morning! It resonated like a true thunderous boom – that’s the only comparison I can find. I haven’t heard one as loud and powerful as that in a long time. It sure did catch my attention though I was caught up in the throes of sleep.
This interesting prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional also caught my attention, and I’m going to share it once again because we desperately need this kind of prayer in these desperate times in which we live. This one’s titled ‘What a Friend!’ Wow! And you should know who that friend is!
But please pray with me. ‘You have never failed, Lord, to be my one, essential, intimate friend. When I was: Lonely in striving – you encouraged me. Lonely in struggling – you lifted me. Lonely in serving – you supported me. Lonely in suffering – you comforted me. Lonely in sinning – you forgave me. Lonely in sinking – you renewed me. Lonely in succeeding – you rejoiced with me. What a friend I have in Jesus! Thank you, Lord. Amen!’
Oh my people, my people, what a friend we do indeed have in Jesus! None else can compare to His everlasting friendship! And He backs that up with the words of our Bit: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth! The most valuable gift we can give to someone is our life on their behalf.
And Jesus did just that for us! Glory to the Most High God for preparing such a wonderful plan and then bringing it to fruition! And we have to give Jesus much thanks and praise too, because if He wasn’t obedient to the Father’s wishes, we’d ALL be headed for hellfire and damnation eternally. But because of His death on the cross at Calvary, we have a second option; salvation and eternal life, but only through belief and faith in Him.
Now let’s look at a few scriptures that deal with friendship. First off is Cousin Sol’s famous statement that: ‘A friend LOVETH at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ (Prov.17:17) That just happens to be the true purposes of a friend and brother; to stand by one’s side, especially in the rough times. And as the Greek philosopher Euripides said so long ago: ‘Friends show their LOVE in times of trouble, not in happiness.’
Oh my faithful brethren, we do have the greatest friend in the universe always by our side, that’s Jesus, but we do need a few human friends too, but not too many, as Cousin Sol wisely says: ‘A man that hath friends, must show himself friendly,’ (Prov.18:24a) meaning that if you have too many friends, you’re likely to come to ruin.
And that’s the gospel truth, as some of us have experienced, and we still see happening in our society everyday. Those people with the large entourages never seem to last long, because when their money is gone, so are the supposed friends. However, Cousin Sol does wisely continue: ‘and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ (Prov.18:24b) That’s Jesus my people!
But there are a few human friends who will stick closer than a brother, and we are certainly blessed if we can find just one of those. One like this moving bit of scripture indicates between Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, after their men-folk had passed into eternity and Naomi decided to return to her homeland of Bethlehem. Naomi tells Ruth to go back to her people.
‘And Ruth said, Entreat me not (urge me not) to leave thee, or to return (turn back) from following thee: for wither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.’ (Ruth 1:16-17) What faithfulness my brethren!
As the scholars explain: ‘1:16-17. Ruth’s faith and faithfulness are in evidence throughout the book, as expressed here in her commitment to Naomi’s God as her own. Ruth’s own concern for Naomi is bound by a strong oath made before the Lord Himself.’
And yuh know what friends, our God is so wonderful and faithful and rewarding that for her kindness and steadfastness to Naomi, Ruth ended up being the great-grandmother of Bruh David, and thus of the lineage of Jesus! Wow! Imagine that nuh! A pagan woman being in Jesus ‘ lineage! Only our God could and would do such nonconformist things. (smile) And we don’t have time for that other great friendship between Jonathan, Saul’s son, and Bruh David. But you can read about it in 1 Samuel 20.
Yes my people, let’s hope that in this lifetime we can all have at least one lasting and faithful friendship, because we all need one. Now let’s go home declaring (spelled it right) our Thursday Blessings, letting the world know what it’s like to live and work for Jesus.
Altogether now, in sincerity and truth: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now remember we were given those blessings to share with others, not to hoard for ourselves. So please let’s go out and faithfully do that nuh, in Jesus Name. Much LOVE!
…when we are steadfast and faithful in our friendships…the Lord reciprocates with overwhelming godly favour…
P.S. I went upstairs a while ago, and the sun is out. Glory be! And yes, it’s long…and late, but good! (smile) Much LOVE!
03 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a roof over our heads, accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, acclamations, aches and pains, agree with God, arrogant, attitudes, bears all things, believes all things, born of God, building blocks, common sense, communication, conquer the world, constant level, cover the multitude of sins, covers all sins, direct your paths, Dr. Charles Stanley, eternal life, faith, faith walk, food on our tables, forsake sin, get sufficient rest, goes against the grain, good and bad, halfway home, hatred, hit our full stride, hope, hopes all things, in full swing, Jesus' programme, kind, knows God, lean not on your own understanding, leave all the consequences to Him, listen to God, LOVE, Love God, Love suffers long, middle of the workweek, never fails, obedience, obey God, of God, prayer, precarious predicament, puffed up, rejoices in truth, rejoices not in iniquity, rude, salvation, seeks not her own, stirs up strife, Thank the Lord, the Boss, the breath of life, the greatest of these, the only way to the Father, the straight and narrow path, trust God, unseemly, waiver, walk in the same direction, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wishful thinking, with all thine heart, with the Lord's help, without Jesus
Proverbs 10:12. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth ALL sins.
And then it was Wednesday, the middle of the workweek…and we in full swing now. We’ve hit our full stride and feel like we can conquer the world, even without the help of Jesus…wishful thinking though. (smile)
But that just shows the difference in our attitudes between Monday, the start of the work week and today, when we’ve gotten accustomed once again to getting up and getting out to labour for a penny to keep food on our tables and a roof over our heads.
Yeh friends, it’s all in our attitude, our state of mind, and we can’t afford to let it waiver between good and bad, because then our lives also waiver between good and bad. It’s in our best interest to keep our attitude at a constant positive level, in tune with Jesus’ programme for His followers.
And before I forget, let me thank the Lord for a much better beginning to today, than I had yesterday, the aches and pains are nowhere near as bad. Brother, yesterday was truly a rough day! But with the Lord’s help I weathered it…Praise His holy name!
And I believe the aches and pains are directly related to how much time I spend in bed. I’ll be fine with three or four hours at a time…But Chuh! Once we hit the five or six hour mark, like the body begins to stiffen up. And I won’t even mention seven or eight hours… (smile) So it seems like my best bet is to sleep in four hour spurts.
But that’s not always practical, and it goes against the very grain of one of my most important acclamations; that I will get sufficient rest each and every day. But if I want to avoid the worse of the aches and pains, with the Lord’s help, I will find a way to do it. Amen!
Now let me share some stuff from Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) that I just glimpsed on one of the many bits of paper on my desk. I believe it deals with walking and having a full life with God. (1) Accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Now that should be obvious because we can’t walk with God unless we go through Jesus, since He is the only way to the Father.
(2) Listen to God. That’s through prayer; the method of communication He made for us to get to know each other. And we can’t listen alone, we also need to talk to Him.
(3) Trust God. And here Uncle Charles points us to his favourite scriptures; the immortal words of Cousin Sol: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov.3:5-6) Yes friends, those verses should be the foundational building blocks of our faith walk!
(4) Agree with God. That’s wisdom in spades, for He is the Boss! And you know what happens when you don’t agree with the Boss; you’re liable to get fired. (smile) (5) Obey God. And that brings us to Uncle Charles’ favourite statement: ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him!’ Sure words of wisdom my people, because obedience is one of the few things that the Lord totally demands of us.
(6) Walk in the same direction. Now that’s simple common sense. You can’t be a true and sincere member of an organization and not walk the path the leader proscribes. And with Jesus, it’s the straight and narrow one; the hard to find and difficult to navigate path, but the oh so rewarding one, leading to salvation and eternal life.
(7) Stay in step with God. Now that’s also basic common sense. If God is leading the way – as He most definitely is – then you can’t go ahead of Him, else you’ll get lost in the dark and tumble over an unseen cliff, since you don’t know where you are going. And for our purposes here, I’ll change Uncle Charles’ line up. I’ll put as number (8) Forsake sin. And that’s oh so important my brethren, because it’s sin that has us in the precarious predicament we’re currently in.
But this last point is the most important because it covers everything. (9) LOVE God! Wow mih people! When we do that sincerely, we don’t have to worry about anything else. And here is some scripture that proves it. First off is our Bit, the treasured words of Cousin Sol: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth ALL sins.’ And isn’t that the glorious truth my people? It surely is! And Peter corroborates it. ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover the multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet.4:8)
But here now is the piece de resistance on the subject from Bruh Paul from the famous Way of LOVE Chapter. ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not…vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, (keeps no records); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (LOVE) NEVER FAILETH…’ (1 Cor.13:4-8a)
And that my fellow believers is the gospel truth! For if we have sincere LOVE, then we’ll be like John says: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7) Now with all that LOVE just percolating madly through our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, let’s go home sincerely declaring (wow! spelled it right) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our position in Christ.
As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it’s indeed going to be more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Our finite minds can’t comprehend it! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth…faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
01 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lifetime of Mondays, above every other name, acclamation, antidote, ask the father, at the name of Jesus, aura of love, confidence, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, do battle, enthusiasm, eternal damnation, eternal life, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, evil, evil minions, faith, fellowshipping, for my name's sake, forgiveness, friends, fun, given him a name, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God hath highly exalted him, gospel truth, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, humility, in Jesus name, in my name, inherit eternal life, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, joy, learn to live with it, look to Jesus, LOVE, Lucifer, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, none other name under heaven', obedience, on the right path, prepare on sundays, raise our levels of peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, saving grace, selfless sacrifice, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that can ever befall a human soul, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Life, the Truth, the Way, this is the day the Lord has made, trust, ungodly world, we will be glad and rejoice in it, whatever ails you, where two or three are gathered together, wisdom, worst fate, your joy may be full
Philippians 2:9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every other name.
Aye mih breddren, is Monday, that great day of the week that causes us so many problems. But since we can’t get rid of it or get around it, we need to learn to live with it. And we better had learn to do that early in life because we’re going to be bombarded by a whole lifetime of Mondays. (smile)
And one of the best ways to do that is to prepare for it by fellowshipping with other believers on Sundays to raise our level of peace and joy, for remember the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh.8:10) And then on Monday, begin the day by acclaiming this wonderful acclamation: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) That ought to set you on the right path.
But just in case it doesn’t, then you can join with us in singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which I’m sure will get you going, because it’s the antidote for whatever ails you on Monday mornings. (smile) So without further ado, let’s get with the programme and sing; sing in unison with whatever enthusiasm you can muster.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes, fellow children of God, yuh see how that has brought a whole different outlook to the Monday morning! I told you it would. Now you’re feeling ready and able to go out and do battle with entire world with Jesus as your Field General! All glory to His holy name! For that’s how His Holy Spirit works wonders in our lives!
Remember too that there is awesome power in the awesome name of Jesus as Bruh Paul informs us in our Bit. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
Ah mih people, you couldn’t get any better than that! What an honour the Father bestowed on Him for His obedience and humility and selfless sacrifice for going to the cross on our behalf! Yes friends, the name that is above all others is ‘JESUS!’ Please remember that, for your eternal life depends on it! Because if you don’t call out to Him for help, for mercy, forgiveness and saving grace before you depart this earthly life, then sorry…crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
You’ll be sadly headed for eternal damnation with Lucifer and his evil minions. And as I keep saying, that’s the worst fate than can ever befall a human soul! So please look to Jesus. I plead with you to get truly acquainted with Him so that you can call on Him in times of trouble and need, because His name is definitely the most powerful in God’s magnificent universe!
And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul or me, then listen to what Jesus says about His name. ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) Who else can make such a statement and live up to it eh? NOBODY!
Now hear this: ‘And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life.’ (Matt.19:29)Again, who can make such dazzling and daring promises and keep them eh? ONLY JESUS!
For as Peter said before the High Priest: ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ (Acts 4:12) And that’s the gospel truth!
And if you still don’t believe (smile), then check out this statement of Jesus. ‘And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’ (John 16:23-24)
There you have it friends, right from Jesus’ mouth, and He does not lie. So it’s all up to you now, to seek earthly joy and eternal life by calling on the most powerful name in the universe. But as for me and mine, we will be calling on Him in true faith. Please let wisdom be your guide, and do the same. Much LOVE!
…I am the WAY…the TRUTH…and the LIFE…no man comes to the Father but by ME… (John 14:6)
28 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future, a hope, a little too far, alive and kicking, an expected end, appreciation, at hand, back-breaking week, be glad in it, believers, broad is the way, calamity, chant up a storm, circumspection, damnation, eat and drink, enjoy, enthusiastic, enticement of the enemy, eternal life, eternity, everlasting life, evil minions, exuberant, fellowship, few find it, forgive us, forgiveness, fraught with difficulty, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous, generous help, get a foothold, good for a man, have mercy, hell fire, human souls, in Jesus' name, in soul body and mind, leadeth to destruction, leadeth unto life, loving thoughts, Lucifer, magnanimous, mama yo, mislead agenda, muddy the waters, narrow is the way, never regret it, not evil, not to tread, obedience, obeisance, only one way, opens wide the door, our best interest, pay the price, praise, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, salvation, seek to enter in, sincere repentance, slave-like labour, Solomon, strait is the gate, strive to enter, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thanks, the celebrating thing, the error of our ways, the fruits of his labour, the Life, the limb of freedom, the Most High, the Truth, the Way, the weekend, the wisest man ever, the workingman, this is the day the Lord has made, thoughts of peace, through Jesus, time to celebrate life, to tread, Triune God, truth, two short days off, victory, we will rejoice, week of work, wide is the gate, wiggle room, wisest decision
Matthew 7:14. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Awright friends, it’s bright and sunshiny out there, so let’s get with the thanks and praise, as we all joyfully declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
And we’d be very foolish and ungrateful not to do so my brethren, because that’s why the Lord made the beautiful day – so that His precious people could enjoy it. Glory to our Most High God, whose kind, gracious and LOVING thoughts are always upon us, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
Yes my dear brethren in Christ, our God only has our best interest at heart, but we foolishly screw it up when we don’t pay Him His much-deserved obeisance and obedience. Anyway, He’s also overflowing with forgiveness, so when we realize the error of our ways and come to Him in sincere repentance, He WILL have mercy on our poor human souls, and forgive us. That’s just how magnanimous and generous He is!
And that’s why the workingman, even in his somewhat mislead agenda, can cry out in thanks and appreciation this Friday morning to the Most High: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! MamaYo! The weekend is at hand; the time to celebrate life is upon us. So what we waiting for eh? Let’s celebrate life!
We alive and kicking, and the wisest man ever, Solomon, said that it was good for a man to eat drink and enjoy the fruits of his labour! So leh we do that nuh, celebrate the end of another back breaking week of slave-like labour, as we give thanks for Fridays and weekends!’
Ah friends, as always, I have no complaints re the workingman’s song, except that he takes the celebrating thing a little too far, so that he opens wide the door for Lucifer and his evil minions to get a foothold in his soul. And that’s why, as believers, our Friday Chant is somewhat different; still exuberant and enthusiastic, but with tighter boundaries and a li’l more circumspection. So let’s chant up a storm now nuh, as we declare our thanks for the weekend to Almighty God.
‘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 people, we have to be careful to not go too far out on the limb of freedom, so that we don’t allow the enemy to muddy our clean, clear waters. And remember too, that not because a wide door or path has been opened to us, that we have to go through or take it, for oftimes, it is the enticement of the enemy.
That’s why Jesus warned us: ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
And that’s the God awesome truth friends! Living and working for Jesus, does take away some of our wiggle room. (smile) Meanwhile, Luke puts it thus: ‘Strive to enter in at the strait (narrow) gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.’ (Luke 13:24) Yes my brethren, the way to eternal life is narrow and fraught with difficulty, and only those who sincerely seek it and are willing to pay the price will find it.
And it’s not only narrow, but there’s only ONE WAY, that through Jesus, as He succinctly informed doubting Thomas. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Right there you have that narrow, one-way street to eternal life my people! Jesus didn’t mince words; He told it exactly like it is: ONLY through Him can one get to the Father and bypass eternal damnation with Lucifer in the lake of fire!
So what’s it going to be eh: eternal salvation in the amazing company of our Triune God, or hell fire and damnation with the fallen angels? It’s a decision each individual has to make for themself; nobody else can make it for you. They can suggest it, or even lead you to that narrow path, but it’s always going to be your decision to tread or not to tread it.
Let’s hope today my people, that we all make the wise decision; that to follow Jesus on the narrow but difficult and self-sacrificing path to victory and everlasting life. It’s the best and wisest decision we can ever make in this lifetime! And we will never regret it, all the way through eternity! Much LOVE!
…if Christ…who cannot lie…says He is the ONLY way to the Father…then it must be true…
24 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a happy camper, above the heavens, aura of love, blessings, communicating, confidence, crowded sidewalks, dislikes change, dominion, enthusiasm, essence of our universe, eternal life, evil, faith, fire, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's help, grace, grin and bear it, hail, holy spirit, hope that with time, how excellent is thy name, human animal, in all the earth, Jesus Christ, joy, let me count the ways, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, most powerful force, mother's li'l helper, new beginnings, new possibilities, no job security, O Lord our Lord, oh how I love thee, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, same old, set thy glory, simple prayer, slaving, snow, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Creator of the universe, the weekend, to make ends meet, traffic jams, trust, turned topsy-turvy, ungodly world, uprooted, upset the status quo, weary souls, wisdom, work drudgery
Psalm 8:1. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
‘Monday, Monday! Oh how I LOVE thee! Let me count the ways!’ Ah friends, the ole fella’s not crazy, just somewhat eccentric. (smile) There’s just something I like about Mondays – it hints at new beginnings, new possibilities. Like you’ve wrapped up one section over the weekend, and another is about to start on Monday’s.
Hn! The problem with some of us is that we don’t like new beginnings or possibilities, because they upset the status quo, and the human animal dislikes change, doesn’t want his or her life to be uprooted or turned topsy-turvy too often.
On the other hand, Monday reminds some of us of the same old, same old; the same old work drudgery, endless traffic jams, crowded sidewalks and elevators, and slaving for never enough money to make ends meet, with little or no job security, and sometimes at more than one job too.
That obviously will not make you a happy camper, but you don’t have much choice, so you’ll just have to grin and bear it and hope that with time, and God’s help, it will improve…and substantially too.
And that brings us to our mother, or father’s li’l helper (smile) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Ah friends, it’s only simple prayer; but remember that prayer is the most powerful force in the universe, and it’s also our main method of communicating with the Creator of that universe. So if we pray the right way, for the right things, under the right circumstances, we’re guaranteed that our prayers will be answered.
And our Monday Morning Battle Hymn meets all of those conditions, that’s why it works…every time! So let’s get down to brass tacks here now nuh, and declare it in unison, with heartfelt sincerity. ‘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!’
And I can see by the brightening of your countenance and the new spring in your step that our antidote for all Monday ills worked! Glory to our great God! That’s why Bruh David could shout out our Bit from Psalm 8: ‘O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who has set thy glory above the heavens.’
Ah friends, the Creator of our universe is indeed a mighty Deity, but also one overflowing with tender LOVE! Listen to Bruh David later on in Psalm 8: ‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest (pay attention to, or care for) him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.’ (Ps.8:3-6)
And right in those few words my brethren, we have the basic essence of our universe: the great spiritual Being we call God created it for His pleasure, spoke it into being through the power of His words. Then He created us from the dust of the ground and His breath of life so that we could have sincere communion with Him.
Note how important we are to Him, that He made us just a little lower than His heavenly host, but way above and in charge of all His other creations. And all He has done, is doing, and will do on our behalf stems from His great and wonderful, unconditional and never-ending LOVE for us!
Consequently, the psalmist could declare that all creation ought to praise the Lord. ‘Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons (sea creatures), and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word. Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent (exalted); his glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn (strength or dominion) of his people, the praise of all his saints; even the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!)’ (Ps.148:7-14)
Yes friends, the entire universe ought to praise and exalt our gracious, merciful, mighty and LOVING God! Unfortunately my brethren, that’s not the way it is in our depraved world, so let’s go out and do our best to make it so nuh, because if we don’t, who else will eh? Much LOVE!
…O Lord our Lord…how excellent is thy name…in all the earth… (Ps.8:9)
19 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of righteousness, a good confession, a good future, a hope, assurance, before many witnesses, believes on the Son, breath of life, Christians, confessed, defend our faith, diagnostic testing, don't give up, encouragement, engaged in warfare, eternal life, exertion, faith, faithful intentions, fasting, fight one more round, fight the good fight, finished my course, fought a good fight, Gentleman Jim, glorious future with Jesus, godliness, good advice, grin and bear it, halfway home, hands on the plough, heavyweight fighter, James J Corbett, Jesus Christ, Jesus' vocabulary, joyful day, lay hold on, LOVE, Love his appearing, LOVE of Money, lusts, man of God, material wealth, medical appointment, meekness, Messiah, New Covenant, not looking back, one more time, patience, personal experience, personal problems, relief, resources, rewards in heaven, right around the corner, righteousness., salvation, shuffle back, spiritual life, stand strong, struggle with sin, suck it up, the centre of the ring, the darkest hour, the mind, the most powerful tool, the one before the dawn, the righteous judge, the wrath of God, thou art called, Timothy, true believers, unto the breach, washed white as snow, Wednesday Wail
1 Timothy 6:12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.
One more time unto the breach, dear friends, one more time! Yeh, I’ve got another medical appointment this morning, that’s why the Bit is so early again. The good thing though is that I don’t have to go into Toronto, it’s just some diagnostic testing not too far down the street from me.
But I do have to fast for it, and fasting, or rather forced fasting and I are not the best of friends. The ole stomach is here growling away on me, calling for food, but I still have a few hours to go until I can grant it its request. (smile) But as they say, it’s all for my benefit. So just suck it up, grin and bear it!
That brings us to this bit of good advice attributed to James J Corbett (1866-1933), the American Heavyweight fighter, better known as ‘Gentleman Jim.’ He advises: ‘Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired you have to shuffle back to the centre of the ring, fight one more round.’ And that from someone who knows what He’s talking about through personal experience!
Yes my brethren, that’s what we Christians are called to do; fight one more round, even though we feel at the point of exertion, be it physical, mental or emotional. Oh, I know many of us are tired, what with all our personal problems, including health, wealth and friendship matters, but as believers, we’re not supposed to give up. Giving up doesn’t exist in Jesus’ vocabulary.
And further still, they say that the darkest hour is the one just before the dawn, so if you’re seeing what you consider a very dark hour, please believe that relief is right around the corner. Remember the mind is the most powerful tool in the world, and what we believe we can achieve. We have to use what resources we possess to our best advantage and keep on keeping on.
As Bruh Paul cautioned Timothy in his first missive: ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (LOVE of money, hurtful lusts, material wealth.); and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’
And as the scholars say of our Bit: ‘6:12. The good fight concerns the daily struggle with sin in the Christian life, and the hardships and adversities in the ministry. A genuine believer demonstrates the reality of his faith by being engaged in this warfare. Lay hold on eternal life does not negate the fact that a believer now possess spiritual life (John 3:36); rather, it speaks of fully realizing or appropriating salvation as the believer matures.’
Ah mih breddren being a true believer in Jesus Christ is not easy, but since we have declared ourselves to be true believers, we have to just keep on keeping on. And it’s not like we don’t have ample resources and encouragement, assurance and help to fight our earthly battle. We do! Namely all the resources granted to us as believers in Jesus Christ; the biggest and most important ones being salvation and eternal life.
As the Good Book declares: ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth (remains) on him.’ (John 3:36) Oh friends, that provision alone ought to be enough to encourage us to stand strong and live and defend our faith. Which other faith has that sure promise eh…with the sacrifice, and resurrection of Christ to back it up eh? NONE!
And then we have so many other promises of God, who has a good plan for every life, with a hope and good future. He’s also promised never to leave nor forsake us; to hear our prayers and pleas when we diligently and sincerely seek Him; to bring us out of the fire unscorched; to take us safely through the flood, and most of all grant us a Deliverer, a Messiah, one to sacrifice and atone for our sins, which He did through His only Son Jesus Christ becoming flesh and offering His sinless life upon the cross at Calvary so that our sins could be washed white as snow.
Glory to God my people! For He has done all that He’s promised, and if we do what we’re supposed to do, then He will do the rest. The Lord will not do it all for us. He requires us to put in an effort on His behalf, since we’re partners in this New Covenant. So though life might be dark, dreary and difficult, we do have all the tools necessary to fight the good fight.
And hopefully, at the end of our days, we’ll all be able to proudly say like Bruh Paul did to Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim.4:7-8)
Yes mih breddren, what a joyful day that will be! But until then, let’s keep fighting the good fight nuh, and as a promise of our faithful intentions, go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our current position in Christ. All together now, let’s wail: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And the future will be even more glorious than our puny minds can imagine. So think on that nuh! Much LOVE!
…when life gets difficult…consider our rewards in heaven…and the glorious future promised us there…
17 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a built in aversion, a disconnect, a lot of good, all have sinned, and come short, antidote, atrocities, aura of love, aversion, away from work, beat yourself up, belong mercies, blessings, chomping at the bit, Christians, confidence, confusion, diligent work for Jesus, do excellent, enthusiasm, eternal damnation, eternal life, evil, faith, feeling it, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, getting it together, glorious kingdom, glory to God, greedy, hold his head and bawl, hope, humble servants, hungry for wealth, in prayer, in your soul, iniquities, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, labour, Leaders, lies, lift your spirits, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, of the glory of God, peace, physical labour, power, problems, rebelled against him, reconnect, redemption, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, self-seeking, shame, sincere heart, sinful times, sinned against thee, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, take it to Jesus, Thank You Lord, the human spirit, the tried and true narrow path, to the Lord our God, to work, toil, trust, truth, ungodly world, wannabe dictators, who shall stand, wisdom
Daniel 9:9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.
Ah mih breddren, I know you’re feeling it in your soul; the fact that you have to go out and labour this Monday morning! Hn, Hn! And yuh know what? Many of us will feel like that at the beginning of every week for most, if not all of our working lives. It’s just something about being away from work, for even a couple of days, that causes a disconnect, and it’s so difficult to reconnect. (smile)
I think too that the human spirit has a built in aversion to very word ‘work’, as it brings to mind, toil, physical labour and all those things that run counter to our human nature. So please don’t beat yourself up if you’re one of those who have problems getting it together on Mondays, even though you’ve rested and fellowshipped and done all the right things. Just join with us as we take it to Jesus in prayer, in our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
Believe me, it will do you a lot of good; lift your spirits and have you chomping at the bit to get out there and do excellent and diligent work for Jesus. I like to call it our antidote for all that ails us on a Monday morning. So let’s get busy and sing; sing with as much enthusiasm as you can muster, but make sure that your heart’s sincere.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh mih people, yuh see the ole fella wasn’t lying when he said that it would do you good; lift your spirits and get you enthused for Jesus! Glory be mih breddren! There’s nothing like sincere and humble prayer to lift our spirits and get us back on the tried and true narrow path where Jesus reigns secure!
And today I just want to remind us, to bring to our attention, the wonderful God we serve and worship, the way Daniel did when he prayed for his sinful people. He said: ‘O Lord, to us belongeth confusion (shame) of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.’ (Dan.9:8) And believe me people, we are living in the most sinful times ever.
Daniel thought his time was bad, but today he would hold his head and bawl at the atrocities and shameful stuff that we’re doing, and even considering some of it normal and right. Steups! Our world’s leadership is petty, greedy, self-seeking and ever so hungry for wealth and power! And to that end, the latest trend is that they all want to be dictators, but they are the most inept and inefficient group of leaders I’ve seen in my life time. And yuh know what?
Unfortunately their behaviour sets the tone for our society’s lifestyle and behaviour. And it’s sad how we adopt their bad habits, including turning away from God. Ah friends, it’s a good thing we have the God we do have yes, otherwise crapaud surely smoke we pipe! For as Daniel rightly says in our Bit:‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.’
And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful ‘Thank You Lord for not giving us our just desserts, but instead showering us with your LOVING-kindness and forgiveness!’ And so should we be ever grateful and thankful! Oh friends, I don’t know what it’s going to take for us to realize the seriousness of our world situation nuh, with all the negative, ungodly stuff we’re so blithely and blatantly affirming.
And as the psalmist rightly asks in Psalm 130: ‘If thou, Lord, shouldest mark (take note of) iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?’ (Ps.130:3) And the overwhelming answer to that is ‘NOBODY!’ Why? ‘For all have sinned and come (fallen) short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23) Yes friends, we have all gone astray, overstepped our boundaries, transgressed God’s law! Put it any way you want it, we’re simply not good enough to stand before a holy and almighty God in our own right.
However, as the psalmist continues: ‘But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared (reverenced with awe). I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning’ (Ps.130:4-6) That’s how strong the psalmist faith was!
And in closing, I’d like to strongly advise us all to do as he suggests; wait and watch for the Lord and faithfully and patiently hope in His word, ‘for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption.’ (Ps.130:7b) Much LOVE!
…only by embracing God’s mercy and forgiveness…will we escape eternal damnation…
12 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a flood, a glorious future with Jesus, a righteous man, Advocate, anxious, arrogant, authority, availeth much, be careful for nothing, believers, below our noses, benefits, blessing, bold face, brash, care, Christ's obedience, Christian behaviour, christianity, come boldly, come to God, comfort, communicate, confidently, destroy the world, devastation, Elijah, end times, eternal life, evil world, eyes fixed straight ahead, find grace, glad to be alive, glory to God, halfway home, high priest, holy spirit, humility, hurricane Florence, in time of need, inherent sinful nature, Jesus, joint-heirs, know our place, like passions, LOVE, made known to God, makes sense, merits, need for prayer, Noah, North Carolina, not turning back, obtain mercy, percolating, power of prayer, powerful tool, pray, pray without ceasing, prayed earnestly, prayer, privilege, provision, repent, repentance, requests, salvation, sell the caffeine, shenanigans, sincere hearts, sinful, sinful men, sovereign God, supplication, thanksgiving, the armour of God, the breath of life, the effectual fervent prayer, the only answer, the throne of grace, ungodly times, uppermost in our lives, water, Wednesday Wail, wrath
James 5:16b. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.
Aye mih people, it looks like a glorious day is in the offing in my neighbourhood! Glory to God! But all of us are not that blessed, like the people of North Carolina who are expecting Florence, a category 4 hurricane to bombard them sometime soon.
But all most of us can do is pray for them. So let’s do that nuh! Let’s plead with the Lord to lessen the power of the storm, lessen His wrath, and even turn it away from making landfall, because we definitely don’t need any more devastation than what we already have.
What does the Good Book say? ‘Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are (with a nature like ours), and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth fruit.’ (James 5:16 18)
Yeh friends, that’s the power of prayer…unless the Lord is really tired and fed up with our sinful and ungodly shenanigans. Who knows? But as Bruh Paul wisely advised the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil.4:6)
Then to the Thessalonians he said: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess.5:17) That means prayer is ever so important my brethren! In fact it’s the most powerful tool we believers have in our arsenal. Yuh see, that even when you put on the armour of God, it’s not effective unless prayer accompanies it. (Eph.6:18)
And we’re ever so blessed through Christ’s obedience to God’s will, that as joint heirs with Him, we can ‘come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) Oh what a wonderful blessing and privilege that is my fellow believers!
But we need to be careful, for when the Good Book says boldly, it doesn’t mean brash, bold face and arrogant, but with confidence and a suitable amount of humility because we’re going before Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe and we must know our place. (smile)
I like how the scholars put it: ‘4:16. Only Christianity provides such boldness for sinful men before a holy God, and that boldness is possible only because of our High Priest (Jesus) The throne suggests a place of authority and provision. It is the place to obtain God’s grace when it is especially needed.’
And do we ever need God’s grace and mercy in these sinful and ungodly times friends! So prayer should be uppermost in our lives, even more than usual. It’s the only way we have to communicate with our sovereign God. So please let’s get busy nuh!
But along with the prayer must come some repentance and desire to stop being as sinful as we are and be obedient to God’s will. We obviously can’t be as obedient as Jesus was, because of our inherent sinful nature, but we all know that we can be better, even we believers can be much better. And if we are better and the world sees it, then the world will become better too.
And that’s all we’re seeking my brethren; the betterment of the world, through our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus! That’s why He came to earth and sacrificed His sinless life, and asked those who believe in Him to help Him make the world a better place. We surely aren’t doing that by our less than true Christian behaviour, not walking out talk like we should, and making the world turn away from Jesus, even to the point of blaspheming Him.
That’s not right my people! As His disciples and ambassadors we have a bounden duty to show the world, through our lives, the vast merits and benefits available in turning to Him for salvation, care, comfort and eternal life!
Hn, hn, hn! Ah mih people, it’s one of those days when the Holy Spirit just let the ole fella loose to do his thing. So I hope it all makes sense. I guess what I’m trying to advocate is the great importance of and need for prayer in our daily lives, both as individuals and as the church, the body of Christ, especially in these sinful end times.
Remember the last time the world got so sinful, in the days of Noah, that the Lord couldn’t take anymore and He destroyed it by flood? And yes, He promised Noah that ‘the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.’ (Gen.9:15b) But friends, the Lord never promised not to destroy the world again, just not by water.
So let’s wake up and smell the caffeine nuh; it’s percolating ever so strongly right below our very noses All is not right in our world, far from it, and we need to come to God in repentance without further ado, for who knows how much longer He will withhold His wrath on this evil world of ours?
Now let’s go home now declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our position in Christ. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh friends, I implore us to think seriously on the matters we’ve spoken about and open up our hearts sincerely to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, for He is the ONLY answer to our many problems. Much LOVE!
…the future won’t be glorious for many of us…if we don’t repent and come to God …NOW…
10 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a word to the wise, abominable sins, anitdote, aura of love, awe-inspiring, believe in Jesus, blessings, boldness, change our evil ways, coincidence, compassion, condemn the world, confidence, do Jesus' work, drought, economic deprivation, enthusiasm, eternal life, everlasting life, evil, faithful, famine, floods, for our benefit, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God so loved the world, God's wrath, godless, he gave his only begotten son, heavenly Father, holy spirit, humble servants, humility, hurricane Gordon, inspiration, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, LOVE, Love our God, man made problems, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, most precious gift, natural disasters, new every morning, plague, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, sacrifice, salvation, save the world, should not perish, showers of blessings, sinful, sinless life, sit up, so easy, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, storms, strife, sufficient, take a deep breath, take serious notice, Thank You Lord, the greatest, the most powerful force, the throne of grace, true, trust, truth, ungodly world, war, warning, what ails you, whosoever believes in him, wild fires, wiles, wisdom
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And through our heavenly Father’s mercy and compassion, which are new every morning, much needed showers of blessings are generously falling upon the dry land in my area! Thank You Lord! Let’s just hope it isn’t associated with rain that’s being caused by hurricane Gordon out on the East Coast. And just for your information, there were three hurricanes forming in the Atlantic yesterday, and one over Hawaii’s way.
Friends, let’s pray that they just fizzle out and don’t do any damage nuh, because we can’t handle much more of God’s wrath. And believe me, some, if not all of it, is indeed God’s wrath, for the sinful, evil and godless way we’re living!
Look at all over the world nuh, at how unexpected, unusual and very destructive natural disasters are happening. Just think about the famine, the plague, the drought, the wild fires, the floods and storms that are currently or have recently afflicted our world. Is that just coincidence? And I won’t bother to even throw in the man made problems like war and strife and economic deprivation that are so prevalent in today’s world!
Friends, it’s time we sit up and take serious notice. The Lord isn’t pleased, and He’s warning us to change our evil ways. What does the Good Book say? A word to the wise is sufficient? Let’s get wise and see the light nuh!
Anyhow, it’s Monday, and work is upon us again. And some of us still find it difficult to get up and get going. So what’s the answer eh? I humbly suggest singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with us, because I believe it’s the antidote for anything that ails you today. And why do I believe that? Because it’s prayer, the most powerful force in God’s great universe.
So let’s take a deep breath, get our prayer faces on, (smile) and come before the throne of grace with boldness and confidence, but also with suitable humility. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yeh friends, yuh see how it works! Our spirits have been lifted though the working of the Holy Spirit, and now we’re enthused, ready and able, to go out and do Jesus’ work, spread His LOVE, care and compassion to all we meet. Glory to God! He’s such a wonderful, awe inspiring Deity! That’s why so many of us just live our lives for Him, by following in the footsteps of His sacrificed Son, Jesus Christ!
Oh people, don’t even get me talking about Jesus nuh! Because He’s just the GREATEST! Anybody who could leave a comfortable life in heaven and come down to this plagued earth and sacrifice their sinless life to pay for my abominable sins… well brother, yuh know in my book, they are indeed the GREATEST! And that’s exactly what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did!
So I’ll tell you again…He is the GREATEST! Maybe if you hear it often enough you might believe. (smile) And you know where all of that began, where it started? From the grace, mercy, compassion and LOVE of our heavenly Father, of our Creator! Wow! How could there be any other God but Him eh?
Listen to how His Son, Jesus Christ puts it in our Bit. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Mama Mia! What a great God we serve and worship my brethren! All the other supposed gods are only interested in taking away from us and making life difficult for us, but Jehovah God sincerely desires to give us, the most precious gift of all, eternal life through belief in His Son Jesus! Wow!
And hear Jesus again nuh: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) And that calls for another big Wow, friends! And He made it all so easy; just believe in His Son Jesus Christ! It couldn’t be any easier than that my brethren. So let’s get wise and pay serious attention to Jesus and all that He stands for nuh. Remember, it’s all for our benefit, not His. Much LOVE!
…believe…only believe…that’s all it takes…
P.S. I like it friends. I like how this Bit came together ever so smoothly. I didn’t have to work hard on it at all. The inspiration just flowed as I wrote. That’s why I must LOVE our God; He’s ever so faithful and true. But don’t think it happens so easily everyday nuh. Not on yuh life! Plenty days I have to work hard at it. But it’s all worth it. I sincerely hope that the Bits inspire you too. Much LOVE!
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